At this point in my life, there are many things that I’m still not ready for. Kids? Oh hell no, I struggle to take care of myself. Marriage? Eh…I have a hard time committing to a weekly exercise regimen, let alone a man for the rest of my life. But one thing I’m always ready for is to eat; all day, every day. I don’t need much of a reason to do it. As long as there’s space in my stomach, I’ll gladly welcome food. However, I got a reason to be ready for food as it was time to celebrate the birthday of my coworker, Claudia. To ring in another year of her life, a few of us took her to Wood Spoon in Downtown LA.
Wood Spoon is a cute and simple Brazilian restaurant that takes inspiration from the region of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The restaurant sits next to the bright and bold Angel Wings art attraction by Colette Miller. With that as one point of reference to the restaurant, the other is the symbolic wood spoon used as their signage. A single step inside and you’ll find a table with current issues of the LA Downtowner, a wood spoon hung on the wall (I see a theme here), and retro chairs that would be perfect for a Throwback Thursday post. I found the space to be quaint and comforting. After I sat down, what I really wanted to find was the menu. That I did.
Looking over the menu, it divided the dishes by small plates, Wood Spoon favorites, salads, soup, sandwiches, and dishes from the grill. I was starving (as always) and went with the dish that looked like it would be the biggest and heartiest. It was the Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie ($17). It was pricey, but my thought was the size of the pie would be reflective of the price; so I got it anyway. Plus the description sounded delicious! It was made with roasted corn, heart of palm, olives, fresh chicken and it came with a bed of mixed greens. I rolled my eyes at the salad because my goal wasn’t to be healthy. But that wouldn’t matter because I was getting a hefty pot pie.
Or at least that’s what I assumed. And you know what happens when you assume…
When the waiter placed my dish in front of me, I was confused. “Where’s the rest of my $17 pot pie?” Once he left I thought, “Maybe this is the pre-pot pie and he’s going to the kitchen to bring out the real pot pie.” Sadly, this was it. In front of me was a pie that was the same size of a Banquet pot pie you would get from the grocery store. This pie could easily fit in my left hand with a salad that could fit in my right. I could have continued to gripe about the portion sizes all the live long day, but I decided to give it an honest chance with hopes that it would taste incredible. Turns out, it was pretty incredible. The chicken and vegetables were flavorful and sweet respectively, and I enjoyed it. But, I finished it quickly. I would have appreciated it even more if the pot pie was bigger, or if the price was lower. The dish was delicious and the plate was pretty, but it’s hard justifying a price for something that doesn’t leave you feeling 100% satisfied and full.
Glancing over at Claudia’s plate, which was the Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($13) with roasted corn and bacon with a side of yam fries, I felt disappointed. Her plate matched the price. I guess she lucked out since she’s the birthday girl.
I didn’t leave bitter, but I know that next time I order something I’ll ask the waiter if it can fit into his hand. If it can, I’m outta there.
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Address: 107 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 629-1765
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday – 11:00am to 3:00pm and 5:00pm to 10:00pm; closed on Sunday and Monday.
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