No passport required for this trip across the pond. Beelman’s Pub, the new European-influenced gastropub from ACME Hospitality Group, opened Monday, June 9 at 6th and Spring St. in the heart of the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles. Set just two doors down from ACME’s Spring Street Bar, and a few blocks from their other Downtown favorites (King Eddy Saloon, Sixth Street Tavern and Library Bar), Beelman’s Pub takes its name from Claud Beelman, famed designer of the California Bank Building in which the new pub sits. Like ACME’s other downtown creations, cocktails will be the focus, but the food is not to be missed with Executive Chef Tom Block creating elevated Euro-pub fare.
Proprietors LLC (Honeycut, Death & Co) was brought to the table to create the distinctive cocktail program that mixes new tricks to old world sherry, brandy, bubbles, and bitters. The menu asks customers if they want their Gin & Tonic English style (served tall, garnished with a lemon wedge) or the Spanish way (over cracked ice in a goblet, garnished with aromatic herbs). The tour continues with seven signature cocktails (three on draft) including:
- Rocket Queen: Lillet Blanc, Dark Berry Liqueur, Fresh Lemon Juice, Absinthe, Bubbles
- Try for the Kingdom: Red Wine, Spanish Brandy, Fresh Lemon Juice, Cinnamon, Coca-Cola
- Accidental Guru: Irish Whisky, Crème de Pêche, Ginger, Fresh Lime Juice, Blanche de Bruxelles
- House of Jealous Lovers (Draft): Apple Brandy, St. Germaine, Pineau des Charentes, Verjus Blanc, Seltzer
A pub needs its pints, and the 12 beer taps at Beelman’s will be pouring Italian lagers, Czech pilsners, Belgian pales, Flemish reds, and Tripels. In a design move both unique and convenient, the bar sits flush to an open patio window, allowing patrons to order from outside.
Beelman’s Pub puts equal stock in its food offering, and Executive Chef Tom Block has created an elevated menu that nods to classic European fare. Start with charcuterie, cheeseboards, and Au Poivre Pub Fries before venturing into these:
- Tarte Flambe: bacon, fromage blanc, caramelized onions
- Chicken Liver Mousse on English Muffin: dates, chili, shallots, bacon, chervil
- Smoked Beets: crème fraÃche, manchego, hazelnut, citrus
- Scotch Onion Soup: crouton, gruyère, single malt scotch
- Herb Spaetzle: seasonal vegetables, emmentaler cheese
- Brook Trout: almond stuffing, carmelized lemon
- Pub Burger: thick cut bacon, grafton cheddar, grainy mustard, fries
With Beelman’s Pub, ACME Hospitality Group Partners Michael Leko, Will Shamlian, and Jonny Valenti have traded a slice of their trademark tavern touch for a handsome elegance and open atmosphere that spills onto Spring Street. A large patio extends the pub, alive with raw brick walls, lighting, and flora, where inviting communal tables sit on cobblestone. Inside, marble communal tables stretch in upon oak floors patterned in herringbone, flanked on the right by olive Pullman booths against a dark wood veneer dressed with vintage photography and art. The left is commanded by the bar and its full-back dark blue leather and wood barstools, where patrons can keep an eye on marquee sporting matchups from two flat-screens above. Design firm Beleco was brought in to help design the pub.
The opening of Beelman’s Pub is a testament to the revival and growth of the Spring St. neighborhood, once known as the ‘Wall Street of the West,’ and the ACME team is excited to add another element to the downtown streets they walk daily.
Beelman’s Pub invites everyone to eat well, drink well, and cheers the clock around.
Posted By: Alexis Perry
6/17/14
