ink., LA

 When I went to Los Angeles, my friends and I had a memorable dinner at Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio's restaurant ink. We all decided to get the tasting menu, but we ordered some additional appetizers.
First was roasted shisito peppers topped with almond-bonito sand with a side of tofu mustard. The peppers were nice and spicy.
We also got an order of Malpeque oysters topped with an oyster leaf and mignonette ice. We were instructed to eat everything in a single bite. They were delicious.

 Our first course of the tasting menu was a beautifully composed plate of scallops, tofu, and rice crackers sprinkled with a black vinaigrette and cocoa. It was nested on a small bed of green tapioca.

The second course, our table agreed, was our favorite. In a take on chicken and waffles, Voltaggio had a beautiful portion of foie gras nestled in between waffle crackers served with a line of smoked maple syrup that had a consistency of marshmallow. If that weren't enough, he added small dollops of sriracha sauce. The combination of flavors were incredible.

The third course was a wonderful portion of sturgeon served on a bed of mushroom oatmeal and topped with mushroom "hay". The "hay" were dehydrated mushrooms. To say this dish was an umami bomb is an understatement.

Our fourth course was "steak frites". The beef was a beef rib cap which was very tender and tasty, and it was accompanied by "flavors of béarnaise", a kind of deconstructed version of the sauce.

As my dessert course, I selected a line of grapefruit curd with cilantro sorbet, lime meringue and avocado. It had more of a savory taste to it.
My friends ordered the apple with caramel and burnt wood ice cream.
I would dare say, I enjoyed my meal at ink. more than my experiences at Volt.


8360 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323( 651-5866

Rogue 24- The Journey, DC

I've been a fan of chef RJ Cooper for several years, and when he ran his original 24 course tasting menu at Vidalia, I had a reservation to go. However, a week before the date, he left Vidalia, and the experience never happened.
Now, over a year later, he's opened his own restaurant, Rogue 24, offering the 24 course tasting menu. Luckily, I was able to book a seat in the opening week. The layout of the restaurant is unique. The main kitchen and prep area is placed at the center of the restaurant under bright lights, allowing diners to watch everything going to make each of the courses. The staff also welcomed questions and interaction with them during the whole course of the meal.
Because I had to drive, I opted for the non-alcoholic drink pairings created by mixologist Derek Brown. When first seated, I was given a starter of watermelon water with fresh basil.
Courses 1/2
The 24 courses were broken down into groups of 3, with a paired drink to each group. For the first group, "snacks", I was served a simple, refreshing tonic with elderflower.
I first had a small cube of compressed watermelon topped with manchego cheese, bits of almond, a nib of cocoa, and a small piece of dried Jamón Ibérico.
The second course was an oyster shooter. They took a Stingray oyster (VA) and spherified it with a soft shell of mignonette sauce and Old Bay seasoning. It was then topped with a Snapperhead I.P.A. foam. This bite captured the tastes of eating raw oysters in the summer in the Midatlantic region.
Course 3
This was chef's take on Cig Kofte, a Turkish style tartare, using rose veal, housemade pickles, wheat germ, and sumac. The veal was very tender and had a wonderful flavor.
Course 4
The next set of courses were paired with a housemade ginger lemonade that had a strong ginger kick.
The 4th item on the menu was called the "Sea Floor". It was served in a very deep bowl, so the utensil for eating it was a set of forceps. It's components included sea urchin, seaweed, and sea water air. There also were edible "lava rocks".
Course 5
The next set of courses were tributes to chefs that inspired chef Cooper. The first was called an "Ode to O'connell" in recognition of chef Patrick O’Connell from The Inn at Little Washington and his "Tin of Sin". Served in a caviar tin, I had Osstra caviar with egg & crème fraiche served along with a baby cucumber with flower attached and cucumber air.
Course 6
This sixth course, a tribute to Chef Jeffrey Buben of Vidalia, was shrimp 'n' grits, bent & twisted. First, the shrimp was made into a slice of chorizo. Then, the grits, the part inspired by Chef Buben, was a corn milk pannacotta coated with a fried grit shell.

