Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Mohawk Bend: It's Open For Real


Yes, Mohawk Bend is really finally open.  The much delayed craft beer focused restaurant from Tony Yanow, the owner of Tony's Darts Away, has opened its doors wide onto Sunset Blvd in Echo Park.  The beer list is nothing short of epic, with 71 local craft beers on tap, enough to intrigue even the most jaded of beer snobs.  The food has extensive vegan options, including pizza made with vegan mozzarella.


The "Pub Grub" section of the menu includes the infamous Dork Burger ($14), made with ground duck and pork as well as the Fish & Chips (pictured above), IPA-battered pieces of cod, shoestring fries, malt vinegar aioli and capers.  ($14) The fish was suitably crispy and the fries did not last long among my compatriots, which included the legendary Glutster and a sommelier not known for his shyness on twitter.


The Holy Trinity Pizza ($11, above) is made with tomato sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella (non vegan) or vegan mozzarella.  I tried a slice of the vegan version which was surprisingly good.  Also pictured above is the "Quick and the Bread" herbed flatbread with choice of seven spreads.  I can vouch for the pita-like flatbread but the spreads did not last long in our hungry party.


The 71 beers on tap are all listed on a menu with their style, brewery, ABV (alcohol percentage) and whether they are served in a tulip or pint glass.  Breweries represented include North Coast, Ballast Point, Hangar 24, Bootleggers, Anchor, North Coast, Sierra Nevada, The Bruery, Bear Republic, Firestone, Taps, Rubicon, Lost Coast, Lost Abbey, Craftsman, Green Flash, Eel River, Alesmith among others.  Russian River Brewery's Blind Pig and Pliny the Elder, both excellent brews, were much enjoyed my my group of thirsty ruffians.


Despite the fact that Mohawk Bend only announced their opening on the same day, they were slammed.  Waits for tables were quite long and the bar was crowded with folks all trying to get their mitts on a pint of liquid gold.  The crowd was a mixture of beer aficionados, East Side hipsters, locals, writers and randoms.  it looks like Yanow has another hit on his hands, on a much bigger scale.

Mohawk Bend: 2141 W. Sunset Blvd, Echo Park. Phone: (213)   260-0265.  Website: http://www.facebook.com/mohawkla

2 comments:

  1. 71 beers on tap? Damn. I don't find myself over in Echo Park as much anymore, but this is certainly on my short list.

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  2. Yeah, certainly worth heading to Echo Park for. I still can't believe how much I enjoyed a vegan pizza.

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