How is Ink in LA?

anybody eat there?

Whoa, I thought for a second you were getting a tattoo…

I went three times within the first 4 months of their opening, I really enjoyed it but I haven’t found the time to go back. The food is rather edgy in the sense that if you prefer more straight forward cuisine, the food might be overly complex with too much going on. I really enjoy it as I think the flavors are so unique and really thought provoking how he combines everything, but I know people who have issues with it. I think Michael Voltaggio is one of the best chefs out there, I’ll eat at any restaurant he helms

yeah, a big La Tache label would look cool on the chest of a 58 yr old.

Went to a regular dinner there and did an offline with 8-10 of us. I was disappointed both times. It was not bad, it was actually good, but I just didn’t think it was excellent. Some of the dishes fail in their attempts to be cutting edge. I agree that Voltaggio is a great chef. He’s capable of incredible dishes. I guess I feel that both he and Ludo turn out some dishes that are misses but perhaps that goes along with really pushing the envelope. We had one dish at the offline dinner that was so over-salted it was hard to understand how a fine dining restaurant would make it that way and/or it whoever made it never tasted what they were making. That is an error outside of just style.

Overall though the meals were still good. It’s certainly worth going to once or twice , but I wasn’t wowed enough to make it a regular visit. The dishes are definitely creative and visually appealing, but the tastes don’t quite match those heights. I also think the service is just ok, and they have a bit of 'tude there too.

Love Ink. One of my favorite restaurants in LA. And one LA’s best chefs.

We’d been meaning to get over to Ink ever since they opened and never made it until last night. Pretty good… pretty much all dishes were hits, although the salt & charcoal potato gets a bit heavy and tiresome after few bites. I think it would be better as a smaller portion, just way too many taters as is for me. We bought a Tissot Cremant off the list and the gentleman opening sprayed it all over the floor as he was opening, although I’ve done that myself once with that wine (we used to sell it). Short rib main was a bit basic and tough. I dig the wine list, a lot of good bottles on there. We just got the Tissot Cremant du Jura and then Musar Jeune BTG. Corkage $20 (may have been lowered?) and in hindsight I should have just brought a bottle but was in a rush and couldn’t decide what to bring.

Favorite dishes:

  • watermelon, pretending to be a tomato, pomodoro sauce, parmesan, basil
  • apple, caramel, shortbread, burnt wood semifreddo
  • Foie, wafflle, greens (can’t recall the rest but was a good dish)
  • Langoustine, malt vinegar sauce

if you have not been, it is WELL worth going to, and you can formulate your own opinion. been wanting to go back as i have not been in a while… can be tricky for wine pairings, so i like to bring champagne… that said, ink sack, his lunch sandwich place is awesome!

First of all, the staff definitely has embraced the “edgy-ness” of the food. Lot’s of mustaches and the accompanying attitude. That being said, when the kitchen is firing on all cylinders and you happen to order the right dish, the restaurant is quite excellent. The problem is, that the kitchen is often running a little lean and the menu items, while edgy and sometimes beautiful, just aren’t that good. What’s happened to us more than once is that we get the first couple of dishes and say to each other: “Maybe we were too harsh on this place!” and the misses/confusion start coming and we remember why we only eat at Ink when someone else suggests it.

I wish this place was consistent, but nothing about it is.