Michael Cardenas

A November Roundup of Restaurant Openings and Closings

In opening news, Pizza Rev (fast-casual "craft your own" pizza concept) is coming to Woodland Hills on December 5. And, as if we need more butter and sugar to stuff ourselves with this holiday season, Georgetown Cupcakes opened in Beverly Hills and Sprinkles at The Grove, channeling Willy Wonka with ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Fat Spoon

Fat Spoon: Japanese Curry with A Pedigree

F. FriesemaJonagold apples​ Japanese curry, as usually constituted, features in some of the most chef-proof restaurants in the world. The spicy, translucent goop -- whose lineage traces from Africa, through resident Indian cooks, through Portuguese traders whose boats were parked outside Nagas ... More >>

Aburiya Toranoko: Lazy Ox's Cardenas Branches Out

Restaurant merges izakaya with gastropub

First Bite: Aburiya Toranoko, or Lazy Ox's Cardenas Branches Out

F. FriesemaJonagold apples​ The fetish object of the week? My money's on the uni goma tofu at the new Aburiya Toranoko in Little Tokyo, which is to say a smallish cube of firm, blackish tofu made from ground, toasted sesame seeds, served in a shallow puddle of soy and topped with a lobe of sea ... More >>

The Return of The Bäco At The Lazy Ox Canteen

A. Scattergoodchalkboard menu at The Lazy Ox Canteen​Last night, less than a month after Josef Centeno and Michael Cardenas opened The Lazy Ox Canteen in Little Tokyo, Centeno made his first bäco. It was on the chalkboard menu, scrawled discreetly above the crispy pigs ears with horseradish s ... More >>

The Cryovacked Kitchen: Lazy Ox Canteen To Open Next Thursday

Lazy Ox Canteen​Lazy Ox Canteen, the much-anticipated Little Toyko restaurant from Josef Centeno and Michael Cardenas, will open for dinner next Thursday night. It will be a soft opening, with a formal opening party scheduled once things get going, probably the following weekend. Last night ... More >>

Ring of Fire

A committed vegan, the Earth Liberation Front, and the FBI