http://www.lamag.com/lafood/digestblog/2012/11/29/firestone-walker-xvi-and-boulevard-brewing-launch-at-steingarten-la

Firestone Walker XVI and Boulevard Brewing Launch at Steingarten L.A.

Two craft beer events bookending this weekend that you won’t want to miss

Steingarten L.A. is bookending this weekend with two pretty stellar craft beer release events, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll make it to both. (Or at the very least, one of em.)

Friday night (11/30), the West L.A. gastropub will be pouring the brand new Firestone Walker XVI sixteenth anniversary ale, which combines eight different component beers in a blend determined by a group of highly respected brewers and Paso Robles winemakers. The result is decidedly dark, high-octane beer that Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson describes as having “rich dusty chocolate, stone fruit, and crème brûlée character.” Eight other Firestone Walker brews will also be available, including their §ucuba barleywine (a personal favorite), and last year’s anniversary beer: Firestone Walker XV.

Monday evening (12/3) will welcome Kansas City’s famed Boulevard Brewing Company to town as they begin distributing their tasty wares here in L.A. Boulevard Brewing’s field quality manager (sounds like a tough job) Neil Witte will be on hand to discuss the eight beers that will be poured, highlighting the brewery’s special reserve “Smokestack Series.”

Both events start at 6 p.m. More info and the full beer lists can be found at Steingarten L.A.’s events page.

Steingarten L.A., 10543 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, steingartenla.com

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Steingarten LA

Looking for a new place to grab a brew on the Westside?  I always am, and quite frankly the selection is limited.  Oh don’t get me wrong, I love me some Library Alehouse and Father’s Office, but neither place is really great for watching a game, and we’re right in the middle of NBA playoffs.  The beer curve drops off considerably after those two.  After a few bad experiences at Broadway Alehouse and West 4th and Jane, I think they’re off my list, which means the nearest bar that serves craft is Tony’s in the Marina.

So it was with that dilemma that I decided to venture a little farther west to the latest addition in LA’s ever growing beer scene: Steingarten LA.  I was able to swing by a couple of weeks ago for a Lakers Blazers game to see what they’re up to.  The German sounding beer bar keeps a fairly low profile, stashed away on the border of West Los Angeles and Culver City and is really more of a Belgian bar than the name might suggest.

Walking into the bar it was much bigger than I expected and what they lack in signage or website – it’s a rather nondescript area on Pico – they certainly make up for with a gigantic space.

They’ve got a few brand new LCD TVs, which were perfect for sitting at the bar and watching the game.  I wore the appropriate attire:

We weren’t exceptionally hungry so we ordered a pretzel and a deer salami sandwich.  The pretzel was pretty good, very soft, served hot with a sweet mustard.  It could have used some big salt flakes, but otherwise we enjoyed it.

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Steingarten L.A. — Revisited — Los Angeles, CA

10543 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-441-0441
website

Fat Bruce Lee, Chi Burger, and I were idly hanging out at the world headquarters when the “red phone” rang. This could have meant one of two things. Either we were going to receive instructions to deploy the nukes, or one of the restaurants, which we had previously reviewed, was calling to ask us to re-sample an updated burger. Fortunately for all of us, it was the latter. Abbey Berookhim, Director of Operations, for Steingarten L.A. asked us to swing by and try their updated burger. On our previous visit, the bun was a major distraction, and the restaurant had finally settled on a new bun. They had already gone through 4 bun vendors prior to our last visit. Abbey was confident that the new bun from Melrose Bakery was a winner.

Previously, Mr. Berookhim had opened the downtown LA spot, Olive Tree, which catered school lunches and served the office crowd at lunch. Olive Tree went the way of the dinosaurs when the city of Los Angeles exercised imminent domain and forced the caterer off of the property to make way for a Cal Trans building.

