Lazy Ox Canteen 241 S San Pedro St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 4/1/12 I’ve been to Lazy Ox Canteen a number of times and have always had a fairly positive experience (except for the time they ran out of fried chicken at 6:30). However, for me it’s been stuck in the “pretty good,…
Restaurant Komasa 351 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 3/20/12 Komasa seems to be one of the most popular restaurants in Little Tokyo, garnering lines as reliably as Daikokuya. From my perspective, there are a trio of Little Tokyo sushi restaurants that are clearly more popular than the rest – Hama, Sushi…
UMAMIcatessen 846 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90015 Dining date: 3/3/12 UMAMIcatessen is the latest concept from the ever-busy Adam Fleischman (Umami Burger, 800 Degrees Pizza), his interpretation of a deli featuring a number of mini restaurant concepts including Umami Burger. The setup kind of looks like a food court (although it’s currently all full…
CITY Night Border Grill 445 S Figueroa St Los Angeles, CA 90071 Dining date: 2/8/12 Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger opened City Cafe in 1981, at the time a relatively nouveau restaurant serving food with accents around the globe. The success of that restaurant led to a much larger CITY restaurant and eventually Border Grill. As…
Mexicali Taco & Co. 702 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 2/7/12 I first heard about Mexicali in the early part of last year, when LA Taco was hosting a popular vote for best taco in Los Angeles. They ended up winning that competition, and I made my first visit to the…
Un Petit Porc Gram & Papa’s 227 E 9th St Los Angeles, CA 90015 Dining date: 12/19/11 Ludo has been popping up here and there while finalizing details of his LudoBites 8.0 to come in January. Last week I found him cooking paella at DomaineLA; this week I found him making his way across Europe,…
Urbano Pizza Bar 630 W 6th St Los Angeles, CA 90017 Dining date: 11/14/11 There aren’t many good options for pizza downtown. Bottega Louie serves a good, though somewhat inconsistent, pie. Drago Centro can make one, but it’s definitely not a focal point. And chains like Pitfire and California Pizza Kitchen are around. So, whenever…
Bäco Mercat 408 S Main St Los Angeles, CA 90013 Dining date: 11/11/11 Bäco Mercat is the latest offering from Josef Centeno (Lazy Ox Canteen), a casual spot in the up-and-coming Arts District serving up a menu based on something called the baco, as well as savory flatbreads and some small plates. The bäco is Centeno’s own…