The evening took off at Gingergrass where we started off with Fresh Tofu Summer Rolls accompanied by a sweet, pungent dipping sauce. The Shaking Beef, which is filet of beef sauteed with chilies and onion, was set on a fresh bed of watercress and perfectly delicious jasmine rice. The marinade/sauce reminded me of Korean bbq but kicked up with loadsa chilies and herbs. I got a few chopstickfuls of my boy's Pho which was also delicious. I like my Pho with a mountain of bean sprouts and a few bites of chili. Ooh, yummy spiciness. Their Fiji Green Tea was refreshing and the Vietnamese Coffee pretty addicting. I get impatient often waiting for all the coffee to drip down that French filter. Gingergrass was very fresh, in food and decor. A nice casual place to grab a bite.
Then off we hopped across the street to the Silverlake Wine Company. I like how this store is designed. All the wines are easily accessible by region and price on what looks like self-made shelving/storage units. The store itself just looks very cool and very modernly organized. No wine tasting when we went but wine by the glass was available. I tried the Chateau de Pinet "Picpoul de Pinet" 2003 France (my first with the picpoul varietal). I liked. Even with a lack of wine experience such as myself, the store is entertaining and the guy (maybe the owner?) very informative. The place has tastings left and right, lots without rsvp and such. Definitely something cool to check out.
Finally we hopped back across the street to the mighty German bar, Red Lion Tavern. The Spaten Optimator was smooth and nutty, perfect to round out the evening. Then we snuck a pretzel and a sausage plate in. After the first bite of the pretzel I realized this is a proper pretzel. I've only had Auntie Something's and nasty ones at festivals and such. The sausage platter was piled high with at least three types of sausages. It was hard to stop myself from grabbing the toothpicked pieces of juicy meat.
The downstairs bar is mellow and filled with lots of booth seating. There was a lady piano singer there when I went who would get drinks between songs. Just a nice relaxed atmosphere. The upstairs has additional interior seating for diners, a small bar inside and a beergarden outdoors with its own bar. Alledgedly a "meat market" on the weekends, I saw no such activity when I was there early Friday (yip I'm an early bird) but I can definitely see a potential. It's a fun place to go, hang out, eat a lot of sausage and of course, drink tall glasses of German brews.
Red Lion Tavern
2366 Glendale Blvd.
323.662.5337
Gingergrass
2396 Glendale Blvd.
323.644.1600
www.gingergrass.com
Silverlake Wine Company
2395 Glendale Blvd.
323.622.9024
www.silverlakewine.com
1 comment:
yoony, i miss the Red Lion Tavern. I've been there atleast 10 times and have always ordered a tall glass of spaten, jager shots and of course, the sausage platter. It's just too far of a drive from the West Side and after a night here, you probably don't wanna be driving around.
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