Imperial Western Beer Co.: Before and After Photos of the Impressive Renovation of the Fred Harvey Restaurant

Imperial Western's cavernous main hall

Though I wasn't fortunate enough to get married there like some people I know, I've always loved the Fred Harvey restaurant at Union Station and hoped that someday it would re-open in its former glory. Designed by Mary Colter, the restaurant opened in 1939 and was the last of the Harvey Houses that operated across the U.S. at train stations and tourist attractions. The restaurant closed in 1967, so the re-opening as Imperial Western Beer Company comes 51 years later.

The vintage Powder Room

There were several attempts along the way to re-open the space, but the confusing mix of owners and the economics of running such a large restaurant in a spot that wasn't necessarily conducive to expensive fine dining made it challenging. But nightlife entrepreneur Cedd Moses came up with the smart idea of utilizing the vast and potentially wasted kitchen area as a full-scale brewery and making the atmospheric space into a kind of Grand Central Oyster Bar-meets-craft brewery, with a side of cocktails in the vintage Streamliner lounge.

Restored front booth area                                                          (Credit: Wonho Frank Lee)

All the vintage details like Colter's parrot-patterned cement tiles and Navaho rug-patterned floor are cleaned up and glowing. The aqua glass tiles of the kitchen have been carefully replicated, and loads of character-filled details also remain in the Streamliner Bar, the Powder Room and in the small patio bar that adds outdoor seating to the mix.

Head brewer Devon Randall has a lot of vats to fill

Making the space accessible and affordable, with menu items all under $20, is the right thing to do as transit improvements at Union Station make the area into even more of a hub connecting all parts of the city. The menu is from the Hungry Cat's David Lentz, with dishes like fish tacos, crispy oyster po'boys and house smoked mussels, as well as ribs, fried chicken and a burger for non-seafood fans.

Ready to brew!

Imperial Western is named for one of the great train lines that services Union Station, as are some of the beers like the Super Chief IPA. Moses' 213 Hospitality opened Arts District Brewing three years ago, so they've had some time to work on their brews before opening Imperial Western, which has 18 beer taps, with mostly their house-made beers.

The cooler doors were retained in the patio bar area

The challenge with a room that holds 435 people is getting everyone served and fed efficiently and keeping up the food quality. It's a challenge that was apparently too much for another large, historic venue, Clifton's Cafeteria, which has abandoned the cafeteria idea and turned into a multi-floor amusement park of a bar.

Streamliner Bar                                                                                        (credit: Wonho Frank Lee)

The cozy Streamliner Bar off to the left looks much the same as ever. The Varnish's Eric Alperin designed the Streamliner's menu of cocktails that are served on tap, perfect for rushed travelers, with reasonable prices under $10 per drink.

BEFORE: Abandoned kitchen area

Back in 2012, I took some photos before the restoration at the L.A. Beer Week festival, so it's interesting to see how sensitively it has been brought back to life.

BEFORE: A beer seminar in the main room

BEFORE: Original ceramic tiles at the Streamliner Bar

BEFORE: Powder Room

BEFORE: Kitchen area

BEFORE: Front booths

BEFORE: Streamliner Bar

Brouwerij West Is About to Brew Up a New San Pedro Scene

Known for its flavorful Belgian-style beers and wildly artistic labels, Brouwerij West is about to take a huge jump into the public eye when it opens a brewery and tasting room in San Pedro this summer. The four year-old microbrewer, which until now has been contracting space at other breweries, has leased a World War II-era wooden warehouse across from the harbor and next to Crafted L.A. that's sure to become a very in-demand area in the next few years when a few more restaurants and stores move in.



While the brewery and tasting room are expected to open in July, the cafe and bottling line/retail store will open a bit later. Due to seismic issues, it's been scaled down a bit from the original full restaurant from Waterloo & City's Brendan Collins that was originally envisioned. Brewmaster Brian Mercer has ordered a Meura 2001 Micro brewing system with a mash filter that saves time and water. Speaking of conservation, the brewery will be completely solar-powered, making it one of the greenest breweries anywhere.



