Every so often, I’ll notice a business concept that is so undeniably brilliant, I’m in awe.
Wurstkuche is one of those places.
A modern-warehouse setting on 3rd St. just blocks from the new Gold Line extension stop in Little Tokyo, Wurstkuche is like a backyard BBQ on steroids. First – the menu, comprised of several kinds of gourmet sausages (from the classic Bratwurst to exotic rattlesnake, and even vegetarian) and crispy fries with an array of dipping sauces is simple and priced reasonably. It’s a grab-your-table kind of place, with a Mac laptop deejaying club tunes in one corner, and a gorgeous bar in the other. Jump in line, put in your order, then pore over the mighty beer list.
This is my second visit to the “purveyor of exotic grilled sausages,” and this time around I had an attack plan for the beer list: I’d stick to one producer, and try two different brews I’d not yet had. I started out with a Duvel Green Label, a lighter golden ale, which is my new pick for summer refreshing. My second pick was the good ol’ Duvel Special, after much agonizing over the choices – something I’ve had, but not in a while. I am a big fan of serving wine and beer in appropriate glassware, and of course Wurstkuche doesn’t skimp there either.
What’s more lovely than a train ride home? Not having to worry about parking issues was a plus, and the Gold Line made us feel as if we lived in a real city.
Why didn’t I think of that?
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 101 Things, Food, Beer
Hi. I’m Erin. After living in Los Angeles for over six years, I had two epiphanies. One, I spend a hell of a lot of time in Pasadena. Two, downtown L.A. is becoming a destination. Many Angelenos – those of us who stick around past our first year – experience what I like to call the “W Effect of Relocation:”
- Your first six months is exhilarating – you have driven every freeway, gotten lost on the 5, explored the west side and beach cities, refer to yourself as a Californian, all while trying to make friends.
- At the end of your first year, your happiness takes a nosedive. You’re homesick, “friends” have come and gone, and you rant about how “everyone is so fake,” abolish “schmoozing,” and know at least five men that define the word “smarmy.”
- Then – you’ve made it into your second year, find your “spots” around town…it’s good.
- The next nosedive is when you realize you’re sort of L.A. Institutionalized. Every trip to your home town makes you itch to get back on the airplane. You can’t deal with winter. Or humid summers. Or the news. Or our mayor.
- Finally, the permanent and, in my case, never-ending incline – you find a happy medium by moving to Pasadena, one of the most beautiful cities in L.A. county. A clear shot to downtown via the 110 freeway, and minutes away from fabulous hiking and other day adventures. You love the endless beauty that the state has to offer – from beaches to mountains to wine country. While you’re unable to relocate to a farmhouse in Sonoma county at the time, you’ve planned to do so – but for now, it’s about exploring.
This website is devoted to all Angelenos like me – those who love quirky Los Angeles night spots, a place for a good mojito, assorted tea rooms, hidden spas. The Pasaden-ites who live in whisper-quiet neighborhoods, host backyard BBQs, grow their own lettuce and asparagus. The wine geeks – the mixologists – the flavor hounds – the foodies. Farmers market-lurkers, LAist readers, the dive-bar curious.
The motivated, the patient.
This blog is a record of my adventure within a new endeavor: 101 Things in 1,001 Days.
Categories: Uncategorized
