"Consider the one and done meal, as revelatory as it is rare. How often can you point to a single item on a menu and know that it will satisfy twin appetites - the animalistic compulsion to fill our bellies, the aesthetic urge for something that looks as good as it tastes? Something that makes you think, intuitively: No, actually, I do not need a side of fries with that."
"This is what I tell myself every time I order the bento box at Doto, a relatively new Californian restaurant in Silver Lake that moved into the former Jewel space. Is it cheating to call a bento box a "single item"? You tell me. I'll tell you that I'd rather order a bento box than a venture capital-backed protein slop bowl, an amalgam of "zeitgeisty" flavors and ingredients that wishes it had the bento box's effortless symmetry and restraint."
A bento box can satisfy both the physical need to eat and the aesthetic desire for a visually appealing meal. The Doto bento box at a Californian restaurant in Silver Lake fills that role with effortless symmetry and restraint. Patrons often intend to try other dishes but repeatedly return to the bento for its balance and satisfaction. The bento form dates to Japan's 17th-century Edo era, with an earlier version in the 12th-century Kamakura period, arising alongside travel, theater, and leisure and a desire for convenient, wholesome meals. The bento contrasts with contemporary, trend-driven protein bowls and restrained January fare.
Read at Eater LA
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