Pliny the Younger @ Father’s Office (Los Angeles, CA)

Father’s Office
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Dining date: 2/21/11

I’ve blogged about Father’s Office before, but I figured this visit was worthy of a post on its own. You see, I’ve become more and more into the craft beer scene over the past year. Currently my favorite beers are India Pale Ales; one in particular is the double IPA Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewery. One of the most sought-after beers in America is another beer from Russian River – Pliny the Younger. This triple IPA is made once a year (each February) and is served at the brewery in Santa Rosa, CA as well as distributed to select bars around the west coast.

Much-publicized events at Surly Goat and Verdugo Bar earlier in the week were met with lines hundreds deep by the time of opening, while only the first 40-50 were lucky enough to score a taste. Father’s Office went with a different approach; they didn’t publicize when they were serving the beer. My friend had a “hunch” that the beer would be on tap this President’s Day.

Clearly, others had a similar impression. When we got there around 4:30, there were about 20 people in line; by the time of its 5pm opening, the line was at least 50 strong.

Our party of 6 came at different times; luckily, the first two to arrive were 3rd and 4th in line and were able to secure a prime table right by the bar. At the bar, two taps were pouring Pliny the Younger nonstop. This was the moment we had been waiting for.

The Younger was a very good beer and actually tasted very similar to its “Elder” sibling. I thought it was a little less bitter and a little more floral, but still a ton of hop flavor. I wouldn’t wait hours for this, but if it was produced year-round, it’d definitely be in my regular rotation of beers. I’m glad the bar didn’t limit the beers to one per person; one could go up repeatedly to get more until they were out.

Some food was in order, of course.

The Office Burger caramelized onions, bacon, gruyere, maytag blue, arugula

One of the most talked-about burgers in the city, the Office Burger is definitely one of the better burgers in the city. It’s very meaty and juicy, balanced by some bitterness from the arugula and sweetness from caramelized onions. Goes very well with a hoppy IPA.

Brussels Sprouts

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of these; the brussels were roasted to a crisp, leaving a nice smoky, charred flavor. A long strip of jamon accompanied the vegetable. I thought the pork could’ve been incorporated better though, as the two flavors were mostly separate.

Steak Au Poivre shallot cognac sauce, fries

This looked so delicious when it came out. The flatiron steak, however, was very chewy even though it was cooked a requested medium-rare. The flavors were spot on though, with a really nice shallot-cognac sauce – mopping up the sauce with the fries was fantastic, if not a little salty.

This was a wildly successful trip to Father’s Office. Good beer, good company. I’m glad that I’m able to now say I’ve tried Pliny the Younger.