Ed Fuentes

It's not an Arts District speakeasy. It's Wurstküche, adding a well planned eatery to the Arts District. Seen in front is Bogey the chihuahua waiting for some take-out.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — New Arts District eatery Wurstküche cracked open the doors on Saturday for a pre-soft opening trial, and a steady flow of customers kept the cafe door open into the night.

Gourmet links at $6.75 caught many eyes, as did the selection of beers on tap.

While the cafe is intended to primarily serve take-out (phase two of the space will offer more eat-in seating), there are small tables and a counter inside that cleverly use the building's sharp interior corner to make the space feel larger than it is. It's been a long process of planning and permits, and this sampling via the cafe has me interested in how the rest of the restaurant will turn out.

For Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson, the process of opening has been more than just finding rattlesnake sausage or chicken sausage with mango and jalapenos -- though incidentally those two were the biggest sellers last Saturday.

From day one, Pitruzzelli and Wilson (and friends) have been community minded, researching what people wanted and looked for in a cafe. Small touches have been carefully thought out. Simple landscaping was added in April, a month before real interior work began. A request to DOT got a green 15-minute parking zone curbside, an attempt to create a space for customers to drop in and pick up their orders.

The cafe gets its bread from . While the decision was made based on quality, it's a great use of a local resource and supports a worthy cause.

Those who have been eatery waiting for the eatery to open will not be disappointed. Officially, doors open tomorrow, November 18. There's more menu tweaking to come, though, and traditional and vegetarian sausages have yet to make their debut.

This week, Wurstküche will be open Monday through Thursday from 11am till 8 pm. On Friday and Saturday the daring cafe will be testing something else locals have wanted: late night dining. They'll be staying open until 3am.

/ 800 E 3rd St @ Traction Avenue (Joel Bloom Square) /