BierBeisl Brings Something Different to Beverly Hills

See more of Anne Fishbein's photos of Bierbeisl.

PHOTO BY ANNE FISHBEIN

Original Vienna schnitzel

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BierBeisl

9669 S. Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Category: Restaurant > Austrian

Region: West L.A.

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More About

• Bernhard Mairinger
• Anne Fishbein
• Beverly Hills (California)
• Meat
• German Food and Cooking

Since its opening last February, much has been made of BierBeisl, Bernhard Mairinger's restaurant in the heart of Beverly Hills. The chef's surprising numerical statistics have been examined (he's a giant 6 feet 7 inches, heightwise, and a baby, 28, agewise). He's been the subject of many "best" and "best new" and "hottest" lists. And, as chef/owner of "L.A.'s only authentic Austrian restaurant," Mairinger has seen much (justified) oohing and ahhing over his schnitzel, goulash, bratwurst, weisswurst and selection of schnapps.

But the thing I didn't expect, even after reading all about the place, was how much BierBeisl feels exactly like the fantastic but unassuming restaurants sprinkled throughout Europe. This place is just so damn different from everywhere else that has opened in the last year. The almost spare restaurant, with its high ceilings, white walls and simple wood tables, feels as if it could be tucked into a steep street in a mountain town in Austria, or Belgium, or Germany, rather than between a nail parlor and a mailbox-and-postal business in one of America's swankiest shopping districts.

This is no easy trick, nor is it, I suspect, completely purposeful. Yes, Mairinger was looking to present L.A. with an honest representation of the cooking of his homeland. But there's something about the space: the small, open kitchen with Mairinger working purposefully; the plain, wooden bar with Austrian and German beers on tap; the slightly odd service — earnest, formal, a touch naive and awkward — that translates many subtleties of European dining rarely seen on this side of the pond. Because, in contrast to the hoopla that generally surrounds an L.A. restaurant headed by a young, talented chef, at BierBeisl there is a quiet focus on the food. And for good reason.

Mairinger came up through the ranks in Europe, beginning when he was 15. He spent seven years toiling in top hotels, restaurants and resorts in England, Austria and Switzerland, and by the time he was 22 he was working in Germany at the Michelin-starred Da Gianni (he came to L.A. in 2008 as Patina's chef de cuisine). As a result, he has a firm grip on classic technique, a highly endangered asset in today's world of young chefs who know which chemicals will make your food look like globules of magical, quivering boogers but aren't sure how to make a Caesar salad dressing by hand. Thus we get a lot of cool ideas but very little old-school elegant and assured cooking, built from the ground up on practiced, measured skill, rather than ego and creativity.

Mairinger's cooking adheres to that foundation of doing things right. It starts with knife skills (how often these days, even at the best restaurants, do you see a perfect, uniform brunoise in the flecks of carrots in a dish of lentils?). But it goes on to touch every aspect of the menu.

Take an appetizer of sweetbreads with salsify and melted leeks. In this offal-obsessed era, it could be on so many menus, and succeed, too. But Mairinger is operating at a higher level. Each element is cooked to its ideal, and he has added the exact right amount of acid and fat. There's no oiliness, no sense that this was thrown together. It is meticulous, and catch-your-breath delicious.

The menu is a mix of high-end dishes like this and the classic foods of Austria — goulash, schnitzel, sausages. The goulash is stewy and reassuring, less spiced than the version Beverly Hills has come to know at Spago. It's served with a generous portion of spaetzle, half noodle, half pancake. Schnitzel is golden-brown and savory — you can choose from veal, pork or turkey.

There's also one of the best charcuterie plates in town: nine types of Austrian sausages, forcemeats, pâtés and cured meats including tiroler, a high-end bologna made from veal and pork; landjaeger, a chewy, cured and cold-smoked beef sausage; and a house-made lard spread. The plate would be worth ordering for the collection of pickles alone — beautifully spiced and acidic cauliflower, kohlrabi, garlic and more.

But much of the pleasure to be had here is in dishes where Austria can be tasted alongside Mairinger's influence. One of the best things on the menu is also one of the simplest: a voluminous pumpkin soup with pumpkin seed pesto; it's creamy and nutty and balanced by the brightness of a tomato foam. Lightly cured Arctic char comes with a tiny brunoise of cucumbers, a mild horseradish creme fraiche and a fresh herb salad. The fish and accompaniments taste clean and bracing, like a stream created by melting snow.

The wine list is a dream if you know your way around Austrian and German wines, and a little tricky if you don't — descriptions are given for entire regions and varietals but not specific bottles. But there are gems to be found here, and on the beer list as well, including Stiegl Radler, which is half beer and half grapefruit soda, and would make for excellent breakfast imbibing if such a thing were advisable.