Roadhouse Comeback

Christmas came a wee bit early for Larry Pollack, the brains behind Dublin’s Irish Whiskey Pub and Miyagi’s--Sunset Strip venues that snap, crackle and pop with nightly excitement. Pollack, who’s been angling to get his hands on the fire-damaged Thunder Roadhouse for some time now, clinched the deal earlier this week and we got the scoop-y fer ya. Aiming for a July christening, Pollack says he’s reopening the former biker geek bar as the Saddle Ranch: Chophouse, a rock ‘n’ roll country joint for all those steel-horse-riding urban cowboys. That’s right, Sunset Boulevard will finally get its own mechanical bull (just how “back” are the ‘80s anyway?).

Aside from plenty o’ beef and pork, the Saddle Ranch plans to offer its guests multiple hitching posts, a 60-foot circular bar and an outdoor patio with fire pits. . . . Bar Deluxe and the Lava Lounge were partying heartily on Monday night--both Hollywood hot spots hosted holiday cheer with plenty of free beer. The Lava Lounge spewed stars at its private holiday party for A Band Apart, the commercial production company founded by Michael Bodnarchek and Lawrence Bender, who produced all of Quentin Tarantino’s films. Bar Deluxe had all the rockabilly guys and dolls getting toasted while toasting five years of looking sharp at their favorite bar. . . . For those who didn’t make it to the super-successful Variety Arts Center Halloween ball, the brains behind the sold-out bash are planning an even bigger New Year’s Eve party at the same downtown venue. The mod, goth, punk, new wave and Brit pop scenesters will all be partying like it’s 1999.