Lazy Ox Canteen (www.lazyoxcanteen.com)
I was watching 500 Days of Summer again the other day and while I enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s romantic skinny-tie endeavors, the movie struck a startling chord with me: Downtown Los Angeles does NOT look like that. Yeah, downtown has a rich cultural history and interesting architecture, but c’mon folks. Where are these sprawling parks and indie-vibe fictional centers of creative commerce? And why would a greeting card company in this day and age employ that many people? They’re not manufacturing cars or plasma t.v.’s. These days, that company would consist of one south Asian dude in his boxer shorts using his MacPro editor software out of Manila. Sorry, but the fictional universe of the movie is actually skid row adjacent. And Zoey Deschenel is actually Mark Geragos.
However, the small meat-centric pub and restaurant Lazy Ox Canteen is one of several new-ish eateries trying to back up the cool cred of downtown as depicted in the movie. Does it succeed?
Not really. But it’s ok.
While the place itself is architecturally unimpressive, unlike other downtown spots, the place does offer a homey bar space in which to indulge in thin strips of Moroccan beef jerky, salt cod croquettes, pigs trotter and perhaps a Monday special of southern fried chicken. Think of this place as “Animal Jr.” The food is honestly more than decent - but I think I most appreciated the fact that everyone sitting around me at the bar was an artist of some sort. Let’s just say eavesdropping is more of an expectation than affectation at a bar while eating dinner. While there aren’t any greeting card employees sitting around, the Lazy Ox Canteen attracts the real deal, and in that sense contributes toward creating the downtown Los Angeles we all wish it could be. - H. Lee
Lazy Ox Canteen, 241 S San Pedro, Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 626-5299
