If you like sausages and beer (and really, who doesn’t?), then you’ll like WVRST, King West’s newest emporium of innovative eats and casual cool. Opened a couple of weeks ago, the beer-hall style venue highlights a dizzying selection of sausages — around 18 varieties — along with Belgian-style, double-dipped fries. For owner Aldo Lanzillotta, the appeal of sausage lies in its versatility: “There’s so many different combinations,” he says.
The concept: Traditional sausage recipes meet a laid-back King West vibe. Lanzillotta has poured himself into almost every aspect of the restaurant: from the design, which features long picnic-style communal tables and exposed bulbs, to the menu, which highlights his culinary ingenuity as well as the classics. WVRST promises to combine a sense of culinary excellence with a sense of communal fun. Even the most discerning of sausage connoisseurs can indulge in the extremely varied sausage menu which features classic sausages like the Italian as well as vegetarian and game meat sausages.
The hood: King Street West, just east of Bathurst, in the former digs of Marc Thuet’s Conviction.
The eats: A plethora of sausage delights can be served two ways: on a fresh roll (sourced from College Street’s Golden Wheat Bakery and Pastry) with toppings such as caramelized onions, sauerkraut, sauteed jalapenos and sweet peppers, or in the Berlin street-style of currywurst (which, frankly, puts our road-side carts to shame). Notable is the bratwurst, made with berkshire pork, served currywurst-style with tomato curry sauce and accompanied with country bread ($6). Side-orders of frietkoten fries, twice fried in duck fat or vegetable oil, are a decadent add-on ($3.50 – $6.50). The mayo-based dipping sauces only sweeten the deal (the maple/rosemary leaves your mouth coated with sweet, buttery goodness). We like the venison sausage served on a fresh roll; bits of red pepper and dijon are cooked right into the link and it comes served with a faintly pink centre ($9).
Aldo’s favorite: “It’s crazy how they’re all good,” says Lanzillotta. “People come in and they’re like, so what do you recommend? I don’t know what to recommend because they’re all good.” He does, however, offer up three suggestions: the rabbit and tomato sausage ($9), the traditional Italian (pork highlighted with Sicilian fennel, $6), or the Kranjska, which is a traditional Slovenian sausage of lightly smoked pork and marjoram ($6). Lanzillotta recommends pairing with a Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale ($7 for a pint), or, if you’re feeling fun, a litre of Pabst Blue Ribbon ($10) served in a frosted mug.
By Allie Hunwicks
Published: June 1, 2011
