Lazy Ox Canteen: Little Dishes, Big Adventure

It doesn't get any better than local ingredients, artistic preparation, and low prices. That's the philosophy behind the Lazy Ox Canteen, owned by Michael Hide Cartenas. This new restaurant on South San Pedro in Little Tokyo, L. A. is one of the latest culinary hot spots in the thriving downtown area.

On one visit to the Lazy Ox, the Spoons made the mistake of trying to celebrate a birthday on the same day L. A. Magazine declared it the best new restaurant of the year (though we still give the award to Canelé). The hostess told us our wait would be twenty minutes, but we waited at the bar for over ninety minutes before heading over to sushi in Little Tokyo (more on that some other time).

Nevertheless, our two other visits to Lazy Ox both before and after the big news were memorable. Big Spoon likes the euro-cali-asian-mexi-mashup of dishes, all suspended above a safety net of small servings (read tapas) that can be shared or passed along if the going gets too rough. He also likes the craft beers and the casual-cool atmosphere of the place. Little Spoon likes the fact that words like "neck", "lengua", "quinoa" and "za'atar" dot the menu, providing a palette for the imagination even before the actual tasting commences. The food is delicious, and the service is friendly.

Inside tip: The lunch menu is different (and a bit more tame) than the dinner menu, making noontime dining a more mellow experience. Big Spoon had a gourmet grilled cheese (top photo) while Little Spoon had a pork and beef ragu (middle photo), both good. An ricotta fritter appetizer (bottom photo) was also delish.

The Best Restaurant In Los Angeles

Both Big Spoon and Little Spoon are big fans of Canelé. It’s a hidden gem on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village. We fell in love with this place about a year ago after our stint in France came to an end. With its red walls, exposed brick and blackboard with the day’s offerings written, it brought back the ambience of France without the ten-hour flight. Canelé is cozy, unpretentious and delicious with an offering of Mediterranean and French food.

Canelé also hosts a variety of "Friends cook" evenings, when local chefs come to prepare a special meal for the evening. Truly, this place has a great community feel with an environmentally conscious attitude.

For a special treat sit at the counter where you have an excellent view into the kitchen. Hard-working, tattooed chefs prepare rustic food using rustic utensils and cookware. Watching them is always great fun – a whole branzino baked in a bed of salt, juicy pork chops, and bistro steaks being worked on at the meat station, a classic cheese plate put together on a wooden paddle. And chef/co-owner Corina Weibel often orchestrating it all: “I need three market specials and two steaks in seven minutes.”

Big Spoon favors the fat, juicy oven-roasted pork chop topped with a meyer lemon relish. Little Spoon's pick is the seasonal appetizer polenta with chanterelle mushrooms and egg. The duck confit is also a good choice and comes with roasted apples, sweet potato, arugula and almonds, or start with a pissaladiere, the onion tart with fresh herbs. As already mentioned, the menu changes with the season, but the essence of the place remains the same – casual atmosphere, sophisticated cooking. There’s always a warm greeting from the hostess, reliable service from the waitstaff and at the end of every meal, a small parting gift as you head out the door – a fresh baked canelé that deserves to have the restaurant named after it.

We bring friends here a lot and when we do, it is always a hit. Is Canelé the best restaurant in LA? Maybe. Maybe not. It is certainly our favorite.

Time for Thai Food?

Let's talk Thai food. If an overdose of traditional Christmas feasting has you craving something different, there are two fantastic Thai restaurants in North Hollywood that won't break the bank. Both are cleverly disguised as hole-in-the-wall restaurants (ya know, Thai-ninja-style), but both serve great food at a very reasonable price.

First up is Sanam Luang Cafe on Sherman Way. There are a pair of Sanam Luangs in Southern California, but the one on Sherman is the better of the two. Both Big Spoon and Little Spoon can find something to eat here.

Big Spoon usually orders Pad Thai (in his standard redneck accent), sometimes accompanied by fried wontons. He's pretty content, but the Pad Thai varies, and Little Spoon doesn't recommend it on a weekend, when the second tier chefs seem to be working the kitchen. Pad Thai is typically difficult to make well, but when Sanam is on, it is most excellent. Little Spoon loves to order the spicy Pad Kaprow. If you want to try it authentic, ask for a fried egg on top--the servers will know exactly what you're talking about and will respect you more for it. In general, though, everything there is delicious, and dishes will run you between $7 and $10. There's also a delightful server there on most weeknights who serves up the good food with plenty of culinary knowledge and just enough crude jokes to make it interesting! You'll find her easily, as she's the loudest one of the bunch.

Inside tips: If you go on a Sunday, the restaurant serves up a specialty called pork ribs that the natives love. Get there early because they don't make much of it, and it usually goes fast. You can also try asking for Pad Thai "Thai-style" which isn't so sweet and has some other flavors thrown in, a much closer version to what you'd find in Thailand.

Just down the street from Sanam is a smaller place called Bua Siam.

The prices here will be a bit higher, but not by much. What's great about Bua is that you'll find authentic Thai dishes that usually aren't available anywhere else. In fact, if you order the more "traditional" food here, it's usually only average. (For that, go over to Sanam.) But, if you're in the mood for something more exotic, try the crispy catfish over papaya salad. The fish is shaved and fried, so you probably wouldn't even recognize it as fish. When it's brought sizzling to the table, you should break it up and combine it with the papaya underneath so that all the flavors mix. Eat it quickly before the fish loses it's crispiness. This isn't something you'll want to take home as leftovers. The catfish over papaya salad was quite the treat when I was actually in Thailand a few years ago, and Bua has been the only place in Los Angeles that I've found who makes it...and makes it well. You can order half dishes of many of the selections, so try something new! This is a Little Spoon recommendation only, because the flavors are a bit too exotic for Big Spoon.

Inside tip: A lot of the dishes at Bua are meant to be eaten with a sticky rice rather than the more traditional jasmine rice. If you order it, it will be served in warm bamboo baskets. In Thailand, this rice is eaten with your hands rather than with a spoon and fork. You take the rice and ball it up tight between your fingers before eating it with the various dishes. I've seen Thai people doing this at the restaurant and no one bats an eye.

Welcome!

Welcome to "Big Spoon, Little Spoon", a blog that showcases great restaurants in the Los Angeles area (and beyond) from two different points of view. The Big Spoon loves traditional food and classic ambience. The Little Spoon is an adventurous eater, always trying that dish he's never heard of before. Together, we'll point out the perfect places that will satisfy even the most diametrically opposed couples.