Comments (0) Best Escape From the Downtown Trendiness Boom - 2013
Wood Spoon
Recently at the Brazilian restaurant Wood Spoon, the waiter introduced the dishes by saying "Natalia made ..." without saying who Natalia is. There's a welcome sense of intimacy in Natalia Pereira's so-small-you'll-probably-miss-it spot, and its straight-ahead, good, old-fashioned Brazilian cooking is refreshing amidst so many downtown places trying to be fusion-this and weird-ingredients-that. Many of those straight-ahead dishes, like the Brazilian chicken potpie with hearts of palm, corn and olives, happen to be unique — and damn good. Plus the water is infused with cinnamon. 107 W. Ninth St., dwntwn. (213) 629-1765, woodspoon.la.com. —Zachary Pincus-Roth
