Deliciously downsized

I used to notice a funky little hotel in what looked like a private home at the corner of Crescent Drive and Brighton Way in Beverly Hills. Like so many smaller hotels around town, the former Beverly Crescent Hotel has been upgraded and rebaptized; it’s now the Crescent.

This is one radical makeover. Designer Dodd Mitchell has struck again, turning this once dowdy property into something sleek and hip (at least as evidenced by the indoor-outdoor patio and lounge -- I haven’t seen any of the rooms). The location couldn’t be better. It’s within walking distance of Rodeo Drive and the rest of downtown Beverly Hills. The Spanish-Moorish City Hall is just down the street. For jogging, there’s the long stretch of green along Santa Monica Boulevard or Burton Way.

Those of us who haven’t checked into one of the 40 rooms (which start at $149) can enjoy Boe, the hotel’s restaurant, for drinks, a light lunch or supper, even breakfast. Inside, it has only a single communal table, but there are plenty of individual tables outside on the lovely front patio. It’s small in scale but populated by tall palms and furnished with built-in banquettes and comfy white leather pillows. “If the heat lamps aren’t enough, we can bring you a blanket,” offered our cheery waiter with a giggle one night. In fact, it was perfectly toasty with the heat lamp turned low.

The cooking is smart, with just enough of an exotic twist to keep jaded palates interested. An iceberg lettuce wedge is napped in a delicious green goddess dressing. Grilled spicy coconut shrimp are threaded onto a skewer and served with rather bland black beans. I’d come back for the New York strip steak with herb butter melting over the top, good garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Grilled chicken breast comes with crispy coconut rice and nopales mango salad and pistachio-crusted halibut with cheese-laced grits and green beans.

The lunch menu, like dinner’s, is small, but it offers a basic burger and an eccentric chicken po’-boy with fennel quinoa pilaf and pomegranate sauce, along with salads and chicken soup. Sounds good to me. So does breakfast, which ranges from yogurt fruit parfait to artichoke frittata with veggie sausage or a Southwest scramble with chorizo, chiles and avocado.

What’s in the name, though? It stands for Bacchus Orpheus Epicurus. Enough said.

*

Boe

Where: The Crescent Hotel, 403 N. Crescent Drive, Beverly Hills.

When: Lunch 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner 6 to 10 p.m. daily. Valet parking.

Cost: Dinner appetizers, $8 to $13; main dishes, $16 to $23; lunch appetizers, $5 to $9; main dishes, $11 to $14; breakfast items, $8 to $12.

Info: (310) 247-0505.