Wood Spoon (woodspoonla.com)
If you are a young, wide-eyed FIDM student hurrying to class, you might walk by this place every single day and not realize what it contains. This small, Brazilian restaurant is demarcated by a simple, unobtrusive sign with a picture of a wooden spoon. No words, no flash, no hype.
However, if you are a hungry, food-obsessed attorney who works downtown, there is no freaking way this place would be missed.
The tap water is imbued with a stick of fresh cinnamon. Nice touch. The grilled meat platter is appropriate in size and is complemented by a satisfying quotient of rice and beans. The pastel portuguese - a dumpling stuffed with shrimp and coconut sauce is by far the shining star of the mix plate.
However, the real coup de grace is the chicken pot pie. Mind you, I understand chicken pot pie is not exactly an emblem of Brazilian culture, but given that we’re talking about a top-flight fowl-stuffed pastry and not a method of waxing one’s pubic hairs, I can’t say I really care. It’s fantastic. The pie, that is - not the pubic hair.
If this place can render all quintessentially American staples as well as it does the chicken pot pie, I recommend we commission it to make a Bob Ross painting while scheduling a self-indulgent news conference to announce where it will play basketball next (sorry, had to weave in the LeBron storyline somehow). I’m feeling your pain, Cleveland.
Update: Sara reminds me that the pork burger here is also incredible. And she’s right, it is definitely one of the best items on the menu. Basically it often comes down to a gametime decision between the pot pie and pork burger. Flip a coin before the server comes around.
Wood Spoon, 107 W. 9th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015, (213) 629-1765