The concept behind Steingarten L.A. was California Beer Garden. The hokey, pseudo-Teutonic caricatures of German Biergartens were played out, and Steingarten L.A. chose an updated, subdued path. Long tables, ample outdoor seating, a high retractable ceiling, an enormous selection of craft beers (120…20 on tap), and a sausage-packed menu (24 types) were all elements which substantiated the Biergarten concept. Lacking were cuckoo clocks, yodeling, dirndls, and lederhosen. As the son of FOB German parents, I found the environment refreshing and more in keeping with the Germany that I grew up with.

After about 10 minutes our cheeseburgers arrived.

The Burger Breakdown…

The Beef: The beef was identical to what we had tried on the previous visit. This was wet-aged, 90:10 Sirloin. This was an all-natural, grass-fed beef from IDB. The burger meat arrived pre-ground, and it was formed into 8-ounce patties each morning. These burgers were wonderfully beefy and juicy. The Sirloin  tasted of steak, blood, and minerals. There was a faint trace of aging. Steingarten L.A.’s beef was nearly perfect.

The Seasoning: As before, the exterior of the patties was perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper. This seasoning combined with the blood and juices of the ground Sirloin to create a wonderfully beefy and complex bite.

The Sear: The burgers were cooked on a very hot gas grill. The burgers picked up some grill marks, but a proper sear was not developed. In this case, the quality of the beef and the seasonings made up for the lack of sear.

The Preparation: The beef was delivered pre-ground at a medium setting. The fineness of the grind compensated perfectly for the lean beef. The mouth feel was lush–a difficult thing to accomplish with a low fat content. The burgers were formed by hand each morning and as needed throughout the day. The burgers were packed loosely and handled with care. As a result, the bite was very juicy and tender.  Our burgers came out perfectly Med-Rare. I was pleased to see that Steingarten L.A. used a broiler unit to melt the cheese evenly over the burger patties.

The Cheese: On this visit, I ordered my burger (Chef’s Choice) with the Smoked Mozzarella. This was a happy choice. The Mozzarella was creamy, smoky, savory, and perfectly melted. The cheese rounded out the bite with smokiness and umami.

The Bun: The burger buns at Steingarten L.A. were delivered fresh daily by Melrose Baking Company. This was a French burger bun. The bun appeared a bit daunting, and it felt a little tough as I cut through it. Fortunately, when I bit into it, all of my concerns were allayed. The bun was an excellent match for the tender, juicy, burger patty. The skin of the bun was savory, and the interior was moist and yielding. The flavor was quite neutral. This bun was excellent in the area of juice retention. The bottom bun captured all of the juices from the burger patty, but it did not become sodden. The bun was also very nicely toasted, and it delivered some crunch to the party. We also sampled the soft pretzels…these were exceptional. The pretzels were glazed with a salty egg wash in lieu of the standard rock salt crust. This was a pleasantly refined departure from the standard.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: Perfect.

The Fries: The fries were identical to what we had sampled on our previous visit.  The skinny fries were cut in-house, par-cooked, and dried prior to cooking in canola oil (soy oil upon request). The peel-on fries were delicious and perfectly seasoned. The Parmesan fries were even better. Steingarten L.A. used a premium, aged Parmesan, and it was splendid. Fat Bruce Lee was equally pleased with his choice of sweet potato fries.

The Toppings:  The Romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp, and the juicy, fresh tomato slices were lightly salted. The sauces all tasted authentically German. The curry sauce and mustards were exceptional. The bacon, which accompanied the Chef’s Choice burger was crisp and meaty.

The Sausages: We had the opportunity to sample Steingarten’s one-of-a-kind Alaskan Wild Salmon Sausage on a well-executed pretzel bun. This was quite good (in a fish cake sort of way), and it certainly had the merit of novelty. It was a rare treat to try a dish, which we had never before seen on a menu. It actually tasted healthy. Happy Meal and I returned a few days later to sample the Bratwurst ($6.50). The German sausages on the menu were picked up from a purveyor in Burbank. After we took our first bite, we appreciated why Steingarten L.A. selected that purveyor. The Bratwursts were splendid. Happy Meal just grunted with delight as he attacked his. The sausage was mild, juicy, and full of a kind or creamy goodness only found in exceptional Bratwurst. The German mustard matched the bite perfectly. I broke with tradition, and ordered mine on a pretzel bun. The salt-glazed bun was tender and chewy. I worked with the tender sausage. There were a variety of topping available, but I saw no need to tinker with perfection.

