Ink-Sack. A unique LA sandwich shop

Los Angeles has some of the best eateries around. Many of their restaurants are geared to those who have great taste but little time during lunch breaks. Instead of going through a drive-thru for a quick on the go meal, I have found myself seeking out the little shops with awesome food in a matter of minutes. That is how I came across "Ink-Sack" off Melrose in West Hollywood.
 
"Ink-Sack" is walking distance from my office and I always heard the other girls in the office talking about their unique sandwiches. "Ink-Sac" is a more casual branch of the restaurant "Ink" in Los Angeles by Top Chef winner, Michael Voltaggio. Voltaggio is known for his unique style of cooking and innovative flavors ranging from deep fried mayonnaise, spheirified BBQ sauce, and basically anything made with liquid nitrogen. Some might shy away from those crazy ingredients and cooking styles but that is what got him noticed by judges on Top Chef, Season 6 and ultimately aided in his win against many other creative chefs. I was honored to have the chance to try some of his creations at "Ink-Sack."

For those who are a little timid to try "out-there" cuisine, don't you worry. Most of the sandwiches at "Ink-Sack" are unique in flavor and in combination of ingredients, but they are not unusual to the point of crazy. For example, the Cold Fried Chicken sandwich is exactly how it sounds! Cold fried chicken is paired with a house-made ranch cheese sauce, lettuce and tomato. Not too crazy, right? But if you are one to step outside the box, go for the Reuben which is made with beef tongue instead of traditional corned beef or the C.L.T. which replaces mayo with chicken liver mousse and dehydrated chicken skins in place of bacon. How's that for adventurous?

You have the choice of about nine sandwiches that may change periodically. At "Ink-Sack," they also have a choice of sides ranging from amazing "Maryland Crab Chips" (basically homemade pototo chips with New England crab seasoning), fresh fruit, cookies, and BBQ pork rinds. The sandwiches range in cost from $4-$6 but they are only about 4 inches long which actually is a great idea because that gives you the chance to try more than 1 sandwich! I tried the Cold Fried Chicken and the Spicy Tuna.

The Cold Fried Chicken was delicious with its house-made ranch cheese sauce, fresh lettuce and flavorful tomato. The bread was great because it could hold up to the flavors and it stayed together the whole time I was eating it. If I were to have one complaint, it would be to have a little less cheese sauce because, in a way, it overpowered the delicious flavor of the chicken which would have tasted heavenly hot out of the frier but also tasted amazing chilled.

Cold Fried Chicken

The Spicy Tuna was a fun twist on the spicy tuna roll you might find at your favorite sushi spot. It had miso-cured albacore tuna, sriracha, and mayo. The tuna flavor shined through the other flavors using the sriracha and mayo as accompanying flavors that were not too overpowering. Once again, the bread held its own against the flavors of the sandwich and, my goodness, do they have great bread! 

Spicy Tuna

Next time, I will probably try the Maple-Pepper Turkey Melt which has camembert cheese, mostarda and arugula and a side of the maryland crab chips. I might even go a little crazy and get the Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookie to finish off my "Ink-Sack" lunch! Go big or go home.

Ink-Sack

8360 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90069

323-651-5866

Open daily from 11am-8pm

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