Besha Rodell Thinks There Ought to Be More Diners at Bierbeisl Imbiss

This week, Besha Rodell heads to downtown's Spring Arcade to visit Bernhard Mairinger's new Austrian restaurant Bierbeisl Imbiss. Just like the long-shuttered Beverly Hills Bierbeisl, Imbiss shines with its first class sausages:

At Imbiss, the menu is simple and focuses on those sausages: fat kaesekrainer made from pork and beef, bursting with juicy cheesiness (the meat is infused with cheese); spicy Hungarian andouille thick with prickly paprika; small, peppery pork grillwurst that get a crisp sear on the casing; smooth veal weisswurst, poached in milk and mild in temperament. BierBeisl's were the best sausages in town before he closed in Beverly Hills, and they're the best sausages in town now that he's reopened here. [LAW]

Unfortunately, the restaurant feels quite deserted, and although it was intended to be an all-day eatery with hours stretching from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the casual Austrian specialist had to cut its hours for lack of customers. So what's the problem? While Mairinger attributes it to the vacancies in the Spring Arcade and loft building above it, Besha points to the awkward "order-from-the-counter situation:"

The one time I tried to bring in a large group, the act of ordering for that many people was tricky — how to keep seven people's needs in my head, then deliver that order to the cashier, without taking notes? Do I really want to act as waitress, especially when I'm paying an automatic 15 percent service fee? Do I want to get up and go to the counter every time we want another round of drinks, or dessert, or anything at all? [LAW]

Bierbeisl Imbiss scores two stars.

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