1) It's spelt the correct way. That's German. Even though the owner Neil Kwon is Korean and the bar is located in Koreatown and serves an Asian fusion menu, it's really a westernized bar in so many ways from its beer selection to the vibe.
2) They offered a good selection of craft beers. None of that domestic watered-down beer. I don't drink a lot of beer (unless I'm snowboarding, hot tubbing in our Mammoth condo or out at an LA beer bar like 5th Amendment Alehouse or Surly Goat) but when I do, it's usually a Belgium blonde ale or a saison in the summer.
3) Good bar food. I'm not talking about potato skins or nachos. I'm not even talking about bratwursts. The menu is Asian inspired such as kalbi tacos, spicy wings and okonomiyaki.
4) Within walking distance from the Wiltern Theatre. It's really about a mile which is the perfect distance to walk back after dinner.
When we arrived, the place was packed. Apparently the Laker game was on, game 2 of the NBA Finals. I didn't know. Guess I'm not that into basketball. In my defence, I've been stuck in a late-night-working-cocoon so I haven't kept up with what's going on in the world. As we stood around surveying the seating situation, a waiter rushed over and apologized repeatedly that there wasn't a seat available. There were two minutes left on the clock so tables would clear out shortly. I wasn't that concerned. After all, I'm used to standing around at crowded Hollywood bars. But his concern was an indication of the good service at Biergarten.
I just couldn't help it, I had to order it even though I knew it was going to be just me eating this whole plate of chewy goodness. I liked that the gizzards were tempura battered instead of flour battered because the coating was a little airy and it didn't taste greasy. It went really well with the citrus ponzu dipping sauce. The kimchee and salad was very tasty but alas, when I'm faced with gizzards, salad and only one stomach, the salad had to step aside.
The pork was seasoned well and topped with a thick and very spicy sauce. The sauce reminded me of spicy Korean wings.
Peanut butter and beef sounded like an interesting combo so we had to try for ourselves. It worked really well. The nutty spread was a good cohesive to the bun and patty and it added a creaminess and sweetness. The patty itself was seasoned well. And Kings Hawaiian buns never fail. They were perfectly toasted. When I saw french fries on the side instead of onion rings (which was listed on the menu), I was a bit disappointed until I took a bite of the slider. The perfectly battered and seasoned onion rings were in the slider. So I get onion rings and fries? Win and Win! I'm a fries whore so they were gone in a split second. The dipping sauce was a homemade chipotle sauce. I really liked it because it was a nice spicy surprise if you were expecting it to be ketchup.
Biergarten is the kind of place that I would definitely return to, and bring loads more friends with me. There was a lot of thought and attention that went into the menu. The food menu had really interesting items that I'd like to try such as an octopus noodle dish and the beer can chicken which is a whole chicken that they apparently carve tableside. I liked how everything was homemade, from the dipping sauce to the complimentary potato chips. They could have copped out and gone with Heinz or Lays but instead they made it from scratch, and it really shows. The service was awesome. Our waiter (who kept apologizing, at least three times, when we weren't able to be seated right away) was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about his beers. Owner Neil was just passionate about his venture and is always open to suggestions and improvements. I liked that this isn't just a "Korean" joint (we're not Korean). It's Westernized in so many ways from the beer selection to the decor and service, yet it holds on to some of its Asian influences through the food menu.
Hits: dishes are unique, food, service
Misses: some of the beers ran out
Rating: ***
Biergarten
206 N. Western Ave.,
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 466-4860
Afterwards, we made our way over to the Wiltern Theater for the sold out show. It was a good way to walk off some of that fried gizzard. The xx is a British indie-pop-electronic band.
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