Course 7
For the next trio of items, my drink was a cherry phosphate soda.
The seventh course was called "Fowl Play". It arrived covered with a glass dome filled with smoke. I was instructed to lift up the dome, inhale the smoke, and then eat the item inside. Inside was a nest of "hay" with a cured partridge egg, chicken gizzard and skin.
Apologies to chef for the lousy pic of the egg & nest, but I was holding my breath in and only gave myself one shot before I ate it as I wanted to experience the smoke and the food at the same moment.
Course 8
I liked this course because it was a little down and dirty. I was handed a glass bowl which contained a fresh radish in what appeared to be "dirt". It was actually a combination of coffee, butter, and had a hazelnut in it as well. The server instructed me to grab the stalk by hand and rub it around on the inside and eat up.
It was fun seeing some fellow diners who were in suits get a little touchy about making a bit of a mess when eating this course.
Course 9
I was a fan of RJ's Pig & Pinot Fridays at Vidalia, and the ninth course reminded me of those dishes. He made a smoked hog jowl on top of caramel ice cream and pain perdu. I wished this was more than just a small bite.
Course 10
My next drink was a coriander carrot soda topped with crema.
The 10th course was a lavender meringue topped with a foie gras torchon that was frozen and then shaved on top. Under the meringue was a wild berry sauce.
Course 11
As an homage to the chef's Midwestern roots, the next dish highlighted corn in various forms. It had bits of grilled baby corn, popcorn, and a small tamale of vanilla corn custard served inside a husk of corn.
Course 12
Next up was a "salad" course that was Green Goddess dressing ice cream served with vegetable chips.
Course 13
One of my favorite drinks of the evening followed, a strawberry rhubarb drink with vinegar. It reminded me of drinking vinegar from Japan.
The start of the second half of the meal was an item called "liquid chicken" which reminded me of the foie gras cromesquis from Au Pied De Cochon. It was a chicken broth cooked into a shell with sheep's cheese and truffle, topped with a cepe mushroom. I was instructed to take the whole item into my mouth and bite down. The chicken broth bathed the inside of my mouth with all it's accompanying flavors.
Course 14
This was a representative dish of the season with the flavors of a Caprese salad. It was a beautiful green tiger heirloom tomato gently carved served with olive oil, balsamic vinegar spheres, ricotta cheese, apple and basil blossoms.
Course 15
This was another one of my favorite courses in how simple it was. This was a beet granita topped with char roe. There was a wonderful contrast of the the sweetness from the beet with the salinity of the roe.
Course 16
My next drink was a smoked cola with lime slice.
They called number 16 "What's up, Doc?" It had a piece of rabbit with baby carrots on a bed of edible "soil".
Course 17
This course was a take on vichyssoise. The soup was almond milk with truffle, and on the small skewer was violet potato, leeks.

Course 18
There was more playfulness with the 18th course. It was called "Not the Cheese" course. Using red aspic, headcheese was made to look like a small gouda wheel. It came with pretzel paper, pickled mustard seeds, and mayonnaise.

