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:

Re-Opening of the Debate @ Cole's (Downtown Los Angeles)

There's a hotly contested debate in Los Angeles that we will never get an answer to. No, it's not who made the best burger in LA debate of Apple Pan vs Father's Office. Nor it was a debate about whose cuisine reign supreme in Melrose between French vs New American. No, the most heated debate is who was the first to come up with the concept of "French Dip" sandwich in LA.

Cole's or Philippe's?

Philippe's situated on the Southwest side of Chinatown where it is very close to the famed Union Station where all the hubs of train transportation stops are being intersected. They have for the longest time claimed that in 1918, one of their loyal customer who was in a rush ordered a sandwich to go. However, someone dropped the french roll bread to the roasting pan with juices that we now affectionately called au jus.

The customer took that sandwich with buns being dipped with the juices. Next day, he came back ordered a lot more of these sandwiches, but with one request. He wanted the bread to be dipped in that sauce that was accidentally lavished with the previous day before. That is how Philippe's are sticking to their claim to history.

Cole's in downtown LA was located in the old Pacific Electric building where it served as the main stops for the Pacific Electric Railway. If you have seen some of the streets in downtown Los Angeles, you'll noticed that there are many signs of railway tracks on the streets being removed.

Back in the old days, you can see trolley as a form of transportation in the busy and tight streets of LA. Cole's was a pitstop for many of their bar patrons as they served many types of classic cocktails on beers on tap in their fine restaurant establishment.

The version is given at Cole's was that a customer requested the bread of the sandwich to be soft as his teeth was hurting from dental work. So, the proprietor at Cole's dipped the bread in the au jus sauce to soften the bread for the customer with sensitive teeth. Other patrons at Cole's saw this unique concoction of sandwich being dipped into a bowl of sauce and requested the same sandwich being dipped. Voila! That's how Cole's version of French Dip sandwich was born.

Both restaurant supposedly opened in 1908. The dispute of actual date who actual came up with it first has always been in doubt for both sides. The only side with a date on print was Philippe's who posted on their website to be in 1918, but Cole's will tell you that their sandwich happened a lot of sooner than 1918 and have boasted their claim as the inventor of French Dip Sandwiches everywhere that has their name in it.

They are now putting the claims on the signs with their name on it

Cole's was closed for about a year and half for restoration in 2007 before finally re-opened on December of 2008 to a restart of the much reheated debate. The restaurant was originally called Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet (aka Cole's PE Buffet). With the remodeling comes the rebranding of their establishment, now simply called Cole's.

The restaurant/bar has improved their decor where they have cleaned up the interior, but yet retains the charms of the look from the turn of 20th century. Most of the booth seats have fresh new leather and much better looking lights hanging on a low ceiling.

They still kept photos and any memorabilia that is showing the history since the opening of the restaurant from the old days. Some of these photos were quite intriguing considering that show some of the landmarks in their former glory with today's modern infrastructure displacing some of other former neighbors.

The Interior in the dining area

They kept some of their classic cocktails and beers on tap for the drinks menu. I would have gone to the bar because it had better lighting, but I want to see and experience dining area where the booth seats are at. Still, it didn't deter from ordering the "Old Fashioned" cocktail which was pretty strong. That one takes a licking because I didn't think I could handled bourbon whiskey so early in the afternoon. Wowser!

Old Fashioned Cocktail with a garnish of orange ($10)

The big test and the moment have finally arrived. I have decided to get their famous French Dip Sandwich with an added side of Goat Cheese. The protein was the hand carved beef in a French roll with an extra added au jus on the side of the plate. A pickle was a complimentary item to the dish situated in the center of the plate.

Hand Carved Beef in French Roll with Goat Cheese ($8 for Sandwich, $1 for Goat Cheese, and $1 for extra Au Jus)

With my first dip of the half sandwich into the Au Jus sauce (which is a juice boiled from leftover meat) and I can immediately tell the difference between the bread that was dipped and the side of the bread that was unaffected. It does gave a new flavor and texture to both the bread and whichever meat you have chosen from the menu.

Overall, I did enjoyed the sandwich and find the Au Jus would enhanced that sandwich. The service was excellent throughout the afternoon and I did find some cool photos on the wall at the dining room while I was waiting for the food. Believe it or not, the cocktail on the menu cost more than the sandwich itself with $10 flat for all cocktail drinks.

As in for the debate, can't really say the dust have settled on who was the first to come up with these concept for sandwich. However, I think they should concentrate on who makes the best sandwiches. Now that would be the worthwhile debate.

ps. Please see the Review of Philippe's.

Cole's
118 E. 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-4090

Grade:

New Found Twin @ Father's Office (Culver City)

For Father's Office review in Santa Monica, please read here.

There are some sequels that needed a "reboot" as it would be seen in a different light than the original. The term "reboot" was coined by Hollywood movie industry insiders who were disappointed by the results of a popular movie series wanted reconstruct a storyline at any given timeline for their franchise character. They wanted to keep the name and soul of the characters in tact, but the producers and the powers to be wanted a new direction in terms of the story lines. In a nice way, they pretty much wanted to rewrite the entire back story and reintroduce the character in a whole new setting, plot, and maybe even time line.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with James Bonds, Batman, and even Incredible Hulk going through a phase of transformation. The Great news? Even Father's Office have to go through a reboot.

The original Father's Office on Montana Ave in Santa Monica was to me, a townie's sports bar that serves out excellent choices of beer and gourmet bar food in Jack Tripper's Regal Beagle that plays Van Halen's music. It's small, it's dingy, and to the point, it's very yuppish. The place looked like a bar that caters to frat house crowd on a Friday & Saturday night which would even made Mr. Roper stayed home.

