street corner. There were grilled ones and fried ones, perfectly and precisely aligned one by one on the griddle.” After culinary school he made his way to the states
with only $2,000, two suitcases, a set of knives and a dream. After a week of extreme hardship, he landed a job at the Century Plaza Hotel. It was pretty thankless, he was making 2,000 salad roses a day and within a year, he decided to establish his own catering company, Kai’s European Catering and Event De- sign—now in its 25th year. His roster of clients is quite impressive and includes the likes of Tom Cruise, Mick Jagger, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Will Smith, Carol Bur- nett, right on through to the President of the United States. In addition to the countless notable celebri- ties and dignitaries, he has catered for large events for CBS-TV, Capitol Records, City of Hope, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Luthansa Airlines, Disney Studio, Mercedes Benz of Beverly Hills, the list goes on and on, view it on
eurocaters.com. His original plan was to open this Sausage concept
20 years ago, but the timing never seemed to be right. So, two years ago when the economy pretty much tanked, the catering industry took a hit as well, so he knew it was time to invest in his dream and open an eating establishment with inexpensive prices and quality food. Nine months ago, Kai’s love-child vision became a
reality and he cornered an untapped market by put- ting a hip, modern twist on the traditional German Street Food, now growing in popularity in the U.S. Currywurst is one of only three of its kind in the Los Angeles area. Currywurst is out of the ordinary in that you can
order your choice of sausage (bockwurst, Hungarian or chicken thüringer) which comes sliced and spiced with curry powder from mild, medium to hot. It is then slathered with Homemade Curry-Ketchup in the company of French Fries and Rot Weiss mayon- naise, a combination of red (ketchup) and white (mayonnaise) dipping sauces. My first job was as a busboy at the Phoenix Club
(a German Club) in Anaheim and that is where I first developed my affinity for bratwurst and they were damn good. Chef Kai has kept the integrity of the classic, but has put a healthy, refined spin on his Brats, or at least it felt that way. The menu is limited, but focused and there is something for everyone; Bockwurst comprised of pork or veal, Hungarian Sausage filled with pork and slightly spicy. Thüringer is a classic recipe from the city of Thüringer), made with chicken and spiced with salt and pepper, cara- way, marjoram and garlic tucked in a freshly baked
roll. The add-ons include either raw or grilled onions or sauerkraut. These wonder- ful weenies can be topped with curry-ketchup, roasted garlic mayonnaise, chipotle mayonnaise, barbeque sauce, homemade ranch mayon- naise, sweet and spicy, Dijon or whole grain mustard. (These options are perfect for dipping with the minced garlic or regu- lar French crisp fries fresh). Kai mentioned that when
they first opened there were several customers asking if there was a vegan Brat on the menu. It took much thought and development, but he did it, he fashioned the perfect creations. Don’t get me wrong, as I said I am traditionalist and loved the classic bratwurst, homemade mustard and sauerkraut, so I never thought I would find myself saying this… but my favorite of all of the sausages was the Vegan Mexican Chipotle. It delivered all the satisfaction that you get from eating meat, but it was healthy with a major flavor factor—it was fantastic. Next time, I will try the Vegan Smoked Apple and Sage and the Regular Bratwurst of course. City codes prevent them
from obtaining a liquor license, because they have only one bathroom, so either BYOB, or order a non-alcoholic beer. They have Bionade, Almdudler, Ständer or Erdinger, the latter being what I tried and even without the alcohol, it gave the same satisfaction. They have a cool selec- tion of other bottled and fountain drinks.
Currywurst, 109 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, across from CBS Television City and The Grove. For more information call 323.413-2627 or go to
currywurstus.com.
For information on Kai’s European Catering and Event Design at 3380 South Robertson Boulevard, call 310.204.4450 or go to
eurocaters.com.
BRATWURST 411 The name “bratwurst” most often refers to a
sausage made from pork in a natural casing and is grilled or fried in a pan. It is a favorite in Germany, with each region having its own specialty. Bratwurst is a common type of sausage in the United States, especially in the state of Wisconsin, where the largest an- cestry group is German. Originally brought to North America by German immigrants, it is a common sight at summer cookouts, alongside the more famous hot dog.
Currywurst owner Kai Loebach
JUNE 2012 | RAGE monthly 57
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