INK....Another 24 hours in the City of Angels

The only picture I took!

   On one of our last trips to Los Angeles the wife and I went out of our way to eat at Micheal Voltaggio's sandwich joint called Ink.Sack (which is on the same block as INK). Last time we already had dinner reservations at The Playground in Santa Ana so Ink was going to have to wait.

   Last week the wife and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and due to unforeseen circumstances we really did not do anything, but as soon as a few things cleared up I called down and made a reservation for us. It was kind a late reservation but considering we did not leave the central valley until almost 1 pm on Sunday that was a good call!

   Checked into the Westin at LAX around 5 relaxed for a bit and then headed out. We got to INK a little early so we grabbed a couple of cocktails at the bar while we waited. As we sat with our drinks Micheal Voltaggio is working his own line. The restaurant is laid out with two kitchens the hot kitchen and the cold kitchen (I think the bar tender said "They use a lot of liquid nitrogen in the cold kitchen". Sorry if this is incorrect!)

   When we sat down Beth already new she wanted the scallop dish, but we have decided next time to come with more cash so we can do his tasting menu! Below is exactyle what we ate for dinner:

• hamachi, dashi sponge, soy-yuzu, radish, rice cracker
• baja scallops, egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom hay
• brussels sprouts, pig ears, lardo, apple
• wagyu beef, carrots, tendon, horseradish tofu

   I am going to be honest...this was hands down one of the best meals I have ever had. I think I ate most of the brussel sprout dish, the egg yolk gnocchi was so good (I think this was Beth's favorite dish of the night) and the Wagyu beef was so tender. I wish I could explain how good and odd the hamachi dish was. The menu had three pork items and I wish I could of tried them all (I love pork)

   You will notice there are no pictures, well the reason was...I could not bring myself to be that dude!! I believe that sometimes there is a time and place for busting the phone out and taking picture but I think if you are out at a nice restaurant with your wife for your anniversary you should keep the phone down and so I did.

   My last trip south I had the chance to meet Mr. Voltaggio briefly and he signed my copy of VOLT Ink (which I have read straight thru). As I read the book it made me a big fan of these guys and in the book I found this calculated genuis in the way they looked at the food they prepared. Now that I have had the chance to eat at Ink I am hoping to re-read the book and maybe get a whole new perspective. I told Beth that I would do dishes at Ink if it meant I could learn as much as I could possibly learn.

   Thank you Ink for a great dinner and nice evening!

24 Hours in the city of Angels

MV INK.SACK

   So Friday morning the wife and I got into Los Angeles to early to check into our hotel room and several hours before she was going to get her hair done so we got back in the car and headed straight towards Melrose Avenue so we could have lunch at INK.Sack. This is a sandwich shop that is owned by Micheal Voltaggio and it is actually on the same block as INK. The shop is open from 11 am-8 pm. Menu is simple to read so you are not left trying to figure out what you are ordering. I ordered the Spicy Tuna sandwich and a bag of Maryland Crab Chips. I look forward to going back to and try The Jose Andres.

Spicy Ahi Tuna and  Crap Chips

Around 5:30 we got on the road towards Santa Ana for dinner at The Planground in downtown Santa Ana. The Playground is owned by Jason Quinn. You may remember him from season 2 of The Great Food Truck Race with his truck The Lime Truck. For dinner Beth had the burger that was not even on the menu and I had Pork Bolognese with Crispy Polenta. They have a great beer selection that is filled with local and regional brewers. The food was really good and it is a cool restaurant. If you plan on checking it out make a reservation....Trust me!!


   Got up this morning walked down to the Starbucks down the street from the hotel, checked out and we headed to DTLA so we could go to the Farmers Market and see the Sur La Table (so rad!!). This is what a farmers market should be!! There were places to eat, meat to purchase (I counted 3 meat counters), fruits and vegetables and several specialty markets. I was blown away and plan to bring a cooler with me next time so I can get some stuff to take home with me.

Lavender Honey Biscuit

Ludo Truck

   Last stop of the day....LUNCH TIME!!! So before I left for LA I knew one thing I wanted to do was find the Ludo Truck and that is what we did!!! It was not super easy to find becuase it was tucked back off from the street. The Ludo Truck is owned by Chef Ludo Lefebvre and it kind of changed the way I view fast food chicken (screw you KFC). I ordered the Messy Po Boy and Beth had the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich with spicy coleslaw and pickles. I got lucky because I got the last the last Po' Boy. Oh yeah and do not forget to try the Honey Lavender Biscuit...Holy crap!! For a french dude he's got a good grip on southern food.

Messy Shrimp Po' Boy

   I got the opportunity to not only spend some well needed time with my wife but got to me a couple of very talented chefs (Micheal Voltaggio and Jason Quinn) ate some good food and was a bit overwhelmed by Amoeba Records (but left with a couple of gems!).

   Next trip we take the kids!!!