Architects Oonagh Ryan & Associates are designing the space which will remain very industrial. Mercer promises that the increased capacity will allow "a lot of one-offs, specialty beers, wild beers and fresh fruit beers." Of course Brouwerij will continue its program of commissioning an array of international artists to do graphically-diverse labels that avoid the usual craft beer tropes of monks and abbeys. Unfortunately the stock of my favorite Dog Ate My Homework blackberry saison has been depleted, but we got to taste their terrific black cat-adorned Saison Extra as well as the Tripel and Mor Mor Quad.



Look for some very cool Mark Mothersbaugh-designed bottles to debut after the brewery is up and running -- but no IPA. Mercer thinks there's plenty of bitter brews out there already.
With cruise ships stopping at the pier right across the street and a large nearby outdoor event space where Cirque de Soleil was recently based, as well as an oceanographic institute, there's plenty of potential customers for Brouwerij West -- so look out for this summer's opening before it becomes a mob scene.

6 Reasons to Eat and Drink in San Diego Right Now

The patio at Carnitas Snack Shack on San Diego's University Ave.

"What food is San Diego known for?" asked Matt as we arrived at our AirBnB accomodation in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. "Besides beer, that is," he qualified. I was kind of stumped. There's all kinds of amazing taco and seafood artistry going on just south  of San Diego in Tijuana and Ensenada, but we were just in San Diego for a chill weekend and didn't want to bother with the border formalities just to have lunch in Tijuana.
"Um, fish tacos?" I ventured, not really knowing if there actually were any renowned fish taco places in the city. After perusing Chowhound and various blogs, I and came up with short list of places to try, though the general opinion seemed to be that Mexican food isn't as impressive there as one might expect. Don't let the haters dissuade you: In addition to being probably one of the best beer towns anywhere, San Diego has lots of fun places to eat as well as a flourishing cocktail scene. Here are a few:

smoked turkey, left; carnitas taco, right at Carnitas Snack Shack

1) Carnitas Snack Shack. There's nothing quite like it in L.A., which is one excellent reason to check out the little building that really does look like a small snack bar from the front (with a long line down the sidewalk at peak hours). The other, of course, is the food: monstrous, meaty carnitas tacos made from sustainably-raised pork, an insane smoked turkey/blue cheese/apple sandwich made with local poultry, Niman Ranch burgers and more. In back, there's a spacious patio with vegetables and herbs growing and a separate beer bar that's open at night. It's the perfect spot for a sunny lunch in a city that's been proven to have the country's most pleasant weather. It's not taco truck-cheap, but then, why would it be for this quality of ingredients? Also, if you can actually consume two of those tacos, you'll likely not eat again for around 24 hours.

Cocktails on tap at Polite Provisions

2) Soda and Swine/Polite Provisions: When dinner time rolled around, we looked at the fun menu at the small and lively Soda and Swine, which specializes in beef, pork, chicken, chorizo or vegetarian meatballs and pie, but we were still too stuffed for meatballs. Instead we grabbed a spot next door at Polite Provisions, an old-timey pharmacy-themed cocktail spot that's about as hipster as San Diego gets. That means that the mixologists wear bowler hats but the friendly drinkers are still in t-shirts and flip flops, happily tucking into meatballs delivered from Soda & Swine along with communal punchbowls and cocktails on tap. Don't miss the Misty Mountain Buck, with homemade ginger beer, rye and lime juice.
3) 24-hour taco shops: By midnight or so, we were finally hungry again, and found out that San Diego has a wealth of drive-through 24-hour taco shops. We stopped for fish tacos at Los Panchos, which is probably not the most amazing Mexican food ever, but it's cheap and probably way better than what you can get at midnight in most of the country.

Mariscos El Pescador truck, Chula Vista

4) Mariscos El Pescador: The real Mexican seafood action was to take place the next day. After wandering around Coronado Island, we headed south on the 5 for a few miles to Chula Vista. I'm not sure if dining in a Toys 'r Us parking lot is high on every tourist's list, but when I hear fresh octopus tacos, I'm there, even if a curb is the only seating at Mariscos El Pescador. Actually we snared two of the few plastic chairs, the better to enjoy some terrific spicy shrimp and buttery octopus tacos and a citrus-y fresh scallop tostada. The menu is above, just so you can see the wide variety of super-fresh seafood available at this popular truck just a few minutes from the Mexican border.

