BoHo v1 had a rather tumultuous ride as Arclight’s neighbor for a year and a half. First, a GM, or 2, was fired. Then the starting free spirited chef left because he couldn’t do whatever it is that he wanted to do. Through it all, BoHo carried on with its gastropubby fare which almost everyone seemed to have enjoyed, to a certain degree. No matter the food, no matter the chef swappage, everyone could always count on BoHo’s 2 dozen rotating craft beers, one of the first (of the second wave in LA) to have such a well-curated list.

No one quite believed BoHo would re-open after the planned October 2010 closure, but it managed to stay remain open, with its bottomless mimosa weekend brunches and all, all the way til Feb of 2011. With an obvious will to survive, it was no surprise BoHo returned to biz at its new digs only after a month of closure.

Except the new location is… wait for it… Hollywood & Highland! Commence collective groan… now. That’s right, BoHo went from being one movie theater’s neighbor to another, except the new one’s in an Egyptian themed mall in the middle of Hollywood. Go ahead, groan again, BoHo’s restauranteur Adolfo Surya doesn’t mind. He brought on a new chef, kept the same excellent beer menu, and hopes tourists (as well as local yokels) will appreciate affordable small batch brewed beer in a cozy environ.

Wesley Pumphrey, the new chef, has worked at Craft and Bazaar, 2 perennial LA faves. Here at BoHo, he’s using Wolfgang Puck designed/built wood-fired pizza to toss out some fantastic pizza/flatbreads. While the menu isn’t exactly the same as OG BoHo, the essence of its fare remains. The fantastic onion soup has disappeared, but a Hawaiian-esque tuna tartare, fully evocative of poke, has subbed in nicely. Moules frites here is solid as well, and offered with both grilled toast along with frites, making the broth all the more dunkable (not a word). Out of the pizzas, there is no doubt the Spaniard, with the sweet roasted piquillo peppers and sweet onion marmalade countering the properly salty manchego and chorizo, will be amongst the greatest hits here. From the mains, the salmon is rather well executed, though it sang the same sweet tune as several other dishes in the mains and apps.

Happy hour of $5 drafts and food bites is already back at BoHo, making it the best craft beer pub, dollar for dollar. On weekends, bottomless mimosas & bloody marys are back as well; now we just need to await the return of the brunch menu.

BoHo 2.0
4th Floor, next to The Grill
6801 Hollywood Blvd #411
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323)465-8500
Validated Parking $2 for 4 hours

Presenting the Ham and Macaroni & Cheese rustic panini on BreadBar bread from Mendocino Farms. Let’s let the artisans describe it, in their own words:

Not Your Mom’s “Ham and Cheese”
$9.50
Macaroni and Cheese with Aged Chedder and Smoked Gouda, Prime Honey Ham, Roasted Tomatoes, Dijon Mustard, and Herb Aioli Panini Pressed on Rustic White

Highly
Recommended
From
Our
Camp

Mendicino Farms
300 South Grand Ave
213-620-1114
[email protected]
Hours 11:00am-3:00pm Mon-Fri

Café 50′s
11623 Santa Monica Blvd

Reviewed Entree: Fried Mac and Cheese

I have taken a detour from finding the best Mac and Cheese in town to just trying it wherever I go. One would be surprised to see the variety of Mac and Cheese offerings in LA. On a low key birthday celebration I found myself at Café 50′s in West losanjealous. This was one of my favorite spots in college; they have decent diner food, great shakes and board games to play while you wait. After this visit I still love this place, now four years after college.

My eyes grew large when I saw Fried Mac and Cheese on the appetizer menu. Of course I ordered it to share amongst the four of us. When the appetizer arrives at our table, we are greeted with triangular, battered and deep fried Kraft Mac and Cheese. Hmm… I proceed with caution. I have the triangle of fried Mac and Cheese on a fork and I observe all of its few caveats. As I bit into it, my mouth got a blast of very hot frying oil.
»continue reading Mac & Cheese Casefile #8-022272B: Cafe 50′s

i’ve heard good things about the kitchen, for their food in general and their mac and cheese. i went there twice to verify my food findings, and twice i was disappointed in the mac and cheese, but their other food was good.

their mac and cheese tasted more like macaroni with garlic, there was a faint hint of cheese. i prefer mac and cheese that is baked but still swimming in cheese sauce, the burned bread crumb topping is also a nice touch. the kitchen’s mac and cheese was on the dry side and not swimming in a creamy cheese sauce. i wonder if this could be expected because it is considered a starter and not a main dish.
»continue reading Mac & Cheese Casefile #732781a: The Kitchen