Rate-A-Restaurant #227: Colori Kitchen

Restaurant: Colori Kitchen

Location: 429 W. 8th St. (Downtown)

Type of restaurant: Italian

We stipulated: Looking for a comfortable spot for lunch downtown, Colori fit the bill. It's Italian comfort food with a twist.

They stipulated: "Featuring the inspired, bravissimo cooking of Luigi Barducci Contessi, longtime executive chef at Ca Brea, the warm and welcoming
brick-walled restaurant features delicious pastas, soups, salads, fish
and meat dishes, plus traditional Italian deserts."



What we ordered: pasta with beef stew (special), $14; eggplant rigatoni with mozzarella ($12)

High point: We liked the uniqueness of the specials. Pasta and beef stew? Kinda odd idea. Yet it worked (perhaps the olives helped as well, giving it a tangy, hearty taste). The eggplant rigatoni was also solid.

Low point: Except that the mozarella was a little too cold, and didn't quite melt on the rigatoni the way it should.



Overall impression: Good prices (there are lunch specials as well) and nice addition to that area (next to the famed Golden Golpher). Nice touch, too, with the bread and hummus as a starter snack.



Chance we'll go back: It's a possibility, when we're in downtown, particularly on a weekend; Colori seems like a place that we could bring the kids.

Rate-A-Restaurant #226: Lazy Ox

Restaurant: Lazy Ox Canteen

Location: 241 S. San Pedro St. (Little Tokyo)

Type of restaurant: Contemporary American/Gastropub

We stipulated: We were heading to downtown L.A. on a nice, sunny Saturday... and wanted to try something new for lunch. I'd heard great things about chef Josef Centeno's place, and wanted to check it out.



They stipulated: "The Lazy Ox philosophy is simple, our execution anything but… To bring exceptional ingredients prepared artistically at an approachable price. We want to share our love of ingredients the world over and the joy of eating and drinking by exposing our diners to all we’re discovering. Food and wine should not be intimidating or overlooked, it is our most intrinsic need and should be celebrated."



What we ordered: salt cod brandade croquette with celery, olives & mint $8; poblano pozole soup with queso fresco & lime $8; braised beef paleron (pot roast) with cream of wheat, kumquats & red wine $24

High point: Oh, that pot roast. A tad pricy, but oh so amazing -- the citrus kumquats and cream of wheat were a nice touch. Meanwhile, the soup was not really spicy but the green color was nice, and the grape is was a tasty touch.

Low point: They were out of the (more economical) burger, which is what Maria was craving. And the limited menu wasn't kid-friendly, despite it being lunch time (and we were eating on the patio). I also discovered after the fact that there were specials written inside that we were never told about.



Overall impression: Good service, good food and a nice spot for Little Tokyo. Too bad that pot roast is a tad pricy.



Chance we'll go back: It's not a place we'd hit often, but I wouldn't mind trying Lazy Ox again.