After all that buttery, garlicky, spicy seafood, we needed to cool it down with some Mexican-style ice cream. Others may have Spidey sense; I have paleta-sense, and I knew that so close to the border, there would be sure to be a neveria featuring Mexican-style ice cream treats.

Mangoneada -- mango sorbet topped with fresh mango and chamoy sauce at Neveria Tocumbo

5) Neveria Tocumbo: A quick Yelp search led to Chula Vista's Neveria Tocumbo, which hit the spot with mango-topped mangoneada sorbet sundaes and ice cream in flavors including queso and mamey; other concoctions included numerous varieties of paletas and Tostilocos.

Modern Times tasting flight of Fortunate Islands, Black House, Lomaland and Blazing World

Of course, no trip to San Diego would be complete without visiting at least one brewery. Since we had already tried quite a few local beers at Toronado, Local Habit and the hunting lodge-themed cocktail lounge Sycamore Den, we only made it to one actual brewery on this trip

happy beer drinkers at Modern Times Brewery in San Diego

6) Modern Times: One of San Diego's newest breweries is a cool and cavernous space in the warehouse district near the Sports Arena. One huge wall is covered in pages from vintage comicbooks, while another features a mural made from thousands of colored Post-it notes. We had a tasting flight of all four beers being poured, and loved both the Black House coffee stout and the Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat.
Next time, we'll have those meatballs for sure with a house made almond soda at Soda & Swine, try homestyle Mexican at Super Cocina and finally get to Alesmith Brewing, among others. What are your San Diego favorites?

Atwater Crossing Reboots with BBQ as The Crossing...or ATX

The Crossing or ATX is mostly patio eating, though there's an enclosed room behind the bar.

ATX, formerly Atwater Crossing Kitchen, is almost the restaurant I used to dream of when my kids were small: a place with decent pizza where the kids could run around while the parents drank pitchers of reasonably-priced craft beers. It only took 15 or 20 years for the near-Eastside to catch up to that idea, but now that we've got The Crossing, the results are a bit uneven.

brisket is a bit fatty, though collards are fine

Early in the evening, it appears that plenty of parents and dog-owners have also been waiting for a place like this -- even though there's nothing specifically kid-friendly on the menu, the patio tables are spread-out enough that the tots aren't as likely to bother fellow diners. It can be a confusing place: the ownership seems to keep changing, so there's not really a website, and even if you live nearby, you'll probably want to consult the GPS the first time you go. But now, Texas smoked BBQ has been added to the earlier pizza-intensive menu.

Pizza comes with brisket, pesto and several other toppings

We tried some of each, and the barbecue wasn't quite up to snuff yet, although the sauce was a tangy, zingy pleasure. Both pork ribs and brisket were way too fatty -- clearly the pitmaster has yet to master the technique that Horse Thief in Grand Central Market has perfected. Collards and potato salad were fine, but it might be nice to offer at least one side included with a meat choice.

a half rack of ribs

Ribs were also on the fatty side, though the sauce certainly helped. Pizza would be better with just another minute or two in the wood-fired oven. The beer selection isn't bad though, and pitchers are just $10 from 4-6 on weekdays and $15 the rest of the time. Maybe ATX or the Crossing or whatever it's called is still getting its barbecue sea legs, so I wouldn't write it off just yet. Because really, I've been waiting for a place like this for a long, long time -- in fact so long that my son can now drink a pitcher with us legally and complain about toddlers underfoot.

Atwater Village Tavern: Craft Beer and Mexican Bites Add to Up-And-Coming Beer Trail

doggies enjoy the sidewalk patio

A dedicated beer drinker could have a very pleasant beer crawl in the Atwater area these days: Start at Golden Road, hit the Glendale Tap on San Fernando Road, then bounce between Glendale Blvd.'s Link 'n Hops and the brand-new Atwater Village Tavern, depending on whether she or he is in the mood for sausages or Mexican-influenced beer-drinking food. (Add a stop at Eagle Rock Brewing or Verdugo Bar for extra beer points).

Avocado fries: gloppy but fun

Just a few doors down, Club Tee Gee reps the prototypical dive bar vibe, while Atwater Village Tavern hits a more modern note with a dog-friendly seating in front, rustic wood paneling and plenty of chalk for the blackboard walls that might keep the kids quiet while mom and dad sample craft brews.
The food, handled by the folks from the Stop Guac 'n Roll truck, leans mostly Mexican with the addition of a solid burger and somewhat odd "avocado fries" -- a few pieces of battered and fried avocados on a pile of chips that basically amounts to more caloric guacamole.

