We were in the mood for a more upscale dinner and I'd heard that Loka was supposed to be good, and so it was that we found ourselves at the restaurant on a Friday night.
I had perused one of their sample menus online and I was planning to take advantage of their "eat the whole menu" option, but our waitress dissuaded us by noting that it would make sense if we *each* ordered the whole menu. We ultimately wound up ordering less than we would've had we gone that route yet we paid more. It was bizarre and annoying that our waitress gave us that unnecessary spiel.
Anyway, before the meal even started we were presented with a complimentary amuse bouche. It was a small potato soup that was impressively flavorful. I honestly could've eaten a whole bowl.
We decided to start with the Whipped Smoked Butter + Apple Jam. This turned out to be a pretty fantastic way to start our meal, as the butter, which admittedly isn't that smoky, is rich and creamy and an ideal complement for the tasty apple jam.
Our first course was the Tempura Pickled Ramps + Fiddleheads, Kale-Chi Mayo. This dish pretty much blew us away. These deep-fried items - I'm honestly still not entirely sure what "ramps" are - were cooked perfectly and accompanied by that delicious mayo. The plentiful portion was somehow still not enough. So good.
Next up was the White Bass Rilettes, Creamed Cabbage, Fried Sourdough. Again, this was an amazing dish. The pate-like concoction was so rich and flavorful that we wiped it out in no time. (Again, this is despite a rather generous helping.) My one complaint with this dish was that the spread left the Fried Sourdough soggy. Maybe it wasn't brought to our table quickly enough?
Our third course was the weakest: Shaved Lardo, Plum Mostarda, Crumbled Chicharron. The presentation was certainly very appealing and pretty, but in terms of taste and content (and quantity) this dish was seriously lacking. It didn't really have any flavor at all (or it was just too subtle arriving on the heels of two extremely flavorful dishes), and we were ultimately just thankful that the meal didn't end on this lackluster note.
We instead ended with the Cured Venison, Wild Mushroom Ragout, Pumpkin Puree. This was truly a phenomenal dish. There's so much going on here and it all works perfectly together. I wish I were a professional food writer because I just don't have the words to adequately describe how much I loved this dish.
We didn't get dessert but we were presented with a very tasty "palate cleanser" that was basically icy ginger and something else that escapes me. It was a perfect way to finish our meal.
I should finally note that while the service was mostly exemplary, we did wait quite a while to receive the bill.