TAP 42
These five new restaurants have serious beer cred.
LOS ANGELES: WOLFSLAIR BIERGARTEN
Concept: German eats and 22 brews in cool Bavarian digs with a modern edge. Order: A dry Sünner Kölsch on tap and the Baurenwurst platter, a plate of farmer’s sausage (sourced from storied NYC German deli Schaller & Weber), challah bread and housemade sauerkraut, mustard and honey. Where: 1521 N. Vine St., wolfslairla.com
LAS VEGAS: PUBLIC HOUSE
Concept: Beer and Euro-style pub grub in a huge, Vegas-contemporary space inside The Venetian. Nevada’s first Cicerone, Russell Gardner, curates the massive beer list. Order: Poutine, porter-braised short ribs and Uinta Cockeyed Cooper barleywine from the extensive bottle menu. Where: 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., publichouselv.com
FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA.: TAP 42
Concept: Organic-leaning salads and burgers, 100-plus bottles and—you guessed it—42 taps inside an industrial, sustainably built lounge. Order: The Drunken Goat lamb-beef burger with tomato jam, bourbon red onions, goat cheese and Dijon, and a pint of boozy Florida Beer Swamp Ape IPA. Where: 1411 S. Andrews Ave., tap42.com
NEW YORK CITY: THE WREN
Concept: A dim, comfy East Village gastropub with a well-edited (and well-executed) menu of upscale rustic pub fare, artisan beer spouts and tap wines. Order: A pint of Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter, a jar of pickled oxtail and a plate of cockles and mussels swimming in witbier-bacon broth. Where: 344 Bowery, thewrennyc.com
PASADENA, CALIF.: HAVEN GASTROPUB + BREWERY
Concept: A second location of the upscale-chill Orange County original, plus a brewery. The 100 bottles, 52 taps (including a handful of its own), and four casks are a fantastic compendium of Cali beer. Order: The collaborative CismonTAPS barrel-aged saison on draft, and the house-made, beer-soaked potato chips. Where: 42 S. DeLacey Ave., havengastropub.com
PLUS: A new brewery restaurant
Seattle foodies will rub elbows with beer nerds this spring when Epic Ale’s adjacent eatery, GastroPod, opens its doors. A joint venture between Epic owner/brewmaster Cody Lee Morris and chef Travis Kukull, the restaurant features small-plates crafted specifically to pair with the brewpub’s 10 rotating taps. The kaleidoscopic beer offerings include small-batch IPAs, lagers, Washington-grown hard ciders, seasonals, sours and experimental sodas that meet their match with hearty dishes like beef mole and pulled pork. Locavores will get a kick out of menu items that spotlight ingredients foraged from Seattle’s surrounding forests.