When the new location was proposed, the planners have to "re-imagine" on how this place should look. One of the first thing they decided to do is to modernized the layout of the place. Instead of trying to convey to the crowd that it's a bar, they made it more sleeker and posh to give it more of a lounge look. At night, the mood is more darker and dimmer (hence my pictures without flash will be more grainier), as it will gave you a more romantic atmosphere in case you desired it.

One thing I noticed right off the bat regarding the atmosphere was that most bars tend to be festive with loud shouts and echos. With the reboot of this place, the lounge atmosphere had a more subtle mood with less chaotic noise. You can actually carry out a conversation with the people across the table. Maybe it's not for everybody, but I love the fact you can be loose and just hang out. Even with televisions all decked throughout the establishment with live sports game, it never felt like a sports bar, but a cozy lounge with a finely dark oak finish bar and tables.

As in the food wise, I think they did watched an episode of Top Chef. They probably realized that people don't want to eat their burgers with greasy buns, so they substituted with a buns from sub sandwiches. That way, the grease won't sipped through the bun and make it slippery to hold the burger. I actually was impressed by that nice little change.

The food as always a little bit pricey for a gourmet bar food. It's about $10-14 for each main dish with $2 extra for frites. Oh, there is a disappointment to report, they got rid of the cute little shopping carts for fries.

The big draw to coming to Father's Office is still the large selections of more than 30 beers on tap, fabulous wine selections and now featuring several interesting small bites food items on their menu. Oh, here's another catcher, there is also outdoor seating in the new FO V2 where if you want the scenester's feel.

The service also felt much more professional and much more geniunely personable where in Montana Ave's location felt like they worked in a townie bar way too long. The subtle difference in the clientile can be felt also where it does feel like you are not with the townies, but with the more mature jazz lounge crowds.

Dry Cider

This reboot get my seal of approval in terms of improvement in service, atmosphere, and decor. The price of the food still gnaws me a little bit, but I love their drinks selections anywhere from the Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold to my dry cider made here in CA. It never looked like the first original location and got a whole new makeover from the other bar. Changes that were made are all for the upgrade improvements from the previous place.

A refreshing change for the same familiar character. Let's just hope Superman can get the same reboot treatment others have enjoyed.

Here are the current hours of operation for this location:

Monday-Thursday
BAR: 5 pm - 1 am
KITCHEN: 5 pm - 11 pm

Friday-Saturday
BAR: 12 pm - 2 am
KITCHEN: 12 pm - 12 am

Sunday
BAR: 12 pm - 12 am
KITCHEN: 12 pm - 10 pm

Father's Office Version 2.0
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 736-2224

Grade:

Feeling Out of Place @ Father's Office (Santa Monica)

For the review of Father's Office in Culver City, please read here.

Sigh! I'm on the fence on this one. I really want to like this place, but there's always something that bothers me to a point of not giving this place higher ratings.

Let's call it what this place is really is....it's a bar. Not a dive bar, or any kind of cocktail or martini bar. it's just an old fashioned bar that serves many different beer on tap. That's what seemed to be their specialty lies on.

They do serve burger, but so does Hinano and Tiny's KO. Yet we called both of them bars and dive bar. The other giveaways in terms of why this should not be classified as a restaurant would be the fact that there's no waiters service as you have to order your drinks and food on the counter which they called it "The Rack". Plus they do card you to make sure you're 21.

The place is very deceptive. I don't think it's small as others have described. They do have about 6 tables along the wall with 4 more on the back end of the room with plenty of bar counter seats. It looked like the place can accommodate more than 60-75 patrons in here. There's only one Television for the bar, so you might have to get best seat in the house for that.

Father's Office Burger with Frites

The $11 gourmet burger that is popular in this place, which tends to be the big attraction. It's moist with a nice toasted bun. For a few dollars more you can order frites (seasoned fries).

Sweet Potato Fries

The cute little attraction they also have is their fries comes in a shopping cart. Nice setup for a cool feature.

Anderson Valley Pleeko with a bottle Coke

The food is not bad and very delicious with some of the orders. They do have nice selections of beer which I enjoy. I ordered the Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold which is one of their newest beer on the list.

Inside of the Father's Office Burger

If all food and the beer isn't that bad, why am I on the fence about this place? Well, for two reasons: the price and the ambiance of the place.

First price is a little bit high for what is being served. Obviously the place along Montana Ave is catered to the affluent crowd. I can sort of understand the gourmet burgers and some of their menu items are attractive and very good in presentations for a bar establishment, but it's a little bit harsh for food in a bar.

Second, the ambiance as in the crowd for this place can be somewhat of a turnoff for me. When our group was standing in line to get in to the place, the crowd behind us looked at us snobbishly as some of them whispering as though they are blaming us for the long wait because of the big group. I only can wish to tell them to chill out because the crowd at Daikokuya is not as impatient as these crowd.

Inside the place, the mood of music was playing mainstream hard rock with the sound of the TV playing in the background. Overall, I do find the service to be very friendly as the staff was as hospitable and polite, more so than the crowd that patronize there. Imagine that!

I probably would highly recommend coming here for the beer or the sweet potato fries. Nicely seasoned and well cooked in that you can't really tell it's a yam.

If you can stomach the crowd or feel the need to be in a "scene" atmosphere, then this is the place to be. Just make sure you don't try to come in with a huge crowd or it can be maddening to listen to the unwanted mutter.

Father's Office
1018 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 393-2337

Grade: