Red Lion Tavern
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 12:53I’ll admit it. Germans frighten me. I am aware of how racist that sounds, but owing to the checkered history of Germany in the first half of the twentieth century, I am admittedly timid about surrounding myself with German culture. And my last name is Wasser.
One thing I do like about Germanic-Austrian (or is it Germaniod?) culture is the food. God love ‘em for their food and beer. Just no oompah music. Although I would never step foot inside Germany, the Red Lion Tavern compares very closely to the authenticity of ski resort restaurants I’ve eaten like Alpenhof. The Swiss-Austrian-German axis has produced some of the very best comfort food in the world, owing to the inhospitable climate and stocky, robust build of the people.
Prejudice aside, I am giving the Red Lion Tavern a very shaky, lukewarm endorsement. The service, at least for us, was sporatic and unreliable. There was only one maiden working the beer garden, and evidentally, since all orders funneled through the overworked bartender, things were backed up like the security line at LAX.
The first beer I tried was impossibly sweet and impossible to pronounce. Which is better for you, the reader, since you would neither want to order or drink it. I can say the flavor was reminiscent of Sprite. [Zteve note - I am editing this after the fact because Cybele linked me to an article that mentioned a Radler is, in fact, a beer mixed with a Sprite. Thank you!] to I am used to a hefewiezen accompanied by a side of grenadine or a lemon, but this was straight up beer. Shudder. The maiden was very accomodating and promptly brought a different beer. My followup was an old reliable, Bitburger. Fresh, clean, light, with a slight bite. Not bad for washing down our appetizer, the sausage platter.
The platter is comprised of knackwurst, bratwurst and smoked bockwurst. It is accompanied by pickles and hot peppers with a side of brown mustard. I purposefully ate only a few pieces, since the dish could easily feed three husky Germans on their way to a barrel tossing contest. My favorite was the smoked bockwurst, which had a rich, peppery taste. We augmented the hot flavor by biting the end off the pepperoncinis and dousing the sausage with the liquid. Nice flavor when mixed with the mustard! I couldn’t distinguish between the non-smoked sausage, but it all tasted hearty and flavorful.
My entree was Beef Rouladen. This is a beef roll stuffed with pickles(!), onions and bacon, broiled. It was served with a rich gravy, red cabbage and mashed potatoes. No, the pickle is hardly noticable and the flavors all compliment each other. The gravy serves well to bind the different flavors of the meat, cabbage and potatoes. The way the beef was prepared, it fell apart with ease and mingled well with the gravy and what was wrapped inside. Finishing off my Bitburger, I opted for my followup Hefewiezen. Bright and yeasty, it helped cut through the richness of my entree.
My wife ordered the Hungarian Goulash, which I thought had a great punch of flavor and paprika. Goulash is a rich beef stew served over noodles, accompanied by red cabbage. She felt my dish was more flavorful, which I agree, but the actual taste was comparable. Honestly, I felt both dishes were bold and filling. Frankly, we finished nothing that was served to us and took home three doggy bags. I have dinner, at least, tonight.
But the doggy bags took about 10 minutes to get when our maiden finally came back from her smoke break. My standing rule is anytime a waitron is absent for an extended period of time, I assume they are getting high in the car. It then took an excruciating fifteen more minutes to get our check. Then another 10 minutes before getting up in exasperation and paying the bartender directly, to find out each beer had been $11. Eating at a restaurant is like sex, when I’m done, I want to get the hell out as soon as possible. The fun is over. So the wait, mixed with the expense of the drinks, ticked me off enough to mention it in this review, which is a shame because I really liked the food.
So, if you go to the Red Lion Tavern, keep in mind the tall beers have a premium price, but the food has a premium taste. I will give them the benefit of the doubt -since there are a lot of regulars- that it was just an off night for service.
Red Lion Tavern
2366 Glendale Blvd
Silverlake, naturally.
By Zteve (see more of his posts). You can find more of Zteve's writing at his own website Gastrologica
cybele says:
December 21st, 2005 at 1:31 pm
I’m not a mammal-eater, but I have spent some time at the Red Lion just for drinks. I found their fries good but their potato pancakes a little bland.
DrewB says:
December 21st, 2005 at 3:43 pm
$11 for a beer? Something’s not right about that. I swear everytime I’ve gone in there I’ve gotten a plate of potato pancakes and 6 beers and walked out for around $50 with tip.
