The verdict is still out at Print

Sometimes restaurants are frustrating. I'm not talking about frustrating experiences, like when you have a reservation and still have to wait 45 minutes for your table-- I'm talking about restaurants that are mentally frustrating, that are difficult to get a handle on. Print is one of those restaurants.

So far, AV and I have been to Print for drinks and for brunch. But we still hadn't given it the dinner test. So on Saturday we wandered over, sans reservation, and were seated at the high communal table running the length of the front part of the dining room.

Our waiter was right out of central casting, with a French accent and a slightly flustered manner. He asked us if we had a show to get to, and we said no. He plied us with drinks menus before we could even see the food offerings; we declined drinks, since we were so hungry. Finally we chose, and we tried to order, quickly realizing that asking him questions about the food or size of the portions would only lead to confusion. So we just ordered and went on with things.

A runner brought over a basket of bread, explaining that there were multigrain rolls, olive rolls, and ciabatta, along with housemade butter. There actually weren't any olive rolls, for the record, but there were slightly warm versions of the others (and four pieces of bread in total, so extra points for not sticking us with the dreaded three-for-two-people situation). The multigrain roll was pretty much what it looks like-- hearty and filling, not the best roll I've ever had, but fresh and tasty and stomach-filling. I appreciated all the seeds covering the top, which provided both sustenance and entertainment during the long waits between courses (more on that coming up).

Two and two

The first course arrived within a reasonable time. AV had ordered the polenta with wild mushrooms, ramps, and mascarpone. I thought it would be like the polenta and mushrooms at L'Artusi, which was one of the tastiest things I've eaten in a long time. Well, Print's version wasn't quite as earth shattering (and the portion was about a quarter of the size of L'Artusi's), although it was creamy and delicious. I took one bite successfully, and upon sneaking a second bite I ended up with a bit of grit, ostensibly from the mushrooms, crunching heart-sinkingly between my teeth. Ick.

Very pretty

But it's a good thing the polenta was hearty, since our entrees didn't emerge for about 45 minutes. I suspect our orders might have gotten lost, since one our waiter checked in with us about 42 minutes in, the food emerged shortly thereafter. There were no apologies for the wait, not even really an acknowledgment of it.

What eventually did come out was quite good, in fairness, if incredibly small. AV's goat cheese gnocchi with pancetta, asparagus, ramps, and pea leaves was delicious but could be consumed in about three aggressive bites. Oh well, more room for dessert!

So dainty and delicate!

My beet and goat cheese salad was the biggest portion of anything we'd ordered. There were lots of tender beets forming a blanket for a tangle of greens. Some walnuts scattered around provided crunch, and there was the stealth addition of some citrus segments (not in the menu description) that didn't really add much. The goat cheese, two tiny crusted dollops off to the side, added heft to the two or three bites that were lucky enough to include some cheese. Again, if only Print were a bit less parsimonious with its food, this could be a great salad.

Foliage toupee

At this point we were both pretty geared up for dessert. We both chose what was described as "frozen hazelnut parfait, Argyle Cheese Farmers maple yogurt mousse, espresso syrup, warm grappa candied chestnuts." I ordered mine without espresso syrup, but AV asked for his with. While waiting for the dessert to emerge, I anticipated, well, a parfait-- something layered in a glass. What eventually arrived was most definitely not a parfait. Neither of ours had espresso syrup, leaving AV slightly disappointed, but we dug in nonetheless. And we were pleasantly surprised. There was a huge scoop of what was something like hazelnut semifreddo, not quite ice cream but not quite mousse, cool and creamy and absolutely chock-full of crushed hazelnuts. This was paired with a big dollop of tangy yogurt mousse, which offset the unctuous sweetness of the hazelnut mixture. The syrup at the bottom of the bowl added a necessary extra flavor to cut the hazelnut richness, although one bite of the actual chestnuts confirmed that I don't really like chestnuts. Furthermore, oddly, this dessert was huge. We could have easily ordered one to share, as we were both full about halfway through. Needless to say, I finished mine anyway. Once we were done with desserts, our waiter brought the check without us asking, noting that he wanted to make sure we got to our show. Um, we'd already told him we weren't pre-theater, and in any case it was about 8:15 at this point, meaning that ship had sailed either way. Again, there was nothing comped for the extraordinary wait-- not that there necessarily should have been, but without even an acknowledgment of it, it would have been nice to get some sort of gesture.

Oh delight

So what's the deal with Print? It's a nice restaurant to be in, and the food is good, on balance. But the portions are really tiny, and they're expensive. Our meal, which included three appetizers, two desserts, and no drinks, came out to almost $60 before tip. The service leaves quite a bit to be desired as well, and the kitchen still has a few quirks to work out (grit in the mushrooms--?). But almost in spite of ourselves, we had a good time while we were there. Would I go back to Print? Probably not for a full-fledged dinner, but probably for a drink and a cheese plate, or perhaps just for dessert. That means Print rightfully earns three Offset Spatulas, with hopes that with time it improves.