Beers: First, Chi Burger ordered something, which was heavy on the cherry flavor. It was a refreshing beer, which tasted like a slightly tarter version of a Berliner Weisse. This was one of my favorites from Berlin–a pint of sour, wheat beer with a shot of raspberry syrup. Bonus, one drank it using a straw! Next, Chi Burger sampled something called the Peach Belle. This was a peach beer blended with fresh peaches from a Japanese orchard. There was also an assortment of fresh herbs in the beverage. This was just like drinking a garden. I have never before tasted beer that seemed so healthy. Fat Bruce Lee was tempted to go for a run after two sips. The bar staff was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful when it came to the beer selection and pairings. With 120 beer choices, an expert staff took the guess work out of ordering the right beer.

The Value: It was $14 for the Chef’s Choice burger, and the meal came with a generous portion of fries. I barely put a dent in mine. The value was quite good a Steingarten L.A.

The beef at Steingarten L.A. was a superstar. The new bun was a perfect match. The cheeses, which we have tried, have all been solid. The fries were exceptional. The burger here was a solid winner. I was pleased that the restaurant was close to my home. If you don’t want a burger, get one of the amazing Bratwursts.

Burger Review : A wonderfully flavorful and well-executed burger made from exceptional ingredients….all for a reasonable price.

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Steingarten LA: It’s a sausage fest

by Jon on December 10, 2012

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Time Out says

Thu Oct 4 2012

Near Fox Studios in Rancho Park, Abraham Berookhim planted a “California beer garden,” with craft beer featured in a communal dining hall with a retractable skylight. The space also incorporates a back patio with a fire pit—a 20-foot wide art piece crafted from 360 tiles—and a full bar. Sausages fall into three categories: Old Country (bockwurst), New Country (lamb spicy sausage) and Game (“Alaska grade” elk). They’ve also got burgers, bar bites, and a top-notch craft beer program. Look out for brewery events, pairing dinners and special beer tastings scheduled by the bar’s hop-fueled beer maven David Watrous.

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Steingarten LA Proudly Welcomes:
The Green Flash Brewing Company.
Please join us for a special night featuring:

GREEN BULLET TRIPLE IPA
SURFS UP SYPOSIUM IPA
7th ANNIVERSARY BELGIAN RED RYE
30TH STREET PALE AGED ON OAK CHIPS

On hand we will have Dave Adams from Green Flash.

A special paired menu will be available so come hungry.

6:00 PM Thursday January 17th 2013
10543 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064
For reservations call: (310) 441-0441
Or online at: www.steingartenla.com

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Click here for Anne Fishbein’s slide show.

PHOTO BY ANNE FISHBEIN

Chef’s Burger with Steingarten sauce and crispy parmesan fries

Location Info

Steingarten

10543 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Category: Restaurant > Gastro Pub

Region: West L.A.

Photos

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More About

• Anne Fishbein
• Berlin (Germany)
• Miller Lite
• Food and Cooking
• Eating Out

We are, I think, living in the golden age of beer in Los Angeles, an era when nearly any malty craving, no matter how recondite, can be satisfied. Are you partial to monk-made Trappist ales? In some parts of town they are easier to find than Miller Lite. Are you fond of bitter, obscure California IPAs? A snap. Is there that one beer you had in Berlin that time, which was slightly funky-tasting until the bartender poured raspberry syrup onto it, which seemed disgusting at the time but kind of wasn’t? Not a problem. Would you like it in a bottle, or on draft? Hopheads, and they are legion, lurk among us, unseen and unnoticed, save for the faint whiff of malted barley that they wear like a favorite scarf.

