Biergarten at the Standard, New York

Andre Balazs’ latest hotel, The Standard, was the source of a bit of controversy this year at its perch atop the southern terminus of the High Line in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. There were the complaints about certain guests taking full advantage of the floor-to-ceiling windows with some indiscreet exhibitionism, and then the hotel’s Boom Boom Room bar was forced to change its name amidst a legal dispute.

Leave it to Balazs to parlay that negative press into hype. One thing that certainly didn’t get any complaints is the Standard’s outdoor Biergarten. On a recent visit, they offered Bitburger Pilsener, a Bavarian wheat beer called Ayinger, and a dark Koestritzer from what used to be East Germany, all on tap.

Kurt Gutenbrunner, the Austrian chef behind Café Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie, has been brought in to oversee the food operations, which run the gamut from Currywurst to Weisswurst to massive pretzels. All the sausages are brought in from the authentic German butchers over at Schaller & Weber on the Upper East Side.

If you missed Oktoberfest, don’t expect the Standard’s Biergarten to compare in terms of authenticity. The average crowd favors suits and stilettos over lederhosen and it’s safe to say you wouldn’t find any ping pong tables in the middle of the Augustiner Keller tent in October. While the Biergarten is closed for the winter, it’s slated to reopen in late Spring or early Summer. Let’s hope for warm weather in March.

The Standard - 848 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014

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by Trafton Kenney
Gloobbi Travel

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