What a great way to start out 2012, having one of the best meal’s ever at Michael Voltaggio’s ink. in Los Angeles. It is absolutely deserving of GQ’s vote for best new restaurant of 2011. The dishes visually look serious, sophisticated and plated just so but as I made my way through each one, I couldn’t help but feel giddy like a kid. There were clever surprises waiting in each course and it was such fun to experience them. I am envious of the Top Chef judges who spent an entire season eating Michael’s creations. He is a genius in the kitchen.
Through the ink. doors about to have an incredible meal.
Had a little difficulty with a foreign camera so the pictures are a little fuzzy but should give an indication of the current menu as of February 27th.
beef tartare, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri, horseradish, rye
My first time tasting hearts of palm and I liked the sweetness that it added to the dish. Texturally they reminded of starchy potatoes so they were hearty and satisfying in combination with the meat (beef tartare). Of course the dish came with a little twist. When my fork hit the white powder it melted into sauce! Here it was the horseradish that provided a nice little kick to the overall dish.
fluke, caesar tempura, tiny romaine, fennel pollen, togarashi
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this dish but it was the favorite of the night. The CAESAR TEMPURA. They looked like little cubes of tofu that were deep-fried. The only thing I got right was the deep frying. The lightly crisp coating encased a tangy sauce. Liquid form! I don’t know how it held together in the fryer but when eaten with the fluke, the sauce oozes onto the fresh fish and it is amazing. I hope some form of this dish continues to stay on the menu.
brussels sprouts, pigs ears, lardo, apple
I’m a fan of brussels sprouts but I’ve only ever had them with bacon so its hard not to like them. Here Michael Voltaggio stays true to the classic flavor combination that I’m familiar with and executes it perfectly with tangy brussels sprouts, the tanginess I’m guessing comes from the apple and for a crunchy contrast, salty pigs ears.
poutine, chickpea fries, yogurt curds, lamb neck gravy
I’ll admit I had no idea what poutine when ordering the dish but I was confident anything on the menu would be great so I went with it. This was the comfort food dish of the night. The pulled pork was tender and bathed in a thick gravy that was so flavorful. When eaten with the chickpea fritters it was like having mashed potatoes and meat.
pork belly, charcoal oil, BBQ flavor, macaroni and cheese
Second best dish of the night. It is hard to see but the pork belly is at the bottom. The portion was very generous. There were two slabs of crispy fatty pork belly at the bottom that were glazed in BBQ sauce, reminding me of “char siu”, Chinese BBQ pork. Where was the mac and cheese? It was in the form of a long tube of pasta with gooey cheese on the inside. That combined with the pork was fantastic and felt like a heartier more grown up version of bacon mac and cheese.
apple, caramel, burnt wood ice cream
I’d like to know how this white sphere was formed. It is so perfectly smooth! Definitely not a metal spring ice cream scoop. The ice cream was so light it was more like a whip cream texture. Underneath was caramel and a thin caramel disc. The apple spheres were cold and crisp. Toasted nuts scattered around the entire dish for extra crunch. When all the components were eaten together it tasted like apple pie. As with all the other dishes that night, I tried everything separately to understand what each component lent to the dish (wow how food geeky is that) and then assembled it all together. This was the one dish where the combination was truly so much better than each part individually. I couldn’t get over how much it was like a slice of pie and yet the deconstruction looked nothing like it.
Then the check came and I was devastated because that meant the meal was over. So…
another dessert. Had to stretch out this meal experience as long as possible. It was just too good.
chocolate, coffee cream, sesame cake
This dessert was not as exciting to me as the apple but I think its because chocolate is a more classic dessert menu item and I’ve tasted a lot. The cannele of chocolate was creamy and delicious. The sesame cake cubes added a nuttiness to the chocolate. Alone the sesame cake was a bit odd, not sweet at all, so its definitely meant to be in combination with everything else. The cylinders of coffee cream and a nice strong coffee flavor. The crisps on top had a reddish tint so I think they may be beets.
1 hour and 20 minutes later my stomach was full, despite my desire to stay at the restaurant and continue tasting the entire menu. I feel quite spoiled having had such a great meal and so early on in the year. I’m not sure if anything will top it, and if not, LA is not too far to make another trip. (My birthday falls on a Monday in the fall.. too early to make a res?). I would recommend making a reservation. Mine was made two weeks in advance so its not too difficult and better than just walking in because its packed all night.
ink.
8360 melrose avenue
los angeles, ca 90069
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