Brat's Brothers Gourmet Sausage Grill - Sherman Oaks, CA

When I saw kaesespaetzle on the menu on Brat's Brothers web site then I knew that it would be worth checking out.   Kaesespaetzle are potato based noodles usually served with cheese. It is a classic Swabian dish.  When I got there, they actually had what I would characterize as Jaegerspaetzle or "hunters spaetzle" which is the spaetzle with a mushroom gravy sauce instead of cheese. So, that's what I went for.... But, not before ordering a bier.

I found it charming when the very nice Mexican-American chick wearing a dirndle with tatoos and Toms sneakers brought over a refreshing beverage in a genuine brewery supplied glass. 

They have quite impressive selection of German biers on tap.  I had an Erdinger Weissbier.  It really hit the spot.  It had been ten years almost exactly since I moved back to the states from Germany.  The German bier gartens were one of those things that I really miss.  It wasn't just the bier, it was the whole atmosphere.   Wow, how I miss that.

They had Erdinger, Hoffbrau, Spaten and. Franziskaner brand beer on tap. These are all the national brands which to the Germans are very ordinary but, for us "Ami's" are not at all ordinary.  It was definitely a treat.  A normal $6 genuine German bier on tap is $4 during happy hour.  

When I visited Brat's Brothers, they had just moved locations, which explains how they might have gotten on Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives in the first place because this restaurant was none of those.
It is a nice place with outdoor seating to enjoy Southern California weather. Inside in the center of the restaurant is a 30 foot single slab of wood of a table that people are supposed to sit around European style, only this one is 3 feet across versus the real deal foot and a half width.


I almost want to withhold a triple-d rating because they really no longer qualify under any of the three "d's."   But, I think that just like what they did for the homerun king baseball player that is later found to have taken steroids, I'll issue a grade with an asterisk.

I'm giving Brat Brothers a 7*.   Here's why. The food was good but, probably not as good as any mediocre German restaurant that it was trying to be.   The menu was trying to be a straight copy of a Bavarian restaurant.   My opinion is that Triple-d restaurants have to be something unique and noteworthy unto themselves.   Although I really enjoyed Brats Brothers and would go there again, it wasn't unique.

I found the atmosphere to be artificially produced. For example, there were two sets of lederhosen under glass cases on the wall.  That's like hanging your underwear up in a restaurant.  There is just something wrong about that.

So, check out Brat's Brothers if you want some good food and good bier but, don't go there looking for a triple-d experience.

Brat's Brothers Gourmet Sausage Grill
13456 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 986-4020
www.bratsbrothers.com

Silk City Diner & Lounge - Philadelphia

The Silk City Diner & Lounge was all about atmosphere.  It was part diner with good comfort food and friendly service, part bar because you could belly up to a bar inside and order whatever alcoholic drink that you wanted and part night club because it was dimly lit with red lights and from the looks of the posters downstairs, they must have live music there sometimes. 

I was there in the early evening during the week.  The neighborhood was definitely a little on the rough side.  There was evidence of the local businesses hardened against night time raids with graffiti inscribed riot gates held in place with heavy chains.  So, the restaurant might not have been a dive but the location definitely was.

The food was really good.  It was surprisingly refined for such a rough neighborhood.  I had the fish and chips.  The fish was tempura fried.  The oil was fresh and the tempura frying was executed by someone who knew what they were doing.  It also came with some really good coleslaw and a chunk of cornbread.  The cornbread was actually a jalapeno cornbread that they called a "corn muffin."  I didn't expect cornbread this far north of the Mason-Dixon line but, theirs was very good.

I'd rank Silk City a 9.2 out of 10 on the DDD scale.  The whole place just had its own vibe that appealed to me. 

Silk City Diner & Lounge
435 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 592-8838
www.silkcityphilly.com

Patricks Road House - L.A.

Patrick's was so nice that we didn't want to leave. It sits right across the street from L.A.'s Santa Monica beach. You can get a table outside in the cool California air blocked from the direct sun by a tall hedge of trees.  The restaurant is decorated like someone's Grandma's house with lots of old eclectic stuff everywhere.

I would characterize the food as healthy comfort food.  It is pretty much normal American food but some of it was cooked in a healthy California way.   Some of it was just straight up comfort food.

I had the fish tacos and a salad to begin with.   Both were what I've come to expect from California cuisine; not too big portion sizes and really fresh vegetables and sea food.

My lunch partner had an omelet that must have had every ingredient that the farmers market had for sale that day. He was really happy with it and it looked pretty good.

We found ourselves ordering coffee and banana cream pie afterwards.  We loved the food and the place and really didn't want to leave.   The bananas and the cream were both pretty good but, the pie crust was downright decadent. It was really flakey and buttery. Well worth the empty calories.

I'd give Patricks an 9 on my triple-d scale of enjoyment. They get big points just on location alone. Most triple-d restraunts are located in kind of sketchy areas. Not this one.  It does have a walk-up window which, I suppose qualifies it as a drive-in.  It is kind of divey and kind of like a diner but, not really.  Well worth checking out at any rate.

Patrick's Roadhouse
106 Entrada Drive
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 459-4544