I had been salivating over ink. since its LA debut and couldn’t wait to indulge for our November Monthly Foodie Roadshow! As I approached the old Hamasaku spot, I was eagerly optimistic, but curious if the resto would live up to its hype. Who was I kidding? This is Michael Voltaggio! ink. didn’t just live up to the hype. It surpassed it.
As we waited for our table, we ordered drinks at the bar. It was fun to take everything in and sample some of ink.’s tasty cocktails! We tried the vodka lime, ginger, soda; tequila serrano, lime, grapefruit, soda and a special concoction of vodka, cucumber, mint, soda.
We nestled into a fabulous corner booth with a great view of the room… and Michael Voltaggio creating magic in the open kitchen. This was going to be good.
Charred avocado, hen of the woods, whipped fish sauce, mushroom chicharrón. What I love about Michael Voltaggio is his whimsical plating. Each dish comes out like its own work of art. Just breathtaking! What an incredible pairing of flavors and textures. The dish tasted three dimensional as you started out with the charred avocado flavor, moved through the hen of woods and were left with the tangy taste of fish sauce.
Bigeye tuna, parsnip-sesame cream, grapefruit, soy gel. Refreshing with a pungent kick!
Brussels sprouts, pig ears, house-cured lardo, apple. I’m a huge fan of brussels sprouts, and my favorites are the ones that look black as they've been heavily sauteed. Was a bit trepidatious about the pig ears, but they were salty, crispy and didn't taste like pig ears at all! I only had a tiny bite of the house-cured lardo, as it was rich, but getting a bit of each flavor in one bite was lovely!
Beef tartare, horseradish, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri. This dish looked like a work of art. I saw it arrive at the table next to us and had to order it just so I could take a picture! While it was gorgeous, the flavors were slightly muted. I wanted the horseradish to pack a bigger punch and the beef tartare to have a bit more salt and texture to it. Enjoyed the dish, but it definitely looked better than it tasted. Sadly.
Spaghetti, giant squid, squash, hazelnut-ink pesto, piment d’espelette. Loved the mixture of the squid and squash. Such fresh, bold flavors!
Berkshire pork, charcoal crust, macaroni and cheese, leeks. One of my favorite dishes of the night. Again, the plating? Wow! So creative. Me, the foodie, didn't want to eat it, I just wanted to stare at it! But boy, was I glad I tasted it! The pork was juicy and cooked perfectly. I’ve been saying I want to go on a quest to find the best macaroni and cheese in Los Angeles. Forget that search… I accidently found it! The long macaroni tube piped with frothy cheese was sinful. I hope they make an entire dish out of this!
Peanut butter, milk chocolate, coconut, banana. What a sight! I love these playful desserts with so many textures, flavors and cooking treatments. Makes me feel like a kid! A very lucky kid!
I felt so fortunate to eat at ink. It was not just a meal, it was an experience. The resto has made its way up to the top of my favorite LA restos and I definitely will be dining there again.
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