BY ERIC ROSEN >LA.COM

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This cute bungalow restaurant and bar takes its name from the fact that it straddles two boulevards, and yet for such a busy intersection, Boulevard is never overcrowded or harried.

It’s got several mellow little dining areas including the indoor bar, a couple of lounge-like banquettes, and a spacious outdoor deck that comes alive with candlelight in the evenings. Don’t expect anything too fancy as you sit at one of the little tables on the deck and take in the traffic patterns through the airy window frames.

The menu features gussied-up versions of bar food, so the dishes are simple but delicious. Start with the grilled prawns on a bed of seasoned greens, or the Tuscan bruschetta with tapenade and tomato basil concasse. If you’re hankering for some real bar food, try the spicy hot wings—they’ll singe your sinuses. There are also a variety of salads like the typical caprese with tomato and mozzarella, a Caesar salad, and a more sophisticated spinach salad with pancetta, walnuts and blue cheese in a champagne vinaigrette.

But you didn’t come here just for salad, so try one of their “hearty” dishes like the dry rubbed baby back ribs with corns, red beans and rice; or the meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes. Boulevard also has great sliders with a variety of meats like bbq pulled pork and seared ground Ahi tuna, that are available in a few different styles. There’s Italian-style, with tapenade, greens, tomatoes, basil, aioli, sun-dried tomato and mustard; and our favorite, French-style, which is caramelized onions, blue cheese, mayo, Dijon, champagne vinegar and greens.

With a low-priced happy hour menu from 4-7pm, as well as great weekend brunch deals, and large list of well drinks and wines by the glass, it’s hard to miss the mark at Boulevard.