Boho: Good beer, Arclight-close

Kitschy knick-knacks and lamps make Boho cozier than the rest of the Arclight complex

Assorted bloggers, Hollywood bar owners and others got a preview last night of Boho, the beer/pizza/farmer's market driven small plates place that's replacing Charcoal in the corner of the ArcLight theaters complex. It's still owned by Adolfo Suaya, but he's brought in the Oinkster's Andre Guerrero to do the menu and Verdugo's Ryan Sweeney to select the 25 beers on tap. Designer Kris Keith of Spacecraft brings a different look to each place he designs, like Bar Delux and La Buca. I'm still deciding how I feel about Boho's kooky mix of mismatched dining table chairs, old books, thrift shop art and '70s lamps -- it all seems a little incongruous next to the slick Club Sushi, although it's certainly more cozy. But whether the combo of 20 ft. tall ficus trees and old teddy bears appeals or not, the idea of being able to grab some amazing beer before or after the Arclight is very welcome. I tried the excellent Moylan's Harvest IPA and an unusual sour, champagne-like triple gueze that Ryan was carrying around with him. Here's a look at the proposed menu from FoodGPS. Boho opens around March 20.
Since Kris Keith is designing half of Hollywood right now, we also talked to lawyer-turned-publican Alex, who's opening Public House at Cahuenga and Selma in April. He's planning two dozen beers on tap and a menu of basically burgers.
We also heard about Essex, another pub opening on Hollywood Blvd. at Las Palmas around April, which has Chris Ennis working on the menu. Owner Greg Link told us how Essex's historic building was used as an illicit gambling den in the old days, and even had an escape passageway for when the cops raided the building.
With all these spots plus Blue Palms, Hollywood is fast turning into beer central -- or one hell of a walking tour!
Menu details: The ambitious, not quite-yet finalized menu includes small plates like Fried Oyster Po' boy sliders ($9) and roasted marrow bones; Bigass plates like Oxtail Catalana or an Oinkster Pastrami plate ($16) and sides such as baked fennel with roasted shallots, bacon and gruyere cheese, as well as a pulled pork pizza ($14). Oink, oink!