So I’m almost finished with my Management training with RA Sushi but I have managed to stop by three restaurants for a first time visit the past week. I am super excited to share these three with you all!

First up is Bruxie: Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches!

They have six locations in SoCal (Chino Hills, Irvine, Brea, Orange, Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa) – but I’m going to comment on their fourth location – at the Shoppes in Chino Hills, California. Fortunately for me, I work right across from this location in Chino Hills – so any time I crave a waffle sandwich – it’s right there!

Their menu is pretty simple. But their main “thing” is that their sandwiches are on savory crisp waffles! I was intrigued! So of course I had to visit.

A few of my employees suggested getting a breakfast sandwich – but at 5pm, I wasn’t too keen on that thought. Maybe next time, for breakfast? After reading over their menu, I decided on their hot pastrami waffle sandwich. Being born and raised in New York, I L-O-V-E pastrami! And it did NOT disappoint!

Their description of the sandwich is as follow: “Stacked Hot Pastrami & Gruyere: Boar’s Head Pastrami, Gruyere, Cider Slaw, Spicy Brown Mustard, Half-sour Pickle”.

My description: Fucking Delicious! I even added a small order of fresh criss-cut fries and an unsweetened brewed iced tea. The pastrami was juicy and tender, mixed with the spicy mustard and the cider slaw was perfection. My mouth was flooded with such savory flavors with each bite. My only “gripe” is that the waffle itself was ‘hard’. Not hard as in stale – but with each bite, the waffle would tear up the roof of my mouth. But that aside – it was tasty.

Click HERE for their complete menu! I’m anxious to try their Roasted Cremini Mushroom & Goat Cheese waffle sandwich!

The next up for review: 85*C

This place is is huge! There are like a gazillion store nationwide and internationally. According to their website,

“…a cafe and bakery specializing in espresso coffee, flavored beverages, decorative cakes, and freshly baked breads. We use premium Guatemalan coffee beans and serve the freshest gourmet baked goods.”

Fortunately for me, there is a location in Chino Hills, California near my work! (Seriously, I am very lucky to have such great places nearby!)

When I pulled up to the store front, I was “greeted” by large glass windows that covered the entire front of the location. Walking inside, I noticed it was airy and had a open floor plan. To the right, displays of sweet and savory breads. To the left was ample seating. Towards the rear, they have a huge display of sweet desserts. They also serve iced coffees and boba.

I decided to try a few different breads from their selections. I spoke with an associate there and based on his recommendations, I was able to select five breads.

This was sweet and soft. At only $1.50, I felt this was a great value. Definitely recommend (and I found out this is a customer favorite)!

If you love mango – then you will ABSOLUTELY love this! Imagine a cinnamon roll had a baby with diced mangoes. Except instead of cinnamon, it was mango. Yeah, it was THAT good! It pulls apart like a cinnamon with sweet icing on top – and lots of chunks of mango.

Now before you start to gag yourself – hear me out on this one. For those who’ve never had anything with squid ink, let me tell you that there isn’t any fishy or ‘sea’ flavor at all. I used to use squid ink linguine at the Italian restaurant I worked for and there isn’t any distinct flavor difference. This item is a savory bread that uses squid ink in the dough that gives it the black appearance. It is topped with a garlic butter spread and filled with melted mozzarella cheese. And at only $1 a piece – it’s definitely a great deal! I personally recommend this one!

Holy mother of goodness! This GIANT sweet bread was a bit dense (the dough is mixed with milk) but very tasty. The melty (is melty a word?) chocolate chips were sweet! I used a knife to cut this into smaller bite sized pieces. Another recommendation – and at a $2 price point, this could surely feed you and a friend.

This was similar to a pumpkin roll – except it’s with coconut and vanilla.  Although it was sweet and tasty, I did feel it was a bit “dry”. But don’t let that dissuade you from trying it. Perhaps if I had a coffee or espresso with it I wouldn’t have noticed the dryness of the bread?

These are only a “few” of the available breads this store has to offer. I can’t wait to try more! Click HERE to see their website and learn about their history.

Annnnnd last but certainly not least…

Patsy’s Country Kitchen (in Temecula)

I didn’t know this at first but there are three other locations throughout the Inland Empire!

This location in Temecula is located inside a small shopping center off Jefferson Avenue. For those who have lived here for quite some time, you’ll recognize that this location used to be a $1 Store-like business. They certainly turned this suite around! As I entered the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by two servers. The interior decor was country-esque. The walls were covered in ‘fencing’ all around, from the floor upwards to the middle of the wall. Lots of Americana wall decor adorned the walls.

When I entered, I was offered to seat myself. I don’t know if this is normal (since this was my first time here) or if maybe because business wasn’t too busy? Either way, I sat myself at a small table. The server stopped by to drop off a menu and take my drink order. I ordered their sweet iced tea. Look at the size of this cup!

Their menu…

At Patsy’s, they serve breakfast and lunch – all day. They do close at 3pm – so get in quick! During my visit, around noon, I decided I still wanted some breakfast. Upon opening their menu, I found myself immersed in a massive amount of choices. I was starving – and really craving corned beef hash. Lo and behold – there it was! With home fried potatoes and two fried eggs over medium, I was very satisfied with my selection.

My platter also came with two buttermilk biscuits and country gravy. I was in heaven!

Priced very reasonably, I highly recommend stopping by here. The staff were super friendly. My server, Lindsey, was very attentive and very helpful. When I informed her that this was my first visit, she warmly welcomed me and began to give recommendations on the more popular items. I felt really confident with my selection. If Lindsey sees this – thank you!

If you want to browse their website, click HERE and take a look!

I am hoping to do more restaurant reviews in the next few weeks. I have a few other locations already on my radar – so stay tuned!

And if you have a location you’d like me to review, send me a message! You can email me at: forkthisplate@gmail.com

 I look forward to hearing your recommendations!

Until next time: #FORKTHISPLATE