Sherman Oaks: Beer & Bar Food at On the Thirty

 Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout

While I was in the Valley for Tonga Hut’s 55th Anniversary, my friend and I were looking for something open mid-afternoon. We found On the Thirty, a new gastropub in Sherman Oaks. At the time, they were serving only beer and wine but they expect their newly approved liquor license to kick in soon. On the Thirty features beer, wine and food from California. However, they expect their liquor to be from “all over.”

My friend and I are whiskey lovers and I have found we tend to prefer dark beers. We went with the Stone Farking Wehaton w00tstout. Yep, this is a beer brewed with Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek fame) and Stone Brewery. I was more in love with the label than anything else and still like North Coast Old Rasputin more.

balls of meat

Usually I’m the one obsessed with food photos I’ve seen on Instagram. In this case, my friend had seen pictures of the meatballs or known as “balls of meat” on the menu and thought we should try them. Made with a mixture of two meats; pork and beef, these were unusually bouncy. The sauce and cheese were excellent.

2- day pulled pork sandwich

We talked with one of the owners who recommended the pulled pork sandwich. With the grilled bread, mustard and pickled red onions, this seemed more like a Cuban sandwich than an American pulled pork sandwich. In fact, this pulled pork is cooked for 2 days in a mojo (citrus) sauce. There’s also gruyere cheese, citrus mayo and fried plaintains. It was a very satisfying sandwich so I had to take half of it home.

Earth pizza

Anytime I see pizza on a menu, I have to try the one with mushrooms. The Earth pizza has wild mushrooms but I was concerned about the white truffle oil. Turns out it’s natural and not a chemical. Although there’s no meat on it, there’s plenty of umami from the caramelized onion and mozarella cheese.

It’s nice to see On the Thirty on this stretch of Ventura Boulevard. The area needed a solid option for sandwiches, pizza and beer. You could also create your own cheese and meat plates. And I’m interested to see what they do with their liquor license and cocktails program.

On the Thirty

14622 Ventura Blvd., Ste 112, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403  — (818) 788-0330

© The Minty  2013