With his new Café Rockenwagner (1168 S Barrington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025; 310.478.6313) in Brentwood, Hans Rockenwagner looks to bring authentic German cuisine to Los Angeles and clear up some common misconceptions about German culture while he’s at it.
First of all, with his recently published cookbook, aptly named Das Cookbook, we see Germans can have a sense of humor too.
Second of all, Rockenwagner is more than just a bakery and German food is not all wiener schnitzel, and the Café shows his versatility with both popular and lesser known German classics such as Spatzle, a light pasta, homemade Obatzda, a cheese made with paprika that goes great with any bread, and the interesting Red Cabbage Fritters. Don’t worry, there still is Wiener Schnitzel, veal tenderloin breaded just right, and Jager Schnitzel, pork tenderloin topped with prosciutto, which are to die for. Next, German food is not all heavy and won’t have to weigh down your lederhosen. Try the baked Tafelspitz with Apple horseradish crust, a tender piece of beef with just the right amount of crunch and perfectly bite sized. Also you must try Kaiserchmarrn for dessert. There’s not really a good English translation for it except for “delicious pancake type baked thing”, or as I like to call it, Das Funnel Cake. Café Rockenwagner also has a Pretzel Happy Hour, and a bar that serves select German beers and wine. Das Good.
