Anne Boleyn watches the action
(Credit: Jesse Mergenthaler)
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It may not be intentional, but the kitschy new trim tips a hand to the Anglo-origins of the gastropub when two dudes back in 1991 renovated an abandoned Clerkenwall pub and conceived a menu that, well, actually looked like food. Before that, British fare in general—and pub food in particular—was pretty dreary: frozen, then fried or boiled to kill it all over again. But The Eagle in Clerkenwell changed all that.
Gastropubs are all about freshness and local ingredients: two things that define the current L.A. restaurant scene. It’s no surprise that these quality comfort-food establishments are reaching critical mass and sharing in the locavore love. And while these restaurant-bar mashups aren’t nearly as sexy in England as they once were—there’s now a brand of frozen dinners there called “Gastropub”—Los Angeles is obviously not done yet with places where good beer comes with more than a nice foam head.
The York, the latest to offer a $13 burger in Highland Park, embraces the concept fully. Co-owner Gabe Byer, who most notably worked the Mixville Bar at Edendale Grill, explains that he is “more comfortable [overseeing] a bar than a kitchen, [but] we did not want to serve greasy pub fare. Gastropub seemed to be the right fit.” His list of successful gastropubs in L.A. is short and sweet: Bowery and Father’s Office.
Funny thing: the owner of Father’s Office wouldn’t necessarily agree with the appellation. “Well [a gastropub] is a bar that serves food, so it’s a perfectly good term,” matter-of-facts Sang Yoon. But when asked what other restaurants he considers to be gastropubs, he declares, “A gastropub isn’t a restaurant!” So stop calling the small-quartered bar on Montana Avenue for reservations. Having opened Father’s Office in 2000 before the gastropub rage, Yoon runs a bar and bars don’t take reservations. Same thing goes when his bigger Culver City outpost opens late this year.
Even if a gastropub is a bar and not a restaurant, the food still has to be good. And Royal Clayton’s may have missed the memo, even with its revamped menu. The kitchen does good work with potatoes—it was the only palatable thing on our shepherd’s pie—but the execution of British classics is pretty dire. One could almost say the food is being retro with its utter lack of flavor and seasoning.
But that may not be a cause for ruin. ‘Cause, really, the most important thing, even to most gastropub-eurs, is the atmosphere. Byer summarizes, “I think all you need…is to be a pub and serve better-than-average pub fare.” Which, of course, both Father’s Office and The York do—along with other local favorites like 3rd Stop (which is more pub than gastro), Village Idiot (more restaurant than bar) and Bowery (which is equal parts of both). Royal Clayton’s already got the scene and drink in spades—even if the food doesn’t follow, drunken pool sharks probably will.
Katherine Spiers is contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
