El Bohio, the Pour House restaurant that celebrated owner Vanessa Harris’ Cuban heritage, has been transformed into The Lot. The concept is meant to embody “the parking lot scene before a large-scale music event in almost every way except the food.” By that they mean it will be a place for showgoers to gather before a concert over some brews or with some locally sourced food.
Vanessa and her husband and business partner Alex felt it was time for their restaurant to evolve. “Many local farmers frequent The Pour House, and we decided we wanted to give that support back,” she says.
They hired Chef Alex Lira to craft a seasonal farm-to-table menu. A Virginia native, Lira lived in New York City working at restaurants like Tom Colicchio’s Craft. He acquired his skills as a head-to-tail butcher at Marlow and Daughters butcher shop, which also supplies Roman, Marlow and Sons, and Diner, where Lira also worked. In fact, much inspiration for the Lot can be traced back to Diner.
“When we met Lira we found that we had a similar passion for the quality local ingredients can give,” says Vanessa, “so it was a perfect fit.”
House-smoked sausage and jerky as well as house-ground burgers will be some of the regularly featured meats. Expect the menu to change frequently, though, with many new items each week.
“The cuisine influences will be all over the board and will appeal to whatever local ingredients we have available,” says Vanessa. You’ll definitely see homemade pasta, quinoa, grains, and fresh salads.
This week the restaurant has been serving a braised chicken leg with roasted potatoes and baby carrots as well as snapper over rice and gumbo. Plates range from $7-$14. Currently, The Lot is open for dinner Mon.-Wed. 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Thurs.-Sat. 5:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. The bar menu will be served Thurs.-Sat. until 1 a.m. and Sunday brunch is available 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Keep the City Paper free We don't have a paywall. Each week's printed issue is free. We're local, independent and free. Let's keep it this way. Please consider a donation of $100 to keep the City Paper free. Donate: chscp.us