When The LA Beat was invited to taste the new menu at Gordon Biersch, we did not hesitate. Although we are committed to local mom and pop spots, we do end up at our local Gordon Biersch when we want quality American food like burgers, chocolate, beer, and those amazing garlic fries. The restaurant is warm with brick and dark wood, but a high ceiling and skylight brighten the room. It’s nice to sink into one of their padded booths after a long day.
The most obvious addition to the menu are the small plates that have become ubiquitous in LA. Tacos, carpaccio and sliders are the first ones to catch our attention. Other new dishes reflect current restaurant trends while staying true to Gordon Biersch’s commitment to serve fresh house-made meals.
New starters include Charcuterie and Brie. It is simple and not too daunting — prosciutto, artisanal salami, shaved soppressetta, delicious chardonnay-soaked figs, and a house made beer mustard. Finally, there is a restaurant that gives you endless bread with your charcuterie plate. If you like arancini, you will enjoy the restaurant’s risotto balls, made with either chicken or crab and pancetta.
The new menu also includes a frisee salad with warm bacon vinagrette topped with a fried egg. The nicoise salad is made with seared ahi instead of flake tuna. You might also like the gruyere and pancetta pizza. We enjoyed the slices of pan-fried chicken shingled around garlic mashed potatoes and loved the brick oven halibut topped with a confetti of mixed peppers.
Gordon Biersch has also created a carved turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo and a crispy cod sandwich. The burgers are classic, no need to improve upon perfection. The only beef used is Kobe or Angus. There are also turkey burgers and vegetarian burgers. And not only do they still have those amazing garlic fries, they have turned their steak dinners into the perennial bistro favorite, steak frites with the garlic fries.
If you want your meal vegetarian, low carb, or gluten-free there are a number of dishes they can tailor to your specifications. Unfortunately, too many things are butter-based to accommodate vegans. They don’t mind substitutions; they are a very customer-oriented restaurant.
As you may know, Gordon Biersch brews their own beer on-site. There is a daily menu of available beers as well as generous flights. Although their specialty is German lagers, brewer Michael Key recently created an oatmeal stout and is working on a White IPA. In February they will be offering a four course dinner with beer pairings. Each dish, including the Bacon-Stout Chocolate Cake is cooked with the beer it is paired with.
The new chocolate budino is not to be mistaken for a custard. It is actually an adorable supermoist bundt cake with vanilla ice cream and berries. This is the one dish I did not share with anybody. Thanks Gordon Biersch for turning me on to Marzen Lager and reminding me how much I enjoy this food, especially, but not exclusively, the garlic french fries.
