Creating a community gathering space

“It’s like seeing a kid grow up versus meeting them for the first time,” he said. “You obviously have an attachment to things that you see built.”

In driving toward a Feb. 26 opening, the trio has been staying up late at night and waking early in the morning to wash beer mugs and glasses, put the finishing touches on beer taps and usher in pounds of cabbage to become in-house sauerkraut. Though plans for the 9,800-square-foot space with second-floor seating have tracked closely to their original vision for the restaurant, Simpson said more of the space has been devoted to kitchen preparation to give staff room to make in-house mustard, pickles and sauerkraut, among other accoutrements.

Though Simpson and Mao have experience opening a bar and retail store in downtown San Mateo, Simpson said making way for a new restaurant has been a different kind of project. With only floor plans and design boards to visualize the space since they announced its opening in June and all the moving parts involved with bringing the new restaurant together, Simpson said they haven’t had many opportunities to step back and look at the fruits of their labor.

“Then you stop and take a moment, and yeah, it’s hard not to get emotional,” he said.

By including a kids’ play space, offering open seating and not taking reservations, Simpson, Mao and López-Alt are hoping locals will gravitate to the spot and stay for as long as they want. They’re also hoping to offer them fresh takes on traditional German and Austrian food and different types of beer to pour from the some 28 taps they have installed behind their bar.

As famed food author and consultant with the recipe-guide website Serious Eats, López-Alt is used to preparing food for others. But it’s usually so they can watch and learn new techniques to try in their own cooking, so López-Alt admitted the shift to cooking for a crowd has been a big one.

“It’s all really nerve-wracking because it’s one thing to cook recipes in small amounts … it’s another to be open [and] serving the public,” he said.

López-Alt has been hard at work with his team of chefs as well as Simpson and Mao to perfect menu items like a pork sandwich dressed with a fennel slaw, vinegary sauce and pickled chilis and three Nuremberg sausages served in a round bun with hot mustard. López-Alt joked the changes have been keeping him and his team busy, but are also part of the fun.

“Every night … we sit there and retool the menu,” he said. “And every day I change the recipes, which is probably frustrating for the cooks.”

Simpson said they’re aiming to serve high-quality, craft versions of beers anyone can recognize, and rotate taps for seasonal brews to keep things interesting. By serving them in glasses specific to type of beer, Simpson said their service will be authentic to the country from which the beers originate.

“We’re doing subtle nods to just be a little bit nerdy and honor styles,” he said.

As they nail down the final details, the trio has been testing their menu out with small groups and a sold-out pop-up event slated for Feb. 14 in their new space. For Simpson, the interest from those anticipating their restaurant’s opening day has been more than encouraging.

“We sold 120 tickets out in two to three minutes, which was terrifying and very humbling,” he said.

Wursthall will open Feb. 26 at 310 Baldwin Ave.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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