Rasselbock Owners To Open Wood & Salt Tavern In Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA — Wood & Salt Tavern, a new "modern California" restaurant from the owners of the German Rasselbock Kitchen & Beer Garden on Grand View Boulevard in Mar Vista, is poised for its soft opening in early August in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach.

The Atlantic Avenue, full-service restaurant and bar will be the fourth establishment for German Gastro Management, operators of the Mar Vista Rasselbock, along with a location in Long Beach and Wirtshaus, a nearly 9-year-old establishment on North La Brea Avenue.

But don't come craving schnitzel, spätzle and sauerkraut. Decidedly non-Bavarian, the concept behind Wood & Salt is a chef-crafted menu encompassing wood-fired meat, fish and seafood, and handmade in-house pastas, along with salads, vegetarian options and shared plates. Beer and wine options will include heftier, more global varieties than those currently featured at the owners' German restaurants, according to management.

Helming the operation will be Chef Brian Lavin. A Maryland native with close to two decades of kitchen experience, Lavin's resume includes a stint as chef-partner of Baltimore's Gnocco, an intimate Italian restaurant with a menu of small plates and house-made pasta, which landed him a spot on Zagat's first-ever 30 Under 30 National list for culinary superstars.

"Chef Brian’s restaurant experience is an ideal fit for the menu concept we wanted to create for Wood & Salt Tavern," said Bjoern Risse, co-owner of Wood & Salt Tavern, Wirtshaus and the two Rasselbock locations. "We’re happy to welcome him to the German Gastro Management family of restaurants, and we look forward to seeing what he can do at this, our first non-German eatery.”

Wood & Salt Tavern's opening menu will feature such shareables as crispy fried olives with ‘nduja salami and lemon aioli, Santa Carota beef tartare with smoked egg yolk, swordfish meatballs, chicken liver mousse with date mostarda and pistachio, and grilled head-on prawns with romesco and charred leek salsa verde.

Hand-made pasta specialties will include Tehachapi rye-potato gnocchi (smoked chicken ragu, cavolo nero, Parmigiano), squid ink garganelli with calamari, or ricotta cavatelli with littleneck clams. And expected entrées are grilled dorade with Sicilian-style caponata, bone-in pork chop with cippoline agrodolce and hazelnut picada, or a grilled Mary’s half-chicken with sumac yogurt, grilled summer squash and dukkah.

For dessert: Diners can look forward to fresh, ricotta doughnuts with fennel honey and corn ice cream, or tiramisu from a family recipe.

"It’s fresh fare served in a casual, yet elevated, manner,” said Bülent Yildirim, who, along with Risse, hails from Germany and co-owns Wood & Salt and the group's other restuarants.

Given COVID-19 mandates, Wood & Salt Tavern, initially plans to accommodate 40 diners at its 4262 Atlantic locale with open-air — and dog-friendly — patio seating, with dinner to start, followed by lunch service after a two-week soft launch. Indoor seating, when allowed, will expand capacity to about 90 guests inside and out, including at the bar, the owners said.

“With Wood & Salt Tavern, we’re hoping to provide the Bixby Knolls community with a new dining option, something that the neighborhood might need," Yildirim said.

Planned opening hours at Wood & Salt Tavern will be Sundays through Thursdays 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays 3 pm. to 10 p.m. To stay up-to-date on its opening, follow the website here or on Facebook and Instagram.

And for those who are craving German comfort food, Risse and Yildirim's three other restaurants, Wirtshaus, at 345 N. La Brea Ave., Rasselbock Long Beach, 4020 Atlantic Ave. and Rasselbock Mar Vista, located at 3817 Grand View Blvd., curently are open for outdoor dining and takeout.

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