It was Thursday night in Downtown LA as TJ and I walked out of the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live. We just finished watching “Captain America: Civil War” and even though it was after 10pm we were starving. While the movie was good, many scenes could have been tossed so we wouldn’t have been in the theater for over two hours. Although we scarfed down buttered popcorn and an army of Sour Patch Kids, we needed real food that the movie theater just didn’t have. But what was open at this late hour where I wouldn’t be eating as the janitor gave me a death stare because he was ready to go home? It took me a few seconds, but then I remembered Tony Stark isn’t the only one with great abilities! I decided to tap into my super hero foodie powers. I closed my eyes and began to rub my temples. My heart rate increased and then my breathing began to get heavy. My forehead started to furrow as the words whispered from my mouth: “Beelman’s Pub on Spring street is open!”

Although we didn’t fly to the pub, we did get there pretty quickly as Beelman’s sits less than 2 miles away from the theater. Thankfully since we got there late on Thursday night, there was actually street parking. Unheard of, I know! Once we arrived into the bar we met with one of the co-owners, Vance who told us about the bar and the menu. Calling itself an elevated pub, Beelman’s is a tiny destination with lots of personality. It’s a neighborhood pub which caters to the people who are local to the area. The walls are covered in photographs of music artists like young Michael Jackson all the way to a framed Golden Ticket from beloved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Add to that, flags hang across the ceiling making you think the place lights up during major sporting events. It’s far cry from the dive bar feeling of La Cita, but not as upscale as Mrs. Fish. Instead, it’s a welcome balance between the two. That means you can show up in your gym clothes and feel welcome or you can stroll through in a suit and not appear out of place. But maybe leave the ball gown at home.

Sitting down in my jeans and a t-shirt, we ordered our food. I’ve seen their Instagram and drooled over their burger shots. With those images in mind, TJ and I both knew what to get. TJ got the Catcher in the Pie ($11), Blue Cheese Burger ($13), and a side of Gravy Fries ($7). A New Yorker at heart, he was surprised to see that specific type of fries on the menu. “That’s a New York thing, they better not mess it up”, he said with pride. I could already see he was skeptical about them and was going to put the fries through the ringer. Before he put them to the test, he drank his cocktail. The sweet and energetic bartender, Daniel, made the whiskey based drink with an apple spice elixir and Angostura Bitters while sealing it off with a lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick. When I sipped it, it was too strong and bitter for my liking. I called it an old-man’s drink which meant it would be perfect for TJ. I was right, he loved it.

You would think he would try the fries at this point, but he didn’t. He went in for the burger. He said something about how gravy fries in New York are supposed to be good for a while. That you can eat them immediately and they taste perfect, but the defining moment is how they are after the steam is gone. So he felt justified in diving into the burger next. The ground burger was covered in blue cheese, arugula, and the pub’s own special sauce. I took a bite of it and I was happy to see that it wasn’t overpowered by the blue cheese. Overall the burger was nice, but I really wanted to know his thoughts on the fries.

The thick steak fries were topped with a house-made gravy and shaved grana padano. I had to stop for a second and Google the cheese because I had no idea what exact kind it was. Little taps on the keyboard and Safari let me know that it’s an Italian semi-fat cheese that is slow-ripened and hard in its original state. I took a bite of them myself and I loved that the gravy wasn’t too salty and it wasn’t too thick in consistency. The cheese was melted and gooey and I liked how it all came together over the fries. But TJ’s reaction would seal the deal. A few bites, a few more bites, and then he nodded his head. “They’re legit.” He can be a man of few words.

Enough of his food right? It’s time for my order.

Don’t get excited because I didn’t order anything that would top his blue cheese burger and gravy fries. Instead, I wanted to see how the pub could execute a seemingly simple dish. You can screw up something creative, but would they be able to make something memorable through something common? With that, I ordered the Hickory Burger ($12) with a side of House Fries ($4). The steak fries were gently sprinkled with salt and lightly crispy. Biting into them, the fries were piping hot and soft which meant they were perfect absorb the ketchup. As a whole, they were just like the gravy fries, but dialed back tremendously since they weren’t covered with so much.

Then there was the burger! It was a freshly ground patty that was smeared with hickory sauce, pickles, smoked bacon, and cheddar cheese. From the pictures online, the burger seemed a lot smaller than what I anticipated. From the pictures, I was thinking I would need two hands to hold it all, but it turned out that one was just fine. It was ok, because I have one mouth, my gut is expanding quickly, and summer is almost here. Taking bites of it, I loved how juicy the medium-rare burger was. It was the type of meat that oozed around the sour pickles and creamy cheese. However, I noticed that the combination was a bit saltier than necessary. I can only assume that the patty itself was heavily seasoned and when it was paired with the already salty bacon the two became a bit much. If the meat were to be prepared this way, it would be a perfect burger without the bacon. Considering the bacon is almost the star in this dish, I think calming down some of the seasoning on future burgers would lend to a solid burger. That aside, I repeat that I still finished the burger and enjoyed it.

I took a few photos of our food and when I was done, we got to enjoy our dinner in a chill pub. A matter of minutes later the only thing remaining was a set of empty trays and messy napkins. The food is good and the atmosphere is welcoming. I was glad I was able to tap into my unique abilities to recall this place because it’s a great find. From this discovery I realized we all have super powers to some degree, we just may have forgotten about them. Some may be used for evil, some are for good, and for the luckiest of us our powers can be used for food.

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Address: 600 S. Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 622-1022
Hours: Monday to Thursday – 4:00pm to 2:00am, Friday to Sunday – 12:00pm to 2:00am
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