A solid basic burger and well-browned fries

Tacos, burritos and tortas are made with house-smoked meats including brisket, pulled pork and chicken, and while $11 for three tacos seems a tad high, they're meaty enough to share and come with freshly-fried tortilla chips.
A rotating selection of craft beers includes mostly Southern California choices, naturally including Eagle Rock Revolution XPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen and Get Up Offa That Brown, Angel City Eureka wit and my favorite of the evening, Monkish Oblaate Belgian golden ale from Torrance. From outside of L.A., tap selections include Stone Pale Ale, Cucapa Chupucabra from Mexicali, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and Goose Island Summertime all the way from Chicago.
With a good selection of bottled beers, a few wines and a basic selection of hard liquor, AWT has all the booze bases covered. For true neighborhood flavor, try the Atwater special, a PBR with a shot of tequila for $5.
With the arrival of Village Tavern, Atwater is becoming an excellent neighborhood for beer drinkers -- better, in fact, than neighboring Silver Lake, which doesn't really have any craft beer-focused spots. And with plans to open at 11:30 every morning soon, it's a good spot for a Sunday afternoon brew too.

Atwater Village Tavern
3218 Glendale Blvd.
323-644-0605

Historic L.A.: Tam O'Shanter celebrates 90 years with craft beer, carolers, trivia and rarebit poutine

Los Feliz Blvd. was a dirt road when the Tam O'Shanter opened in 1922.

There's no doubt that the Tam O'Shanter was way cooler in the 1920s, when movie set designer Harry Oliver gave it the look of a ramshackle fairytale house with a random Indian gift shop on the side. But the Lawry's-owned restaurant deserves plenty of credit anyway for sticking around for 90 years in the same location. If you haven't been, the holidays are a good time to go if you enjoy Christmas decorations and carolers in the bar. If not, wait till the madness is over and check out Trivia Night on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting up again in January for a fun reason to sample the Tam's expanded craft beer selection, Irish coffees and other traditional cocktails, and carving bar. Gourmet Pigs and I were invited to try trivia night and the bar menu, and I'm sorry to say that our small Team Cuisine was sorely whipped by some of the regulars.
So I recommend making sure your team of up to 6 players includes someone with sports knowledge and someone with movie knowledge. Plus, there's prizes of free drinks and swag. The Tam has a much better beer menu than I recall from last time I visited, with selections from Stone, Shipyard, Golden Road, Telegraph and of course a few Scottish brews. The bar menu includes hearty carved roast beef, turkey, pastrami and corned beef sandwiches as well as fish 'n chips, Toad in the Hole, and Scottish rarebit poutine, a giant plate of cheese-covered fries topped with bacon bits that's sure to soak up plenty of beer. Come January, I intend to return with a few friends and try to vanquish some of the regulars.

Is rarebit poutine a thing?

Griffins of Kinsale: A wee trip to Ireland via South Pasadena

corned beef and cabbage at Griffins

EatingLA recently reviewed South Pasadena's new pub Griffins of Kinsale for the South Pasadena Patch. Though locals are divided over whether Griffins is really an "authentic" Irish pub and whether it should have printed menus, a formal sign and other niceties, Griffins is a very welcome addition to South Pasadena which is sorely deficient in casual places to grab a beer. We thought the food was quite solid, though a few more taps of beer would also be nice (and maybe some happy hour pricing). They do allow munchkins, so go later in the evening if drinking with tots is not your cup of tea. Here's an excerpt from the review.

