la.foodblogging

I’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