ink. (again!)
Over the years we’ve been together, my boyfriend has expanded his palette by leaps and bounds -- for someone who originally claimed not to be a “foodie,” I’ve enjoyed watching him try dishes like beef tartare, foie gras, crispy pig’s ears, and octopus for the very first time – and discover he likes them! Many of these selections have been savored at ink., which the two of us hold in the highest regard as one of our favorite (if not the favorite) restaurants in the city. Chef Michael Voltaggio’s take on modern, expressly Los Angeles-oriented cuisine is playful, creative, and mind-blowing, and it’s no wonder the James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine Magazine, and LA Weekly (to name only a few!) sing the culinary praises of this Top Chef Season 6 victor. Though we often mark special occasions with a visit to ink., enjoying a casual Sunday night meal there is equally memorable, and armed recently with a delicious blood orange and chili honey margarita, he and I set off on a table-side quest to indulge in as many dishes as we could reasonable manage to consume in a single sitting. Though oysters are one of the final frontiers my boyfriend has yet to conquer, I can’t ever resist these ocean-flavored morsels topped with mignonette ice. We adored tasting familiar favorites, like Voltaggio’s molecular gastronomy-take on egg yolk gnocchi with a soft, oozy center; and enjoyed expanding our appreciation of new-to-us menu items like the Japanese scallop with soy-cured papaya, fermented chili, and basil; and the incredible wagyu beef cheek, served with eggplant, golden raisins, and shawarma spice. Every dish we sampled saw us falling deeper in love with Voltaggio’s vision, and we’re already looking forward to our next excuse – special occasion or everyday meal -- to return to ink.
Dress: Loft Pleated V-Neck Dress in Vivid Teal
Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in American Doll
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Pomade in Soft Brown
Glasses: Bonlook Keiko frames in Tessa Tort
Shoes: Dr. Scholl's Really Flats in Leopard*
*(good god, these are comfortable flats!)
margarita, blood orange, chili honey, suze gentian, tequila.
A good old Manhattan.
japanese scallop, soy-cured papaya, fermented chili, basil
oysters, half dozen, mignonette ice
octopus, ink. shells, young fennel, pimenton
beef tartare, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri, horseradish, rye
hamachi, shiitake escabèche, hazelnuts, kelp
potato polenta, foie gras, fermented cabbage, duck broth
egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom brown butter, hen of the woods
wagyu beef cheek, eggplant, golden raisin, shawarma spice
apple, caramel, shortbread, burnt wood semifreddo
