06 Feb ink. leaving a lasting impression

Although ink. opened in late 2011, I hadn’t been yet. It was on my list of places to go but time got ahead of me. So after spending a week in DC before the holidays and eating at a few Top Chef contender restaurants (Range by Bryan Voltaggio and Graffiato by Mike Isabella), it was time to hit ink. by Michael Voltaggio, winner of Season 6 of Bravo’s “Top Chef”. ink. is a casual place with a edgy decor but a cozy feel.  The menu offers a small plate format which is great because you get to try lots of different things.  And, ink. is all about different. The cuisine is cutting edge, using new techniques. And, the descriptions on the menu are only scratching the surface.  When our server described each dish, it was hard to keep up with exactly what processes the ingredients have undergone before they land on the plate….but whatever they were, we liked the results! Little Gems, burrata, anchovy cracker, lemon dressing – the burrata was actually freeze dried and while that sounds odd, it was light and creamy against the tangy dressing Beef tartare, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri, horseradish, rye – the horseradish was blended with cream cheese and frozen in nitrogen and then served in the form of snow, which melted in the mouth Ceviche, hamachi, green apple, celeriac bavaroise, aleppo pepper – a great depth of flavor Egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom brown butter, mushroom hay – the gnocchi were like fluffy pillows that melted like air in your mouth Corn, miso, housemade doritos, nori – the corn was smooth and creamy and the homemade doritos added a little kick of cool ranch…..perfect comfort food Carrots, goats milk ice, finger lime, smoked oil –  I loved the feeling of the goats milk ice as it melted on my tongue Octopus, ink. shells, young fennel, pimenton – dark and inky in color but bright and savory in flavor Apple, caramel, walnut, burnt wood ice cream – the ice cream was cooked in liquid nitrogen and was a solid white ball that we had to pound on to crack so it explodd into shreds I look forward to trying other hard-to-describe dishes that use techniques that I don’t understand but enjoy eating. ink. 8360 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90069 323-651-5866