Good Stuff: Lazy Ox Canteen
It's always an adventure driving downtown--particularly on a rainy night in Los Angeles. After a ridiculous amount of traffic, we found ourselves exiting early and winding our way through the undulating urbanscape that is currently downtown LA. It is a schizophrenic experience that goes back and forth between gentrified and not-so-gentrified. Empty patches of run-down buildings amidst brand-spankin' new retail/residential buildings which boast airy lofts and stores such as Pussy and Pooch that apparently cater to the multitude of dog and cat owners that live downtown? But I digress. The destination for this particular journey was a new gastropub in Little Tokyo called the Lazy Ox Canteen. And, it was well worth the effort it took to get there.
Located on the ground floor of one of the aforementioned retail/ residential buildings that seem to have popped up all over downtown overnight, the Lazy Ox Canteen has a nondescript store front that doesn't even bear a sign. I'm intrigued already. Once inside, you are treated to a warm, inviting wood-paneled space discreetly lit by beautiful, over-sized filament bulbs that dot the interior. So far, so good.
The menu is eclectic and ambitious, to say the least. There is the regular menu and then there are the seasonal specials which fill up a chalkboard the length of a wall. Most of the dishes fall in the small plate category--perfect for sharing with a group of friends over one of the interesting collection of beers they serve. We started with blistered shishito peppers grated with dried tuna, moroccan-style beef jerky served shredded on top of a fried egg and topped with salsa verde, and a refreshing assortment of pickled seasonal vegetables in dill. We ooohed and aaahed over each dish and one of the friends we were with said, "I would have never ordered any of these dishes on my own but they are amazing!" That, to me, is what makes dining out so fun--a sense of discovery shared over a table with good friends.
We proceeded to order an incredible array of dishes from the formidable menu. Most were hits, but some were misses. The pig ear chicharron was bland and chewy. The charred octopus was in a harissa-type sauce that didn't work all that well, in my opinion. But there were a lot more hits--awesome, curry-infused cauliflower gratin, yellowtail tartar with avocado, creme fraiche and hash browns (OMG), lamb sausages on polenta, steak frite with smoked paprika mayonnaise and bone marrow jam, egg pasta with sunny-side egg, butter and herbs, and a delicious romaine salad that provided a wonderful break from the richness of the food.
As the evening wore on, more people drifted in to the cozy space and the pub exuded a great neighborhood vibe--ironic in downtown LA, or maybe not anymore? We ordered some delicious desserts and took it all in over the remainder of our drinks. What a great little spot. Unpretentious, good food, reasonably-priced and just plain fun. We'll definitely be back.
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