Course 19
Up next was a small bottle charged with CO2 of a garden vegetable summer consommé.
I then got another drink pairing. This time it was a delightful peach fizz.
Course 20
Chef Cooper brought course 20 to my table himself and described the preparation of the Border Springs lamb neck. He said it was braised for 18 hours, and topped with eggplant. It also came with a side of black garlic.
The lamb meat was so good, and smeared with a little of the black garlic, it was perfect.
Course 21
21 was the real cheese course. Pipe Dreams Fromage fresh goat cheese was presented on a piece of wood with olive paper, olive chunks, and a spherical olive.
Course 22
At this point, pastry chef Chris Ford took over for the last 3 dessert courses.
My final drink was an African tea, Rooibos Masala Chai, which was a first try for me. I loved it- it was a little spicy, and had a smooth flavor, with a little milk and honey, was great.
The first dessert item was seasonally inspired, using peaches from Toigo Orchards. There was a doughnut peach, and a bourbon gelee, topped with a sweet tea marshmallow noodle, basil blossoms and cream snow.
Course 23
The second dessert item was called Tennessee as the ingredients all came from there. The chocolate came from Olive & Sinclair Co. of Nashville, and it was fashioned into bark and dirt with liquid nitrogen. There was a dark chocolate cremeux and a quenelle of maplewood ice cream.
Course 24
The final course was 3 small bites: a lavender nitro chocolate truffle, a pecan crisp, and a cola gelee.

I waited over a year to try this tasting menu, and it surpassed my expectations especially with the participation of the mixologist and pastry chef. Next time, I plan to get the alcoholic beverage pairings.

922 N St NW (Rear/Blagden Alley)
Washington DC
(202)408-9724

Jose Andrés' é in Las Vegas (Diner #651)

Last week I was in Vegas for a wedding, so I took advantage of the trip to have a ridiculous 3 days of eating around town. Things started a couple hours after I arrived. I headed straight to the new Cosmopolitan Hotel because I scored a seat at é, a dining experience inside Jose Andrés' Jaleo restaurant that is part show and part meal. The concept of the restaurant is a journey through Jose Andrés' past and experiences. When you enter é, the room, decorated by the chef, is surrounded by what looks like card catalog drawers filled with chotchkies from his life including records, dolls, fans, a corset, oranges, an old typewriter, and more.
Seating is arranged for up to 8 people at a counter in a semicircle so everyone can watch the chefs prep each plate. It's an open setup to promote interaction with the chefs, and I felt welcome to ask questions and talk with chefs and my fellow diners.
Course 1: Frozen Sangria, Grilled Strawberries
The chefs used liquid nitrogen to make a sorbet of sangria in front of us. We were instructed to eat the hot grilled strawberries and then take a bit of the frozen sangria. The warm and frozen texture mixed in an interesting way with the sweet and sour flavors. It was a fun whimsical starter.
Course 2: Spanish "Clavel"
The chefs then told us that the next set of plates were "snacks". These were paired with La Cigarrera Manzanilla Sherry, a dry tasting, light drink.
A clavel is a kind of carnation, and this was beautifully presented on a plate molded from Jose Andrés' hand. I'm not sure it it was fried or baked, but the flower had the consistency of a light potato chip.
Course 3: Caramelized Pork Rinds
Honey glazed housemade pork rinds. 'Nuff said.
Course 4: Beet Jewelry
This was served in a box that looked like a book. The beet is dried out into a ring and sprinkled with gold. I did not look for the gold later.

Course 5: Apple "Brazo de Gitano"
My first thought when I say this was Ho-Hos. The "cake" was an apple merigue, and it was filled with a blue cheese espuma, then topped with a walnut praline butter. It was so incredibly light.
Here endeth the "snack" portion of the meal.
Course 6: Crispy Chicken Skin in Escabeche
This dish was a new addition to the menu. It was a piece of fried chicken skin topped with chicken "oysters" and espuma. The head chef of Jaleo was in the room when this was prepped to taste it as well.
Course 7, part 1: Jose Taco
This courses consisted of two tastes highlighted by Caviar de Riofrio. First was a "taco" of caviar, where instead of a tortilla, we were given a slice of the decadently fatty jamón ibérico de bellota.
Course 7, part 2: Artichoke with Caviar
The second part of the course was a fried artichoke topped with the sturgeon caviar. However, inside the artichoke was a wonderful quail egg that burst with yolky goodness when you bit down. This one was the winner between the two.
Course 8: Bocata de "Calamares"
We were told this course hearkened back to the childhood of chef Andrés and the sandwiches he would have at the Spanish shore. The bread was a light fried brioche, and inside was very simple: calamari, aioli, cucumber and scallion. It was such a wonderful course in it's simplicity and purity of flavors.

