ink.sack: Michael Voltaggio’s new sandwich shop

Tatted up badass and Top Chef Season 6 winner, Michael Voltaggio, recently opened a hole-in-the-wall gourmet sandwich place, ink.sack,  just steps away from his long-awaited restaurant (ink, which is rumored to open up shop in September). Located on Melrose Avenue, ink.sack can easily be spotted, from the small crowd of people perpetually congregated outside the eatery. All I can say is, Sweet Lady Jane (the dessert shop next door) must be ecstatic about all the foot traffic this new place is bringing to the area.

With two standing tables outside and the wooden wall-mounted “tables” inside the eatery (they look more like bookshelves), ink.sack is definitely a eat-real-quick-and-go type of place. The walls are made of chalkboard with colorful scribblings and empty golden frames. The menu is written in chalk as well – gives it  a personal taste to the whole place. I really like it. Very cooool.

We order all seven sandwiches, the potato chips, BBQ pork rinds, mexican chocolate chip cookie and the peanut butter & sea salt cookie. The food is reasonable in price ($5-6 for a 5-inch sandwich and $2-3 for each snack), and service is very quick. We grab a free spot inside to feast.

1. Cold Fried Chicken (House -Made Ranch Cheese, Gindo’s Spice of Life): I think I realized today that I don’t really like the texture of cold fried chicken. But it was a hit with the others, so to each his own.

2. Spicy Tuna (Miso-Cured Albacore, Sriracha Mayo): The key to making this sandwich really shine was the nori that was sprinkled on top of the tuna. Really awesome.

3. Bahn Mi (Pork Cheek, Chicharrones, Pickled Vegetables): From previous reviews, I knew this dish was very popular. Rightfully so. Loved the tang from the pickled veggies, together with the meat and the crunch from the chicharrones. Full of flavor! My second favorite sandwich of the seven.

4. The Jose Andres, aka “The Spanish Godfather” (Serrano, Chorizo, Lomo, Manchego): This sandwich is also really PACKED with flavor. Kind of reminded me of the sandwiches I used to make for lunch in high school – salami, cheddar and sweet peppers (remember C? hehe). This was the most “basic” of the 7 sandwiches, but still really good. My third favorite sandwich of the seven.

5. C.L.T. (Chicken Liver Mousse, Curried Chicken Skin, Lettuce, Tomato): MY FAVORITE!! I must say, I was very curious about this one, since it sounded and looked the most unique. I’d also read that it can be a bit on the heavy side. I don’t know if there was just less than usual amounts of liver mousse on my sandwich, but I didn’t think the sandwich was too much at all. Perfectly creamy. Loved the crispiness of the skin. Loved the freshness of the tomato. Really great sandwich. Would definitely get it again.

6. Maple-Pepper Turkey Melt (Camembert, Mustarda, Arugula): This was another simple but tasty sandwich. Definitely for those who aren’t as adventurous of an eater.

7. “Reuben” (Corned Beef Tongue, Appenzeller Cheese, Kraut, Russian Dressing): I normally don’t like reubens / corned beef, but this was pretty good.

8. Potato Chips (Salt, Pepper, Vinegar)

9. BBQ Pork Rinds

10. Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookie + Peanut Butter & Sea Salt Cookie: I preferred the PB & Sea Salt Cookie over the chocolate chip by a long shot.

They have a bunch of cool drinks available including this cucumber soda that T got, which was sweet but not too sweet.

I had a great time eating at ink.sack. It could have had to do with the fact that MVolt himself walked into the shop while I was busy taking pictures of the food. The guy just walked past me and I didn’t even notice. Haha. B asked why they don’t have ice cream sandwiches anymore, and he said their freezers were making his ice cream too hard (…). Maybe they will bring it back. Or not. Next time, I would probably get a couple of sandwiches, grab a PB cookie for later, and then head over to Sweet Lady Jane for some tea and a slice of their triple berry shortcake, which is pretty damn good.

P.S. You can only order 4 sandwiches per person.

P.P.S. I freakin love that “ink” tattoo.

ink.sack
8360 Melrose Avenue #107
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Open Wednesday-Sunday 11am-4pm (or until they sell out)

Advertisement