Our second night in the city was at pre-theater dinner with Samuel and friends, so we tried PRINT in the new INK Hotel (http://printrestaurant.com/) at 653 11th Avenue @48th St. It's a fun spot with nice decor and lots of windows looking onto 48th Street. It's also only a 10 minute walk from Times Square theaters.
There was corn bread, focaccia, and sourdough as we ordered and sipped on a dry tasty Cesani 2010 Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
Appetizers were all quite large and satisfying from a monstrous Quail stuffed Prosciutto (it should read the other way) with Sage, Leek, Potato, Mushroom & Truffle Jus to the smaller Red Snapper Ceviche with Hot Peppers which were not that hot. Shallots, Radish, Olive Oil and Lime-Orange rounded out the sauce, but it was odd to find cooked potatoes in a ceviche as it just seemed like filler and took taste away from the fish.
Grilled Octopus with Potato (they like them here), Olives, Chorizo, Herb Puree & Lemon was one of the big hits for sure and the Local Heirloom Tomato Salad boasted gorgeous fruit with Opal Basil, Feta & Champagne Vinaigrette.
Samuel loved his Grilled Sirloin Steak but thought the Corn Flan was weird. I have to admit it was a bit too sweet and mealy for my taste. Spring Onion, Roasted Carrots these were amazing-purple and orange both), Pea Shoots (spelled Pas shoots on the menu!) and a yummy Bordelaise.
Our mains were all large and tasty from Grilled Red Snapper for me with Choice Littleneck Clams, cranberry Beans, Chanterelles, Basil, Tomato and Coriander in a brothy sauce that was just right and light for me, after the previous night, I needed a rest!
Seared Swordfish came with Smashed Potatoes (present in all dishes but mine--oh yes, Sam got the flan, but would have gladly traded for potatoes), Green Beans & Cherry Tomatoes in a Lemon-Caper Sauce.
The chicken breast entree was also huge with more potatoes and the Braised Grass Fed Beef was tender prime meats with mashed potatoes, those great roasted carrots, radish, green beans and a Horseradish Gremolata.
We could not resist our handsome server Joshua (from Memphis, though the accent was lost) who is a tall aspiring actor (well, aren't most servers in NY?) when it came to dessert. He suggested the Roasted Plum in Cognac with Yogurt Parfait, Shortcake, Candied Pistachios, Oatmeal Ice Cream and Butter Maple Snap Crumble; well who could not resist that. Samuel loved his Chocolate Brownie and one of us popped for the Tri-Star Strawberries with Creme Fraiche Chantilly, Shortcake and Tarragon Granita, an interesting combo.
I opted for the cheeses which came with Aronia Berry Compote, a nice hunk (no, not Joshua) of Dark Chocolate Cake and Black Walnut Galettes with Chocolate. The three cheeses were Dante's Sheep from Wisconsin, Cumin Cow from Wisconsin and the winner, Thin Red Line Goat from Vermont.
We left quite full and ready for a night with Samuel at Mamma Mia!