Because as much as we would prefer to believe otherwise — at least those of us more interested in kitchens than in kegs — the gastropub thing has always been less about cured meats and goat cheese than about imperial stout, and no matter how fine an array of fried pig’s ear, roast beets and organic butter lettuce with shaved asparagus may be on hand, or even a Father’s Office cheeseburger, it is secondary to the noble produce of the taps.

Which brings us, I think, to Steingarten, the newest gastropub in L.A., a beer hall on a dry cleaner–intensive strip of Pico near Rancho Park, a dark-wood temple of hops in a big, clean space that used to house the restaurant Kay and Dave’s.

Why is there a skylight? The better to admire the gleaming row of taps. There are long, wooden tables, a long bar and a quiet patio that fills up even when the rest of the restaurant is empty.

Why is there a bottle menu when everybody seems to be drinking draft beer? To display the kind of rarities and curiosities that make beer geeks swoon.

Open from lunch through dinner, pleasant for children, open very late on weekends, Steingarten is the kind of neighborhood bar that every neighborhood needs.

The first time I dropped into the restaurant, the patio seemed like a fine place to spend an afternoon: sunny but not too much, alive with the sound of burbling water, and relaxed, verging on sleepy. There were very good pretzels — warm, crackly, soft — served with hot mustard, pulled-pork sliders that tasted like pulled pork, and a Caesar salad that was of the pleasantly garlicky school rather than the animalistic anchovy bomb I prefer, but not bad.

I had a sandwich made with a dry, whitetail deer salami that tasted like the stuff Hickory Farms used to sell down at the mall, but was just fine on its slices of baguette. I had an IPA and a cold, sweet glass of Belgian ale. Conversation was good. There was a kind of cornmeal Hot Pocket stuffed with duck confit, and a big plate of what apple strudel would look like if it came in a flat pack from Ikea. Dusk came too soon.

Like most beer halls — or, more to the point, like Wurstküche downtown — Steingarten has a strong specialty in grilled sausages, the bratwurst and bockwurst and spicy Polish that ease down a strong, hoppy brew. Some of the odd sausages work — the duck and bacon is nice, and so is the wild boar — and others, like the mushy salmon sausage, do not. The lamb sausage, sort of a take on a merguez, is crisp-skinned and delicious; the bland Italian and dry rabbit sausages are beyond the abilities of even a high-alcohol barleywine to fix.

You can get three sausages to a platter if you want to share them with the table, or one in a bun if that’s the way you roll. There are sauteed peppers with onions, a rather tart sauerkraut or sweet caramelized onions; sweet-potato fries or fries dusted with parmesan cheese; German potato salad or red cabbage slaw. As is standard at L.A. gastropubs, there is a maximalist burger, a half-pound of grass-fed beef on a big, soft bun, sluiced with things like charred tomatoes, caramelized onion and Brie.

Have a burger. But know that Steingarten exists mostly as a conduit between humanity and beer, at least to that slice of humanity for whom Pint Night exists as more than a concept, the people who become excited rather than terrified when they see the words Experimental Raspberry on a beer list.

Was I happy to fall into the restaurant on a night when the taps were taken over by New Belgium Brewing Company, to have the opportunity to taste rare and wondrous beverages called things like Ranger, Super Cru and Le Terroir? I was. But I’m not sure I was super-stoked to try the red, sour beer that tasted like the wringings of wet baby diapers. Even with an elk sausage in front of me, I have my limitations.

STEINGARTEN | 10543 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles | (310) 441-0441 | steingartenla.com | Open Mon.-Wed., noon to 11 p.m.; Thurs., noon to mid.; Fri.-Sat., noon to 1 a.m.; Sun., noon to 10 p.m. | AE, MC, V | Full bar | Street parking | Small bites and salads, $9-$11; sausages, $6.50-$7.50; burgers and sandwiches, $11-$15.

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