Michael Voltaggio's ink.sack

Have you ever been driving around wanting to grab something on the go, but it had to be something tasty, and quasi good for you? No big macs or nachos supreme (unless it's a really rough Sunday). And while the smell coming from Subway is intoxicating, you just don't feel like picking out ingredients displayed in buckets in front of you. Enter ink.sack.

Michael Voltaggio's ink.sack

Ink opened a few years ago by the heavily tattooed, multi award winning chef, Michael Voltaggio. He was Food and Wine's Best New Chef in 2013 and also won Bravo's Top Chef competition in 2009. After opening his innovative restaurant on Melrose in West Hollywood, he opened a casual sandwich shop a few doors down called ink.sack. Ink.sack is also one of the latest contributors trying to spruce up LAX's food offerings. You can find them in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The menus on Melrose, as well as in LAX, are identical. There's no cold, processed deli meat between cold slabs of flimsy white bread. Think banh mi stuffed with pork butt, pork belly, chicharrones, pickled vegetables and homemade onion spread. Or there's chorizo piled with a fried egg, jalapeño, coriander, and tomato.

I was encouraged to try the California cheesesteak, which is not something I would have picked on my own, but the steak here is actually albacore which gives it that CA angle and would make those in Phili bristle. It's smothered in cheese, grilled onions and tomato, and is a few napkin eater, but worth every drip. All the sandwiches are served on a 5" warm, chewy rolls and are fairly priced between $4 - 7 each.

Even the sides of fruit were unique. Watermelon is vacuum-packed with Sriracha to infuse the flavors, as is the pineapple with chile and lemon.

There's only a few bar stools to pull up around a handful of tables, or you can just grab your black bag with your name written in silver ink on it, and take it to go, as David Beckham did while we were there. Evidently he's a regular, because I can only assume everyone prefers Ink.Sack to other fast food, and with good reason.

Ink.Sack
8360 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles
323.655.7225