Sometimes you find yourself in traffic, and the best way to work around it is to stop somewhere nearby and have an adventure. A few weeks ago I was in downtown LA at peak traffic, 5 mph top speed, bumper to bumper. I am a visual person; I love looking at maps. It gives me some sort of assurance to know where I am in relation to points of interest based on where I’m going. I just so happened to find myself just a few miles away from a little gem in Boyle Heights.

Boyle Heights, if you’re familiar, used to be a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in the late 1990s where you could find some of the best tamales in all of LA. When I learned Boyle Heights is also home to one of L.A.’s oldest restaurants, I knew I had to give it a try. What you may not have expected is that the restaurant is Japanese; it blew my mind, too.

If you search for Otomisan, you will read it opened back in 1956. I couldn’t even tell you what the neighborhood was like then. This is an intimate — like 22-customers-top-capacity small — small menu-type restaurant that was the perfect respite from traffic. Nothing like feeding your stress with home-style Japanese food.

Simple decor which you can tell has been up for a while.

We made it a point not to go with the basics: tempura veggies, sushi rolls (okay, we ordered one, but just one) to make this an even more memorable experience. We ordered something we’ve never seen before: oyakodon. It is the simplest dish — if you’re a Japanophile like myself, that’s what makes the magic.

Oyakodon.

Has bleak traffic ever led you to a fun detour like this?

— Maria Angeles, account executive