Print
653 11th Avenue, at 48th Street
212-757-2224

New-restaurant jitters at Print

Here at LWF&D, as you may know, we don't do brunch very often. But AV is a fan, and so occasionally we do venture out to an eating establishment around midday on a Saturday or Sunday to see what all the fuss is about. This Sunday, we decided to check out the offerings at the newest brunch contender in town, Print at Ink48.

At least from our perspective, Print has location going for it- it's incredibly close to my place, so it's perfect for a roll-out-of-bed brunch. It's also a serene place to be: the designers of the restaurant did a great job with the furnishings, from a large wooden communal table to live floral accents to chic metal chain-link curtains. Low leather banquettes dividing the room were comfortable; wicker chairs were adequately spacious and supportive. Oh, and the ceramics-- mentioned by name on Print's menu-- were actually quite beautiful.

Service-wise, Print is still getting its sea legs. The place was fairly empty when we ate, so there seemed to be too many runners for their own good-- a water-filler came by approximately once every five minutes; one runner came by with an extra serving of toast just as AV had received his first (ample) plate, looking determined to wedge it onto our crowded table before AV suggested it might not be destined for our table.

But how was the food? Well, the meal started out with two tiny baguettes accompanied by a small block of butter decorated with grains of sea salt. AV approved the bread, which is always a good way to start a Sunday morning.

Bread in a bed

For an entree, AV chose the two eggs any style with roasted potatoes, toast, and sausage. The aforementioned toast was ample and multi-grain, so extra points are awarded for that. The remainder of the food, AV said, was serviceable-- not blow-me-away delicious, but not bad. He did have to request ketchup, salt, and pepper, but once asked for, they were all brought over promptly.

A hearty breakfast

Needless to say, we didn't need four MORE pieces of toast...

I decided to go straight for the liquid lunch and order a green tea. What arrived was a Bodum french press full of perhaps the most delicious tea I've ever had. It was delicate and fragrant and decidedly lovely. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that it was Mighty Leaf tropical green, which may well be my new favorite tea.

A perfect cuppa

On balance, it was an exceedingly pleasant brunch. Everyone was polite and friendly, if still a little sure of themselves. The food was neither astonishingly good nor prohibitively bad. But there are two gripes worth mentioning: first, AV and I found not one but two hairs decorating our plates (one on the toast plate, one in my teacup), which doesn't gross us out disproportionately but should be a red flag to the non-headcovering-wearers in the kitchen and service staff. Secondly, when the bill arrived, my tea was $7. Yes, you read that right, SEVEN DOLLARS. That may well be the most expensive tea I've yet encountered in the city. I know that Mighty Leaf is on the expensive side, but $7 was more than the fruit salad I was considering ordering; I had naively assumed the tea would be less expensive. Especially for brunch, where hot beverages like coffee and tea are de rigeur, it's unfair to price gouge like that. Print, you're still young, so there's time to make amends. Lower your prices-- on tea and on food-- and you'll stand a chance of upgrading your current status from a shaky three Offset Spatula spot to a four spat destination.

Print
653 11th Avenue, at 48th Street
212-757-2224

Checking out the offerings at Ink48

I warn you, this is going to be one of my lamer reviews. With that caveat, let's proceed:

Last week, in a rare mid-week burst of socializing, AV and I went out for drinks. We were at my place, so we decided to head west and check out the bar at Ink48, the new Kimpton hotel at the corner of 48th and 11th. The restaurant there, Print, just opened, and we're aiming to check that out soon. But in the meantime, we sat in the round-backed wicker stools at the bar and relaxed with drinks.

The lobby is beautiful, with coves of cushy couches for canoodling, soothing yet colorful decor, and interesting lighting fixtures. The bar is decked out with place settings and those comfortable-enough barstools (they were somewhat awkwardly wide and deep, but at least they had backs-- that's key).

So what did we have? We asked for both the cocktail menu and the wines-by-the-glass menu. I took pictures of both, and then I deleted them accidentally. So, I'm sorry. [See caveat above.] Most of the wines by the glass were relatively expensive; the menu also claimed that many of them were biodynamic. Sure. I went with a glass of prosecco, which turned out to be one of the most delicious glasses of bubbly I've ever had. Seriously! I can't even pinpoint why, it just was phenomenal.

Naturally, there's no picture of this delight, as I deleted it. Yup.

We do, however, have a picture of AV's cocktail. Nope, I don't have a name or even a good memory of what was in it. But it was grapefruit-based, which I thought I wouldn't like, but a few sips revealed it was actually quite delicious: well-crafted, not too sweet but not too acrid either. This one was a winner-- and if you go to check out the bar and want to try it, just search the menu for the cocktail with a lot of grapefruit in it and you'll be good.

This is all I got

So, in short, we will be back, likely both for drinks and for food at Print. I promise then to bring my camera and my wits about me so I don't accidentally delete all the evidence. Oh, and there's a rooftop bar opening in the hotel sometime in March. Can we say "can't wait"?

Print/Ink48
653 11th Avenue, at 48th Street
212-757-2224