Brat's All, Folks!

Well Dear Readers, with Portland wrapped up last week, it is time we make our way back to the South Land and hit up some trendy LA hotspots.

Living in the Studio City/Sherman Oaks area, we have a lot of new restaurants pop up in the area over time, and a fair amount of them are worth checking out. One of those eating establishments I've heard a lot about is Brats Bros.

Tucked into a small spot on Ventura Blvd, Brats Bros.' interior looks like a German beer hall, an excellent precursor to Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake (which I would attend one week after eating here). The atmosphere at first seemed very warm and inviting, that is, until I tried to sit down.

While the tables and the giant shared table were all booked up, there were a number of seats around the bar where we could sit. My first seat, near the bar but not at it, I sat at for 15 minutes with not so much as a "Hello" from one of the waitstaff.

Then when two seats opened at the end of the bar, it was another 10 minutes before we were even asked what we wanted to drink, and even then, the servers trays were stacked in front of us so there was no room at first to put our beer down.

So, why did i stay?

Maybe part of me wanted to believe that these sausages were really as good as advertised.

Maybe the other part of me wanted to let you know the service here for the most part is unreliable at best.

I ordered the Rancher Brat, a fairly standard offering of smoked beef and garlic topped with sauerkraut. The sausage was very good, the beef was flavorful and was matched by a strong garlic flavor that I thoroughly enjoyed. The sauerkraut on top added a great tangy flavor to match with the savory sausage. On the side I ordered red cabbage and creamy potato salad. Both were excellent complements to the sausage itself.

Even though this is a sandwich blog, I have to say that the real standout of the evening was the dessert. A stack of pancakes with raisins, apples, hazelnut and syrup, it was delicious. Amazing even. This dessert alone is worth the visit to Brats Bros....well, and maybe the beer too.

Until next week!

Racnher Brat
*** Stars
13355 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423