Course 9: Ajo Blanco
Ajo Blanco is a white "gazpacho", or cold soup, made primarily with bread, garlic, oil, water, vinegar, and almonds. The version at é was deconstructed. Initially, the bowl contained the various ingredients on their own, including granita, gelatinized vinegar, and almonds. We were first instructed to try each of these components on their own.

Afterwards, they poured a marcona almond milk onto the plate, and you mixed the ingredients all together. It was marvelous tasting how each component combined to create an altogether different taste experience.

Course 10: Santa Barbara Spotted Prawns with Roses
I'm a fan of Santa Barbara prawns. They are large and delicious. I'm happy that the chefs let the prawn sing on it's own in this plate. The sauce made with lobster heads was good, but sometimes keeping it simple is a very good thing.
They paired the prawns with Estrella Damm Inedit with this course. It is a beer created with Ferran Adrià to go with food. It was really smooth and light with absolutely no aftertaste.
Course 11: Chickpea Stew with Iberico Ham
This dish showed off some molecular gastronomy in that the chickpeas were spherical chickpeas. When prepared this way, the outcome is very smooth and clean tasting.


Course 12: Catch of the Day - Roasted Turbot with Black Garlic
Our next wine was 2001 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza Blanco, Rioja DOCa.
The next course was a beautifully charcoal roasted turbot, a light flaky fish. It had a piece of black garlic accompanying it. The idea of black garlic came from Korean cuisine. The garlic turns black due to fermentation and pickling and it's flavor has a sweet and sour note.
Course 14: Whole Lobe of Foie Gras Baked in Salt
We were presented with the whole lobe of foie gras before service, but I missed the picture. It was too much fun already.
We were poured a glass of Guimaro Ribera Sacra 2008.
The foie was beautiful. On the plate was a streak of dark chocolate, and they poured orange juice on top. Both added a pleasant sweetness that complemented the wonderful fattiness of the foie.

Course 15: Secreto of Iberico Pork
I would say the next course might have been the most amazing piece of pork I have ever eaten. The pork is from the Iberian black footed pig. The cut is known as a secreto. The "secret" is that when farmers would bring the pigs to the butcher, the butcher would save this secret piece from under the shoulderblade for themselves.
Eating the pork was unbelievable. Imagine wagyu beef meets pork belly. It was heavenly, melting away in your mouth. I savored each bite with relish.

Course 16: Orange Pith Puree, La Sirena
The last wine served was a 1982 Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Gran Reserva.
With the end of the mains, we moved onto our cheese course, queso de La Sirena, a soft raw sheep cheese. The plate had a spiral of orange puree, candied pepitos, and a thin toast.






Course 17: Frozen Apricot Coulant
They told the group that the next dish was inspired by Michel Richard of Central in DC. A coulant that was a frozen apricot timbale, torched on top to create a hard shell with a cool apricot syrup inside.












Course 18: Apples & Red Wine, "Frédy Girardet"
The next dessert was vanilla ice cream with red wine poached apples and spherical apples. One of my tablemates was allergic to oranges, so she was served a beautiful crème caramel.






Course 19: 25 Second Bizcocho
The next course was prepared with a microwave in 25 seconds. They loaded a paper cone with batter, set the oven, and let it do it's thing. The result was a light cone of chocolate cake.
Course 20: Chocolates
The final course was a small book box of saffron milk chocolate and chocolate air topped with sea salt.

At the end of this fantastic meal, we all signed into a book to document our wonderful experience, and we said our goodbyes to the chefs and staff involved. I must say that the meal at é was truly unforgettable. The journey through all the flavors and tastes as well as the wonderful back and forth with my fellow diners and chefs made it all the more worthwhile.