[LA Weekly] The Lazy Ox Chef Cycle: Josef Centeno to Travis Chase
FOOD / LA Weekly

[LA Weekly] The Lazy Ox Chef Cycle: Josef Centeno to Travis Chase

The Lazy Ox Canteen is known for many things: The New American menu peppered with global influences. A soundtrack booming with The Animals and Soft Cell. The compact dining room outfitted with naked light bulbs and a pair of ox horns. Its unassuming setting — a calm Little Tokyo street near Skid Row. Most notably, its creative kitchen that helped propel founding chef Josef Centeno to national acclaim….Now another up-and-comer, Travis Chase, is putting a new stamp on the three-year-old restaurant as executive chef. Continue reading

[Blog] Bäco Mercat Now Open: When is a Coca a Pizza? (+ Photos)
*BLOG / FOOD

[Blog] Bäco Mercat Now Open: When is a Coca a Pizza? (+ Photos)

A couple of days ago, I arrived for lunch early and peeked into the kitchen. Cooks were slamming huarache-shaped rounds of dough onto a hot griddle where bubbles burst forth like boiling lava. These flatbreads became the base for bäcos and cocas, two of the menu’s signature items….The coca I tasted came with confit tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked jalapeno and basil. And it was delicious – the perfect mix of dry crunch and soft, savory sauce. But wait. Wasn’t it just a thin version of pizza?… Continue reading