iNG

Homaro Cantu’s follow-up to Moto traffics, partially, in exciting, genuine food that needs no additional bells and whistles: a simple and light seaweed salad tossed with cubes of otherworldly egg custard; noodles—the result of the noodle-pulling going on in the restaurant’s front open kitchen—like a standout bowl of la mian with a soy sauce–marinated soft-boiled quail egg. Unfortunately, Cantu can’t resist overshadowing some of his food with conceptual high jinks, distracting from otherwise solid dishes. Some may coo when presented with Wagyu spritzed tableside with Japanese whiskey, or liquid-nitrogen–chilled salmon. But as far as we’re concerned, the fewer distractions there are to iNG’s food, the better.