WECHSLER'S CURRYWURST BRATWURST

New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-1170

A recent lunch brought myself and Dudeman to Wechsler's, "a temple to German sausage", according to their website. Wechsler's reminded me very much of my recent visit to Radegast Hall, albeit this version had been shrunk in the wash. Quite literally, there are seats for maybe 20 people. Three of those are at the bar. Three of those are against the wall, and the rest are crammed up between two tables. With twenty German beers available at the time that I went, even if they don't live up to sausage-temple status, they certainly can qualify as a mini beer hall.

But how about the sausage? Well, we tried two on this particular trip. Naturally, their Currywurst, since it makes up a third of their name, was ordered. This was noshed on alongside their Wild Boar Bratwurst. After all, how often do you get wild boar? They were both quite good, though never quite becoming sensational. The currywurst sausage was a bratwurst, sliced into pieces, coated in a curry sauce and served alongside thin cut french fries. The sauce somewhat overpowered the taste of the sausage, meaning that the sausage itself was more about texture than flavor, though it was there in the background. The sauce, for its part, though stronger than the sausage in the sense that you noticed it long before you did the meat, was extremely mild. Anyone with a stomach sensitive to spicy foods should have no problem enjoying this. The wild boar bratwurst was served in a little bun. But at only about five inches long, this was a little sausage. You quite literally get a serving that's maybe half size of the bratwursts offered at Bohemian Hall. Still, it was surprisingly heavy and, with a bit of mustard, my favorite of the two.

Though Wechsler's is dark (and it's very dark) it's about as far from romantic as one can go. The iron candle sconces, the dark woods, and the heavy feel of the furniture lend an almost claustrophobic feeling to the place. But it's an oddly welcoming claustrophobia. Maybe a better word is "cozy". I can only imagine how cool a fireplace would be. It's winter now, and the perfect time for this kind of meal. Heavy meats, dark beers, and a warm space to counter to cold windiness of the street. I can absolutely see myself coming here again with a friend or two, maybe three, to catch up and relax. But any more people than that would be too many. It's just too small.