The food: Griffins’ chef Andreas Moyer learned his Irish specialties from a little old Irish lady at a previous job, and he seems to have really gotten the hang of the Enchanted Isle. Corn beef and cabbage is tender and clean-flavored, served in a generous portion for $14. Shepherd’s pie, salmon, lamb stew and bratwurst cooked in Guinness make up the rest of the brief but authentic menu – these dishes seem made to go with a pint of ale.  Ask for malt vinegar to give the potato wedges the true pub taste.
The drinks: Irish beer, of course, is the main attraction. Though Griffin has more beer lines in case he wants to expand, for the moment there’s six taps. Guinness is, well, Guinness, while Harp is the familiar Irish lager for lighter tastes. Smithwick’s is a crisp reddish amber ale with a pleasantly bitter finish, while Kilkenny cream ale has a mild taste with caramel notes. Lagunitas IPA will please those who don’t find Irish beers hoppy enough, and draft cider is especially good on a hot day. Also available: a brief wine list, mixed drinks and Irish whiskeys including several Jameson choices.

Griffins of Kinsale
1007 Mission St
South Pasadena
(626) 799-0926

Golden Road Brewing: Yes, we can!

giant pretzel is the thing for beer; kale rolls (left) are...kind of vegan-ey

Golden Road Brewing has come together in an amazingly short time compared to most things in L.A., and Sunday was both the grand opening of the pub eating area and the beer's availability in cans. Just seven months after the brewery was first announced, the owners of Tony's Darts Away and Mohawk Bend are brewing around a dozen beers, offering growlers to take home, cooking up a full menu of vegan and omnivore dishes and canning two varieties of beer which will soon be available at Whole Foods around L.A.
 
The first two canned brews (in generous pint cans) are Golden Road Hefeweizen and Point the Way IPA, both versatile beers that are solid representations of their styles. The cans sell for about $3.29 each or around $11.99 a six pack, and the Hefeweizen has a screen print of Los Feliz's Shakespeare Bridge for true local flavor.

The Hefeweizen was a little light for my taste despite subtle notes of lemon and orange, but perfect for most Hefe lovers. However, we also tried the El Hefe Anejo on tap at the brewery, a Hefeweizen style brewed in tequila barrels, that was one of most flavorful of the type I've tried. The Point the Way is a nicely-balanced IPA with a moderate 5.2% alcohol that won't clobber you over the head with bitterness.
 

 Several other Golden Road beers are available on tap, including Rye on the Palate, Get Up Offa That Brown and Lost Its Way IPA. Like their sister establishment Mohawk Bend, the menu offers plenty of vegan dishes alongside meatier choices, like the beef and pancetta meatballs with cornbread, above. A coconut noodle-cabbage salad has roughage for days, and sides like bean salad or miso crabby salad offer a nice fresh counterpart to heartier fare like burgers, a pulled pork sandwich braised in Hefe or a Sloppy Joseph sandwich with stout-braised short ribs. Vegetarian dishes include vegan meatballs, vegan banh mi, a chickpea sandwich or portabello mushroom Philly sandwich. Because the fryers are kept for vegan items, there's no fish 'n chips at the moment.
With plenty of room on the spacious covered patio or inside the cavernous warehouse of a pub, Golden Road is sure to be a festive gathering place despite its neither Atwater-nor Glendale location (it's across from the Glendale Home Depot, on the other side of the railroad tracks.) Each time a train goes by, everyone raises a glass, welcoming the passengers bound for Santa Barbara and beyond.
Golden Road is open every day from 11 am to 11 pm.
5430 San Fernando Rd.
(213) 542-6039

Bia Hoi: A little nosh, a little Vietnamese beer

Gingergrass's new annex Bia Hoi is up and running featuring its namesake beer, a Vietnamese fresh-beer style brew made in collaboration with Eagle Rock Brewery. At $4 a pint, the 3.8% alcohol beers is of course pricier than its 15 cent Vietnamese counterpart. But this is L.A., and it's a nice light beer just right for a warm summer evening. If you prefer something a little more hefty, there's Cháu Tiên Pale Ale from Carmel's Vietnamese brewer Tuan Chau Tien or Coronado Islander IPA. A small bar menu includes chicken liver pate toasts ($8), a mango/conch salad with shrimp chips($6), savory braised pork and bacon bao (at left) and steamed mussels ($8). The wooden stools aren't really meant for lingering over a pitcher, but they evoke a Vietnamese fresh beer parlor and make a better spot to wait for a Gingergrass table than the sidewalk. During the day, baked goods and salads will provide quick lunches in the space. With new Vietnamese spots like Downtown's Blossom continuing to flood into Silver Lake, it's nice to see the area's original modern Viet restaurant keeping things fresh and sudsy.