The service at the Red Lion is definately their weak spot, unless the waitresses know you. (It’s somewhat like my favorite beer joint, Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena)
The other thing to bear in mind about the Red Lion is that it’s old for LA, 1962. But it’s definately a no nonsense old tavern landmark of a place. The selection of beer isn’t the widest, but at least they avoid the syndrome of adding 9 varieties of “Pils” beer and calling it a massive selection. bleck.
Zteve says:
December 21st, 2005 at 4:01 pm
DrewB - Yes, it DOES seem high for the beer. My wife had two whiskey sours, but even they don’t add up to $11 a pop unless someone is sneaking you Lagavulin 18 Year Old Scotch Highland Single Malt Whiskey. I’ll have to check the receipt, unless Fraulein Maiden smoked it in her bong. I did notice that they didn’t have an extensive selection of beer. They didn’t know what a Hell Bier was, didn’t know about Monkschof…I’m not even sure if they had Spaten. Thank god we weren’t subjected to lederhosen.
Kristy says:
December 21st, 2005 at 4:04 pm
$11 beer?!!! That sticker shock reminded me of my $14 little cup o’mojito! Hmm…yeah, I agree with DrewB…something’s quite not right about that! For that amount of money, I better be getting a big ass bucket of beer and it better be tasty too! ;) LOL!
Dylan says:
December 21st, 2005 at 4:32 pm
love this place. i always get a bittburger beer and their sausage platter.
DrewB says:
December 21st, 2005 at 6:13 pm
Trying to recall.. I was in the Lion last Sunday…
You’ll rarely see a good Helles here in the states. They just don’t have the demand like a pils and they don’t stay fresh for very long.
But they always have a products from Kostrizker, Spaten (including Optimator on draft, go team!), Bitburger, Franz, Erdinger, etc. Personally I’d like to see them get some Kindl Berliner Weiss in during the summers for a nice light drink on the deck.
And I’d still pay good money for someone to bring and serve some nice fresh British mild, but that’s just not going to happen.
Juan says:
December 27th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
I go there often, and the beers are 5.50. Service is generally slow, so make sure you order your next beer when you’re a little over half way done.
nealgardner says:
December 29th, 2005 at 1:55 pm
When I went to Germany a few years ago, I found the service to be a bit slow in every restaurant I frequented. What I realized then was that as Americans, we expect everything “on demand.” The Red Lion is a good, typical German beer garden. The food is authentic; not the best, but pretty damn good. The beer is poured correctly and the varieties are plentiful. Expect to spend up to two hours there for dinner. While waiting for the service, relax, enjoy a beer and enjoy the conversation.
best time to go is late afternoon on a warm day. get a weißbier and unwind…
Ashley says:
December 30th, 2005 at 7:14 pm
I work at the RL, and the half liter beers are 5.50, with the exception of the dopplebock, which is 6.50. A .31 liter glass is 3.50. Also, we are usually slightly understaffed, so service can be slow. And I certainly do not get high in my car, or anywhere else.
Natty says:
January 2nd, 2006 at 9:28 pm
I’ve found that if you’re there for dinner and want a little faster service, stay downstairs. Upstairs is better for a lingering evening of beer, smokes, and snackies.
Mantooth says:
April 20th, 2006 at 9:33 am
The Red Lion is not where you go in you’re in a hurry. It’s where you go to kill a couple hours, stuff yourself silly, drink great beer and stare at cute waitresses in durndels(sp?) and stockings.
Don’t know where you got the $14 beer from. The just flat out isn’t correct although once the pints and food get flowing you can usually count on spending around $50 per person. The service is always friendly even if it is not the quickest but, once again, it’s not a fast food…or even medium food…type of joint.
Zteve says:
April 20th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Yeah, we’ve been back and it’s good.
Fred says:
December 8th, 2006 at 10:01 am
The Red Lion Tavern has great German food and beer! Its about the only German restaurant left in LA county other than Alpine Village. The atmosphere is nice and they have a smokin hot server who wears black combat boots!:-)
Michelle says:
January 20th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Great little place but the bartender with the curly hair downstairs is extremely rude. She needs to get a personality adjustment.
Jerko says:
July 7th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Is this place still around?