Wood Spoon

Last month, after hearing so many raves about Wood Spoon, the new Brazilian restaurant downtown, I finally got my chance to dine there.

Before I even get to the food, I really have to mention their unique signage. While the words "Wood Spoon" were discretely placed on the restaurant windows, the actual sign above the restaurant entrance was a painting of a wood spoon. Cute, huh?

Upon entering Wood Spoon, I really liked the space. While minimalistic, the plain walls were broken up by two colorful paintings. With the yellow seats, yellow flowers on the tables and sunflowers on the windows, it really felt bright and airy inside.

So let's talk about the food now. I started my meal with fresh limeade and it was indeed fresh. They had made a batch just before we all sat down to order. While my personal preference would have liked the limeade to be a little more tart, it was still a very refreshing drink.

I started my meal sharing two different appetizers. We had the Pastel Portuguese and the Coxhina. The Pastel Portuguese was basically a deep-fried "dumpling" that was stuffed with shrimp cooked in coconut sauce and cilantro and came with a very addicting mayonnaise. What I liked about the Pastel Portuguese is that even though it was deep-fried, it had a lightness and delicateness to it that was surprising. The bread crumbs were quite fine and you could tell that they didn't overcoat the dumpling to death.

The shrimp had a nice texture and the e sweetness of the shrimp and coconut sauce went well with the "greener" bite of the cilantro.

I think the tear-drop shaped Coxhina used the same batter ingredients as the Pastel Portuguese and the chicken filling inside the Coxhina was great. The shredded chicken filling was moist, tender and delicious with or without the mayonaisse. I actually added a little bit of this Brazilian chili pepper sauce to the chicken and loved the kick it gave me to my tastebuds.

For my main entree, I opted for the Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie. My, oh my, that was the best chicken pot pie I've ever had. When the dish first arrived, I couldn't believe how big it was. I ended up taking half of it home. Other than the size catching my attention, I also thought it just looked gorgeous. The outside of the pie was golden brown and it had a great wooden spoon accent on the top of the pie.

The pie crust was also amazingly flaky and the filling which was made up of chicken with hearts of palm, potato, olives and roasted corn was absolutely delicious. I really liked the addition of the olives. It added just the right amount of saltiness without being overpowering. I also liked how the corn added a nice juicy pop in your mouth when eaten with the other ingredients. Overall, that pie was stellar and a must try.

Wanting to try the Pork Burger and the yam fries, I actually split an order with someone else in the group, not realizing how big the chicken pot pie was going to be. But the Pork Burger was also pretty big, even just the half. I took a couple of bites just to taste and took the rest home with the other half of my chicken pot pie.

Even with just those couple of bites, I can see why it's such a popular dish at Wood Spoon. It was moist and had lots of flavor. Just looking at the burger cut in half, you can definitely see the variety of spices they put into the meat. I also loved the roasted cabbage and onions that surrounded the burger. The roasted onions added a nice little sweetness due to its caramelization.

By the time the meal was over, I was pretty full, but I did get to try a Bricadeiro, which the waiter referred to as a Brazilian chocolate truffle. I think of everything that I tried that afternoon, this Brazilian chocolate truffle didn't do much for me. It had a chewy, taffy texture to it that wasn't to my taste.

As the meal was winding down, the owner, Nathalia, did come over to say "Hello" to the group was really nice of her and to see how everything went and how we liked the food. I'd have to say that she pretty much got raves from us as well.

Wood Spoon is definitely a welcome addition to the restaurant scene. The service was great, the wait staff was really friendly and the food was awesome. I really enjoyed my dining experience there and encourage you all to give it a try. You won't regret it.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600169902863/

Wood Spoon
107 W 9th St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 629-1765