wurstküche grilling in the arts district tuesday
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November’s a big month for the Arts District as Wurstküche Restaurant, the “exotic sausage grill” with a German/Belgian bent, opens to the public at 3rd and Traction on Tuesday, November 18th.
Affable owners Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson have been working for nearly a year to take their establishment from concept to reality, and now a mostly completed interior is ready for action.
Inside, warm brick walls and unfinished wood-strip wall coverings project a natural feeling to diners in the 300-square-foot grill area, which is Phase I of a larger project that will include a modern bar and more seating. Phase II should be ready later this year.
Pitruzzelli is still fine-tuning the opening menu — a tricky bill of fare when offering such specialties as alligator, pheasant and rattlesnake sausages.
I was lucky enough to stop by during some last-minute staff training exercises as the new recruits were instructed on the ins and outs of Belgian fry-making. Homemade mayonnaise and dipping sauces are available.
Everyone knows a good wurst isn’t complete, however, without a brew to wash it down. With that in mind, 24 German and Belgian beers are on tap for thirsty patrons, from the common to the extremely hard to find.
Get down to the Arts District and check out what all the fuss is about. You won’t be sorry.
As always, call ahead to confirm hours!
Wurstküche
800 E 3rd St @ Traction Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-687-4444
Opens Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday-Thursday 11:00am-8:00pm
Friday-Saturday 11:00am-8:00pm (3:00am soon)
Food menu, drink menu (subject to change)
wurstkucherestaurant.com
13 comments
8pm? Hope that 3am time really does come soon, I wanna try this place.
any HAPPY HOUR specials??
wow, i love the food and drink menu. even the soft drink list sounds interesting.
now if only they had my favorite beer: berliner weisse with a shot of rasberry or waldmeister syrup, mmmmhhhh.
Too bad they can’t spell the name of their beers correctly - it’s “Spaten”, not “Spatan” (that makes it sound like spartan).
Oh, and Underberg is not even a beer, it’s a herbal liquor, like Jagermeister. Wonder what it’s doing in the beer section…
But mad props for bringing Aventinus to LA, that brew is even hard to find in Germany! And so far, the only wheat bock beer I have ever heard of. Oh, and 5.25 for the Optimator is probably the cheapest buzz you can get at a restaurant - this stuff has over 7% alcohol!
I have trouble spelling alot of things correctly…. especially German and especially after drinking Spaten. You should have seen the first version of the menu @ 4am the morning before. You would have been eating at a Exotic Sausage Girl instead of Grill. Thanks for the spelling corrections, will make changes for tomorrows printing.
We called about 5x on Tuesday but never got an answer so we didn’t make the drive. Now we have to wait until after Thanksgiving… . Good luck, save some sausage, fries and cold Belgians for us Echo Park denizens.
We checked Wustküche out last night and it’s fan-frickin’-tastic. As with any restaurant, they still are working out the kinks, but the sausages are already on par with Rosemunde’s on Haight in San Fran and the beer selection is excellent. Best of luck to Joseph and Tyler—an awesome addition to the neighborhood!
I took my coworkers here yesterday for lunch. We were initially put off by the tiny space, but then we found out about the unfinished other room. Sausages were yummy, we all enjoyed our orders. I was looking forward to the fries but they seemed a little soggy to me with not enough crunch on the thicker pieces (were they actually fried twice??). My boss thought they were a bit salty (but would probably be good with beer). I realllly hope I like the fries better next time because it would be awesome to finally have a place with Belgian fries to go to. It was also pretty awesome that we got some complimentary beer samples. I don’t drink beers very much, but the “Bumble Bee” that I tried was truly delicious.
We went last night and ‘twas delicious. I’m excited for the rest of the space to open!
Job well done fellow downtowners!
I walked over last night around 8 pm and the door was closed. I could hear a bunch of people inside so I knocked a few times only to be ignored. It was kinda strange. Luckily I live down the street so no loss here. I hope they will be open the next time I walk over. Can’t wait to try the fries and beer.
^ why was that kinda strange? they close at 8. i’m sure, if you show up during business hours they will let you in.
I’ve been there everyday this week. I did miss the Sat. opening but I have made up for it. The door might be closed @ 8 pm, but just push on it, the staff is more then happy to fill your order.I love this place. Their beer selection is second to none.
This is a great place and once they have the remainder of the sitting room completed, it’ll even be better. Having said this, they are indeed still working out the kinks and in my opinion will need to speed up the kitchen in order to accomodate more customers. I waited 15 min for my brats and fries. Others waited too, I observered them salivating. The fries. They are decent, but like other readers said, a bit soggy. I’ve been to BXL in NYC and their fries are crispy and brown and yes, double fried. This is a great addition to the neighborhood and I’m sure they’ll get the kinks out and start firing on all cylinders in a short time.