The Accent’s on Fashion, Not Food

If you’re going to eat at Bo Kaos, there’s really only one requirement: You should like people. This is the sort of place where a party of 12 tries to squirm its way into a table for three; where a stranger may pause at your table as a rest stop on his way to the other end of the room; where the exotic-looking waitress may well snuggle up beside you as she takes your order.

Set in the Beverly Hills space that was once Christopher’s, the harem-like Bo Kaos is packing them in, partly with the old Christopher’s crowd and partly with the hepcats who cram into Olive, Three Jacks and Trinity.

You might question the wisdom of serving anything called grilled calamari sticks with potato chips, and maybe you’ll find the coconut-Thai soup lacking in flavor. But you can always admire the fashion parade of waitresses and waiters sauntering past in their desert-chic sandals and wrap-around skirts.

The prices are easy to take, mostly because the menu is full of snacky things--divided into “cold delights” and “hot delights”: guacamole and chips, vegetarian chili, pizza, quesadillas, shrimp egg rolls and foie gras. If you want a real meal, New York steak is sometimes offered as a special. But then, if you want a real meal, you might want to go someplace else.

Bo Kaos, 8689 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 659-1200. Menu prices $4 to $16.50.