Oxtail Pot Pie @ The Lazy Ox Canteen

The oxtail pot pie at The Lazy Ox Canteen is a thing of beauty, but it is also a beast.  This is not a dish for the faint of heart or appetite.  It is a family special served on some Saturdays (call ahead to confirm availability) during the winter.  At Lazy Ox, the family specials are served family style and this one also came with a garden salad to accompany it.  The pot pie arrived at the table in a huge steaming square white dish.

The oxtail meat was rich and soft, like the best short ribs, only more flavorful.  This tender meat was inside the flaky crust of the pot pie.  Forkfuls that included both the bountiful crust and the juicy oxtail were the best.  We kept on going back for seconds and thirds but we barely made a dent in the generously portioned dish.

Chef Josef Centeno has created what may be the perfect hearty dish for a cold winter's night in Los Angeles.  As we sat under the heat lamps outside and ate the oxtail pot pie with a 750 ml of the Affligem Noël Christmas Ale, life was very good indeed.  This meal confirmed my opinion that Lazy Ox is currently one of best places to eat in Los Angeles right now.  The family style specials, small plates and interesting dishes combined with a high level of execution and a comfortable environment set a very high standard.  So dig in!

Lazy Ox Canteen: 241 S. San Pedro Street, Downtown Los Angeles. Phone: (213) 626-5299 Website: lazyoxcanteen.com 

Fried Chicken Tuesdays @ The Lazy Ox

Little Tokyo favorite the Lazy Ox Canteen, Josef Centeno's small plates restaurant, serves a different family style meal each night.  Tuesday night is fried chicken night and it is among the top fried chicken dishes in town behind only Bastide and Flossie's.  The fried chicken is available only on Tuesdays and is $27 but serves several people.

The fried chicken feast begins with a salad for the table (above), which had a nice light dressing.  Then the main event begins: fried chicken! (below)  The bowl of fried chicken arrives with six or so pieces of chicken in a large bowl.  It is a lot of food and the skin is nice and crispy.  The skin stays on after you take a bite, unlike so many inferior fried chickens.

The chicken is served with biscuits, an egg and a bacon gravy.  My dining companions who know from good cooking, loved the biscuits.

The fried chicken menu is best ordered with 2-4 people as it is a lot of food and the larger your party the more of Centeno's menu you can round out the meal with.  The atmosphere is gastropubish at Lazy Ox, comfortable but no table cloths; downtown industrial.

Reservations are recommended as last Tuesday all the tables were occupied, although there is a communal table (of course) and seating at the bar.  Note that reservations by phone only.

Lazy Ox: 241 S. San Pedro Street, Downtown Los Angeles. Phone: (213) 626-5299 Website: lazyoxcanteen.com