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Bohemian House Opens in River North, Featuring Central European Cuisine

 Bohemian House opened Monday in River North.
Bohemian House
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RIVER NORTH — Bohemian House at 11 W. Illinois St. opens for the first time at 5 p.m. Monday, bringing a new cuisine experience to the Downtown neighborhood known as a restaurant hub.

"We're trying to fill a void that we think that River North has," Bohemian House co-founder Dan Powell said. "The key element is it's just a very casual space. The reason we wanted to do something Bohemian and casual is because Bohemian people are very welcoming in their heritage and it's all about community. ... We want this to be a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the rest of River North."

Powell and business partner Markus Chwajol both have familial roots in Bohemia, today a part of the Czech Republic, and Powell says they bonded over a shared passion for entertaining and a desire to open a restaurant someday.

"We've been working on the concept for the last two years," Powell said. "It's definitely a passion project."

Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Jimmy Papadopoulos, formerly of DeLaCosta, whom Powell called "super inventive."

Menu highlights include a potato pancake with house cured salmon, deviled eggs with smoked whitefish, steak tartare with slow roasted bone marrow, and a rotating spaetzle dish featuring seasonal ingredients. A release from the restaurant said Papadopoulos would change the menu regularly.

"Central European fare is often thought of as heavy, stick-to-your-bones kind of food, but we’re lightening it up, making it vibrant, sexy and approachable," Papadopoulos said in a release.

Beer options will be 70 percent European, 30 percent American, Powell said, with a focus on micro- and craft brewers. Also on the drink menu is a rotating selection of seasonal fruit brandies.

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