LINK
GRINDHOUSE & BAR HOSTS SAUSAGE PARTY ON 3RD STREET

It may not come as a shock that college grads working in banking for ten years could burnout, it may not even be too big of a surprise that they’d want to get into the restaurant business, but to give up the big bucks to open a sausage grindhouse is somewhat radical. But that’s what buddies Thomas Benedict and Henry Costa did when they opened Link on Third Street in the Mid-Wilshire/West Hollywood area, and thank goodness for that.

Link prides itself on developing, mixing, casing and preparing all of its original sausage creations in-house, featuring a variety of preparations ranging from grilled to de-constructed variations served atop flatbreads and salads. All the sausages are made with high quality ingredients and are free from any nitrates or hormones. It also features an all California beer, wine and spirits list, and pays tribute to California through the names of the dishes featured on the menu.

Step into Link and you’ll notice that the space is very light and airy with custom wood tables, polished concrete floors, high exposed wood beam ceilings, butcher block top bar and subway tiles. It offers a welcome refuge from the clamor outside the busy intersection at Third Street and La Cienega.

During our recent visit for dinner, we started with a couple of cocktails (no surprise there), wanting to see what the California-distilled cocktails were all about. The Moscow Mule with Tru Vodka proved very refreshing, and the Old Fashioned with Slow Hand White Whiskey and Link’s old fashioned syrup was a solid drink.

Looking to grub, we started with the Santa Barbara Flatbread with crumbled hot Italian pork link, mozzarella, roasted mushrooms, crispy onions, arugula and garlic oil on crispy flatbread, which is a great starter to share or a pretty hearty and tasty meal on its own.

At Link, they even make tacos out of their sausages, and the Death Valley tacos, with crumbled pork chorizo link, sliced jalapeños, pickled red onions and Sriracha aioli on three corn tortillas is a fiery delight.

But really, it’s all about the links at Link, which are served on a soft roll, and we made a pretty decent dent on the sausage menu, starting with the Hollywood—featuring the signature pork link, homemade relish, caramelized onions and beer mustard. Pair this with a cold beer and you’ve got a hit on your hands.

Likewise, the Venice Beach, with signature vegan link, braised red cabbage, caramelized onions and curry aioli is a great non-meat option. Still tasty, it’s great that there’s something for everybody to enjoy.

The Muir Woods, with pork chorizo link, pickled banh mi vegetables, green onions and Sriracha aioli proved to be a favorite. I loved the spiciness, texture and flavor. Pair with a California red and you have an instant homerun. For our sides, we went with the hand cut fries, and the crispy Brussel sprouts with grain mustard—two fine choices. And if you save room for dessert, there are ice cream sandwiches from the folks at Coolhaus LA—the double chocolate chip cookie and peanut butter ice cream is a fave.

You can also build your own link (choose a homemade link, pick two toppings, and one sauce) for $8. And if it’s a sausage party you want, you can get three sausages for $18 or four for $22 which come with three homemade sauces served with crostini, tri color peppers and pickled red onions on a cutting board.

While the gourmet sausage craze started a few years ago in downtown, this area along 3Rd and La Cienega was lacking and now there’s a great spot to feast on artisanal sausages and pair with good beers, fine wines, and cool cocktails.

Link is located at 8486 W. 3rd Street. Open daily. Call 747-221-6207.

Photography Courtesy of: Link

Story by Jose Martinez