Wurstkuche: Truffled fries trump snake sausage

Inevitably, long holiday weekends can go somewhat awry for me, so I figured I might as well kick if off right — with savory, fattening foods, a nice beer and good company. That way, if the weekend went south, I could look nostalgically back three days. Yes, it’s a sad life I lead when a good meal can mean so much.

Enter Wurstkuche, that purveyor of “exotic” sausages off of 3rd in downtown LA. Yet another sweltering day in the city meant I chickened out from walking the paltry 0.8 miles from my office in flip-flops and hitched a ride instead.

Joining me in my casing-stuffed journey were EriconMedia, ThingsIDon’tWanttoEat and their respective spouses.

An array of meat (and three vegetarian “sausage” options) greeted me from the front case. Decisions, decisions. I’m a foot-dragging fiend when it comes to ordering. I always want the optimal experience and to try as many things as possible the first time — as if I would never return. Combo or “split” meals are my friends.

I’m also a sucker for the untried. No really. It can bite me in the ass sometimes. I will know undoubtedly that something is a bad idea, but just because I feel like I might be missing out on something, I’ll try it … and get bitten in the ass. In this case, the ass-biting came courtesy of a rattlesnake.

Said snake was the one animal I had not noshed on in the display case, so the rattlesnake & rabbit with jalapeno peppers sausage it was. Unsure of what to pair with the reptile-mammal hybrid, I asked for a suggestion — a light beer that wouldn’t overwhelm the spice — and was told to try the Reissdorf Kolsch. It was crisp and somewhat fruity, but not as cold as I’d have liked. Yo, we’re not in Europe here. I want it frosty!

An assortment of self-serve mustards and even the red stuff, ketchup, were in abundance in squeeze bottles everywhere.

Did I mention it was hot outside? Well, the main eating room, filled with bench-style seating and butcher-paper covered long tables was sheltered from the sun, but still had a stuffy, humid feel to it. Didn’t feel like lingering long.

Note: Why do people always try to butt in when I’m taking pictures of food? I recall two years ago someone saying that was weird, that I should take a picture WITH my food. But what’s the point of that? You can’t see the food. Well, some dude at Wurstkuche saw me snapping away, and asked to take my picture. Believe me, I wasn’t looking cute at the time, so I was puzzled. It turns out he wanted to do me a favor and take a picture of me and my food with my own camera. Okayyyyy … I let him. You see the evidence above.

I admit part of me wanted the rattlesnake-rabbit sauseage because I was taken with the idea that maybe the snake had eaten the bunny and the sausage was made from that carnivorous encounter. Perhaps I had too much of The Little Prince growing up. Only this time, the snake would look nothing like a hat.

Anyway, reptile meat isn’t very fatty, so the sausage, which had gone through some shrinkage in the cooking process, was somewhat dry. I found the onions and spicy peppers far too distracting, so I scraped them off. Flavor-wise, there was just enough spice, but the casing was a little tough to snap through with my teeth.

Overall, I enjoyed tasting my friends’ orders better. The kielbasa was juicy and robust, while the bockwurst had a nice, even flavor when paired with I teensy smear of whole grain mustard (a big deal for me since I don’t tend to eat condiments).

But the fries. Oh, the fries. Wurstkuche’s fries have a super-crusty exterior that your teeth eagerly sink into and just oozes with the ultimate in umami. Since I don’t eat condiments usually, I let my friends have the dipping sauces — sweet & sassy BBQ and sundried tomato may. They all pronounced them good, but not standout.

The extra $1.50 for the white truffle oil glaze, however, was worth it. My introduction to truffle oil years ago still sticks out in my mind (my raptures were so great, I needed privacy with the truffled mac ‘N’ cheese), and so far, the fungus does not disappoint.

I keep telling people I’m not into fries. Well, I’m not, but dammmit all of these fancy comfort food places are making a liar out of me. But hey, they’re Michelle Obama’s favorite eats, and if I just start with the fries, those hammer curls can’t be far behind. Maybe I’ll start curling the fries. Mmm, hammer curly fries!

Wurstkuche Restaurant
800 E. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-444

Tagged as: beer, Downtown, exotic sausage, gastropub, Review