DeBroux's Diner

 In a word: Not quite freshly Brouxed.

The specs: #0682
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; Madison Originals profile; reviews of BrouxNellie's Diner at Yelp, Madison Fish Fry; reviews of DeBroux's: Connect Oregon WI, City Search, Trip Advisor; official web site;

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JM ate the chicken finger club with fries and a lemonade.
Marijka ate the veggie melt with waffle fries and a raspberry lemonade.
Nichole ate the breakfast burrito and coffee.
Ryan ate the patty melt special with coleslaw and an iced tea.
The bill was $41, or $10.25/person, plus tip.
JM gave DeBroux's an A-; Marijka, Nichole and Ryan gave DeBroux's a B (see our grading rubric).

DeBroux's, formerly BrouxNellie's, still features Coca-Cola paraphernalia but serves Pepsi, to the point that flavored fountain "Cokes" are made with Pepsi, and water is served in Coke-can glasses. Our heads reacted as they would had we popped some Pop Rocks and a pop chaser.

Thankfully we ate with people who retained their wits, even though the place was loud-loud. We ordered things that were mostly brown-brown.

For starters, Ryan's iced tea was properly brewed and fresh-tasting, and the refills were free and well attended to. The brewed coffee was quaffable, and the lemonade was as standard as they come, if a little sweeter.

The patty melt with bacon was a new thing, though the bacon was an example of diminishing returns since the sandwich, but its nature, relied on salt and fat for most of its flavor. Ryan observed:

The gooey cheese exemplified the "melt" part of the sandwich, and the bread was crisped to a rich, khaki brown. If there was an inferior part of the sandwich, it was the quantity of fried onions; I'd have gladly traded the bacon away for double onions, though I know that onions can be a polarizing topic.

Nichole's breakfast burrito's black beans, scrambled eggs and flour tortilla proved a tabula rasa for a variety of housemade sauces. The labels ranked the sauces from 1 to 10. They went from a level 4 mango sauce right up to some sassy 10 point hotness.

Marijka's veggie melt with waffle fries, one of few vegetarian options, was light on toppings and cheese, while the waffle fries lacked any spice, sadly.  The bread was the best part of the plate, dense and nicely browned.

JM continues to reveal that he is incapable of growing up, this time by ordering a sandwich with chicken tenders for filling.  The sandwich was good and got some vegetables into him, which is the benefit of serving it betwixt rolls.  He found none of this sandwich's individual parts very interesting, though the concept would merit a return, for again he is forever 13.

We skipped dessert again, though the pies do look amazing in their deep-dish crockery and twirling glass display case. The fruit pies are all made in-house and there's also Chocolate Shoppe ice cream.

Comments

[Nick]

The food here is fine, however, we have never had a meal here in less than an hour. On a recent visit for breakfast, 3 orders of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and toast took about 20 minutes to get. It is as if the kitchen staff cannot multitask. That is our biggest gripe about this place..

[Jay]

Wait...ONIONS can be a polarizing topic? What about the idea that one would rather have extra onions on a sandwich rather than a perfect, noble, beautiful slice or two of luscious bacon!!!!! Bacon makes everything better. Do you hear me?! EVERYTHING!!!!!!