This is an interesting story in the Los Angeles Time during a week awash in green beer and all things Irish:
Last month, Angelenos saw the debut of nighttime hangs SteingartenLA and Berlin Currywurst, and in the coming months at least two more spots serving up German-themed late-night thrills — Kai Loebach's Currywurst on Fairfax and Wurstkuche Venice — are rushing to meet the demand for "drunk" (for the drinker) food and imported craft beers. Those are all coming on the heels of an only-in-L.A. German-Korean hybrid pub called Biergarten that opened last year in Koreatown. And later this year, two of L.A.'s hottest bar owners, Mark and Johnny Houston, (La Descarga, Harvard & Stone) are opening a beer garden-themed bar that pays homage to a former tenant, Vienna Hofbrau, on Sunset Boulevard.
We are lucky in our small city to have a German restaurant with an odd little patio hidden out back near a multi-story parkade which give the effect of creating a hot spot that no one looks into. I am happy to admit that, as with sour beer, I learned about German beer far after I started writing this blog. I still know little but I do know that a weisse is a very welcome thing. But I don't know what makes a place actually "German" as opposed to faux German. The story speaks of a large communal table as well as "cozy communal" tables... whatever that is. Maybe a large table made for 20 but surrounded by 30 seats.
Comments
Pivní Filosof - March 19, 2011 2:15 AM
Does this mean that Currywurst will go the way of the Sushi? From cheap street food to overpriced fancypants delicacy favoured by the LA douchebaggery?
Gary Gillman - March 22, 2011 9:54 PM
The beer garden theme seems a natural for L.A.,at least at certain times of the year, and the inventive Angelenos will I am sure figure a way to cool the outdoors when the need arises.
I've noticed wurst shops in lower Manhattan, not beer resorts per se but never far away from same. German restaurants with a beer theme seem on the increase there too, so a trend is spreading I think.
As for fresh German-style beer, I can vouch for the authentic quality of Steamwhistle pilsener, ditto the German pils at Mike Duggan's in Toronto, so that's a great start here!
Gary
Alan - March 23, 2011 8:57 AM
I posted this NYT story about New York beer gardens four years ago, Gary. That sounds very appealing, sitting in a park drinking beer in the shade.
But the best place I have ever heard of was one a guy from Syria I played fitba with told me about. You take a bus into a mountain to a bar - restaurant by a wide shallow river under the shade of the trees. The tables are in the river and you sit with your feet in the flowing cool water as waiters bring you food and drink all day. Said he could take his whole extended family there for about 100 USD.