Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Weaksaucing On Beer, But Not On Sausages @ Wurstküche (Downtown L.A.)

Oh man! Am I late to a party or what? It seemed like everyone has been to this hot spot in downtown L.A. near skid row. Pop open my boy Eat Drink Be Merry's review in a new browser window for a note which will come up in this review later on.

Wurstküche (spelled like worst coochie, but pronounced vorst kooka) is a German word for "sausage kitchen", which is one whole word that pops out of Babel Fish dictionary. The brains of the operations are the cousins and business partners Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson who had an ambitious ideas for this new venture in the heart of the art district where all the hipsters reside at.

Based on early permits and floor design plans, they were trying to set up in three-parts plan of having the kitchen and dining area, high end bar with 24 different beers on tap, and with any luck: a rooftop lounge area. The first two parts of their construction of Wurstküche was finished with only the rooftop lounge being the only part of the area not being realized just yet. The grander scheme of the establishment was to have a 24 hour kitchen that never closes. Imagine the possibility of not needing the bacon wrapped hot dogs and just stayed in for some sausages to soak in all the booze after the last call.

Interestingly, when I first stopped by the place a few months ago right when they were first opened, I thought I missed the place because the front of the place looked like an automotive repair shop with the front of the door resembles a huge warehouse door. It's not unusual in this area considering a lot of downtown area were being reconverted such as a docking warehouse is now a sushi restaurant and cafe (R23 and 2nd St Cafe).

If you now can look at EDBM's photos, you'll see the interior design feature a lot of stones, bricks, woods, and other natural material that gives an "element" stature throughout the place. The backroom where the high end bar is located at features a nice dining area along with 18 counter seats at the bar for the selections of 24 beers on tap. If I ever try to imagine a chop shop being reconverted to a Bierhaus (beer house), this has the look to it.

The front of the house which has the kitchen, small deli counter where all the exquisite sausages are stored, and the outdoor patio tables for daytime dining. The sausages inside the deli counter are being divided to two sections of classics and gourmet/exotic. Classic being the prefer choice of vegetarians and standard sausages while the gourmet & Exotic showcase the animals of alligators, rabbits, and turkey sausages.

My first choice of sausage was to order the exotic Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeño Peppers. I decided to lavish it with Caramelized Onions with my gamy sausage. At first I thought I was going to puke at the thought of a rattlesnake, but with each subsequent bite, I was coming around to enjoy the hot bold flavors. I think with the meat being strained down to make the sausage, it was easier for me to devoured without having the thoughts of the slimy texture.


Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeño Peppers with Caramelized Onions ($7.75 + $0.75)

My second favorite sausage was the Alligator & Pork, Smoked Andouille Sausage and the added Caramelized Onions. This sausage is in a much thicker casing, so it was going to be a bit tougher to chew. Being boiled first, then grilled, this sausage still kept much of its offbeat, but strong flavors. My initial reaction thinking of alligator meat mixing with pork would had been equal to a result of unmitigated disaster. However I was proven wrong at this as I thoroughly enjoyed this gamy, but a delightful combination for a sausage. Quite delicious if you want to try something adventurous.


Alligator & Pork, Smoked Andouille Sausage and the added Caramelized Onions ($7.75 + $0.75)

Now of course I can't tell you much about the beer because this blog is not "Right Way to Drink!", but to eat. They do offered bottled beers from Belgian, German, and North American selections just like the ones on tap. I decided to go for the botanically brewed soda of Fentimans Curiosity Cola, which was much more to my liking than a brew which will easily numb my taste buds (Yes, I'm a weaksauce).


My beverage of choice with my sausages: Curiosity Cola ($5) and Coffee

At this moment, the place is still somewhat spanking new and experimenting out new things to see if the customers will like it. They will eventually extend the hours of operations to 2am (closed at midnight on Thursday to Saturday). So the dream of 24 hour sausage kitchen might still be in effect, but they will surely come along hopefully in the near future.

I still need to check out other types of sausage (Duck and Bacon with jalapeno) and try out the beers that is on tap. You better hurry before the place hit critical mass which meant you will never get a table to dine and enjoy your beer.

Wurstküche
800 E 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-4444

Grade:

Wurstküche on Urbanspoon

Wurstkuche in Los Angeles

7 comments:

H. C. said...

Nice writeup, I think my fave sausage there is still the mango-chicken-jalapeno. The few beers I've tried so far are pretty good, can't wait to eventually check out the rest. As I indicated on EDNBM, would be great if they do a sampler of sorts

Right Way to Eat said...

Thanks H.C.!

Yeah, the beers are nice, but I had to go somewhere later on for dinner, so I didn't want to ruin my appetite. I came here specifically for the alligator & rabbit sausage, but was quite surprised on rattlesnake and rabbit version.

It would be great if they had a sampler plate. I think they wanted everyone to buy all the sausages. I was tempted to get four or five people with me and order everything from the gourmet and exotic section. That would be an interest dissection of every meat. LOL

edjusted said...

Ooo, was the andouille sausage spicy? I love spicy andouille.

Epicuryan said...

I have been thinking about trying this place. I want to get enough people together where we can order everything on the menu.

Would you be interested in a second visit?

Right Way to Eat said...

Hi Edjusted,

It's not too spicy. I don't even think the other sausage had the word "spicy" was even spicy.

However, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the Alligator & Pork, Smoked Andouille Sausage.

Hey Tangbro1,

Good to see you last night man! Let me know when, I'm down with taste testing all the sausages and downing a few brew with you guys. Keep me posted!

dealinhoz said...

hey i finally tried the alligator sausage. i have put that in my top 3 ranking along with rattlesnake and sundried tomato chicken. tassssssttttty.

Right Way to Eat said...

Hey EatDrinkNBeMerry,

Sundried Tomato Chicken? Now that is something I haven't tried at this place. Will need to check it out. Top 3? That's good enough for me to try this sucka. Thanks!