My Birthday Weekend: Good Eats - Ink + UmamiCatessen + Bellini Osteria

I have been MIA on here for some time now. It has been an emotional hardship the past month and some dealing with the unexpected loss of my beloved doggy, Chip. When I feel the time is right, I will share her story with the world. But for now, this is a long over due post of my gluttonous birthday weekend in April.

I really didn't feel like celebrating much this year, but the love of my life convinced me that I should. I must say it was nice to spend quality time with him, my closest friends, and my family.

Ink. 

I had been wanting to try this place out for months and finally got to experience Ink for an intimate birthday dinner with my boyfriend. For those of you who don't know about Ink, it is a restaurant owned by the former Top Chef contestant, Michael Voltaggio.

I instantly fell in love with the place with my first glance. I was definitely digging the curb appeal, tucked in the corner behind gates filled with ivy and candle lights shimmering through. The interior is simple with a monochromatic color scheme of grays and industrial modern furniture & lighting.  What really stood out to me, though, was the outstanding service. Attentive waiter and servers, each which knew every detail of the dishes we ordered. I love when the staff knows their menu. And their constant change in dirty plates & dinnerware, I love when my plate is fresh & clean.

Everything was delicious, we ordered 5 shared plates + dessert and was comfortably full. My favorites were the brussels sprouts & pork belly.

Beef Tartare - hearts of palm + sea bean chimichurri + horseradish + rye //  Malpeque Oysters - mignonette ice + oyster leaves 

Brussels Sprouts - pig ears + lardo + apple // Pork Belly - charcoal oil +  bbq flavor + macaroni&cheese // Lamb Shoulder -  lamb's quarters + tongue + vadouvan + yogurt // Apple - Caramel + Burnt wood ice cream

UMAMIcatessen.


I have been to Umami and loved their burger, so this place wasn't anything new, but I really wanted to check this place out for its interior design. Unlike the other Umami restaurants, this one was huge & spacious, great for large parties. I love all the custom furniture made by District Millworks in Los Angeles. Definitely a good source that I hope to collaborate with in the future with Davis Ink.

Since I tried Umami's burger before, I wanted to try out what this particular Umami had to offer. I opted to go with the Pork Liver Pate Sandwich. This dish was just alright, the pate was too salty, which I expected. But the sweetness of the caramelized onions made it worse.  I think if this sandwich had raw red onions, it would be perfect.  The boyfriend got his traditional choice the Hatch Burger, which I probably should have went with also.

Pork Liver Pate - Caramelized Onions + Arugula  // Cripsy Pork Ears - Parsley + Lemon + Brainaise // Sweet Potatoe Fries - Garlic Aioli

Hatch Burger - 4 types of green chiles + house made American cheese

  Bellini Osteria. 


I love Italian food, it is one of my favorite comfort foods! For some reason, when we do birthday celebrations in my family we always end up at Italian restaurants. I wanted to try a new Italian spot out by my hometown.  I found Bellini Osteria in Westlake on yelp and it was amazing. I think I found my new favorite Italian spot back home.  

I loved everything we ordered.

Battilarda - Italian cold cuts + Prosciutto + Salame + Mortadella + Olive&Parmigiano // Burrata con Pomodoro - Burrata Cheese + tomato // Tortellini alla Panna - homemade tortellini filled with veal + parmigiano cream sauce //  I forgot the name of this dish since it was on the specials, but this was mine and I loved it. Seafood linguine in a spicy lobster sauce.