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REINVENTING
THE
SANDWICH
AND SO
MUCH
MORE
BY
MARSHALL
SLATER
OF
24SEVENBROOKLYN.COM
July 30, 2009
-
View
actual
article
by
clicking
here
Comfort food, certainly
an
overused
couple
of words
and, in
many
respects,
downplays
the type
of
cuisine
to which
it
refers.
However,
comfort
food is
quintessentially
the
expression
one
would
use when
describing
the
cuisine
at
Press 195.
Firstly,
be
forewarned
that you
will
leave
overstuffed.
Even
those
with the
best of
intentions
and the
steeliest
of
resolve
will
find it
quite
impossible
not to
over-order
after
perusing
the
menu.
The
stuff
sounds
that
good;
and best
of all,
just
about
everything
more
than
lives up
to
expectation.
This is
a
deservedly
popular
place
whose
reputation
is
consistently
and
appropriately
growing.
One
visit
and you
will be
returning;
the
diversity
of the
bill of
fare is
truly
ponderous,
the
prices
quite
reasonable
(dare we
say a
bargain?),
and the
consistency
of
preparation
assures
your
fifth
visit
will be
as
satisfying
as your
first.
Want a
snack
that
will
satisfy?
This is
the
right
place.
Want a
meal to
indulge?
Ditto.
Want to
sit
alone
with a
newspaper
and
enjoy a
first
rate
sandwich
that you
won't
find
anywhere
else?
Right
again,
come to
Press
195. And
for
outings
with a
friend
or a
large
group of
compadres,
you
won't
find a
better
choice.
During
the warm
weather,
the
action
is in
the
backyard,
under
the
umbrellas
or the
tent, or
the Park
Slope
sky.
It's a
very
friendly
and
welcoming
place
that's
also
quite
family
friendly
should
you be
toting
the kids
(and
have no
fear in
this
respect,
either,
as the
menu is
as
"comforting"
for them
as it is
for
you).
There is
a
separate
price
fixed $6
kids
menu,
which
has all
the
right
choices
for
predictable
little
ones.
Press
195 has
been a
fixture
for
several
years
but they
closed
some
seven
months
ago for
an
extensive
four
month
renovation,
which
brought
new
vigor to
the
place.
They
reopened
just
over
three
months
ago and
for
many,
that was
not a
moment
too
soon.
Although
technically
a
"specialty
sandwich
place,"
indeed,
they
were
named
the
Sandwich
Kings of
Brooklyn
by the
Food
Network,
the term
sandwich
takes on
considerably
more
meaning
than
that
drab
concoction
too many
of us
have
become
complacent
with.
But even
before
we get
to the
main
event,
Press
195
impresses.
"The
Knish
Corner" of the
menu is
pure
inspiration.
Start
off with
an
excellent
knish,
the
square
potato
kind
that
used to
top the
steam
tables
of the
ubiquitous
Jewish
delicatessens
that
once
dotted
the
borough.
But here
the
comparison
ends.
The
kitchen
then
slices
it open
and
fills it
with any
number
of
concoctions
and
combinations.
For
instance,
there is
the
veggie
variety,
which
offers
wonderfully
fresh
thin
slices
of green
and
yellow
zucchini
combined
with a
melange
of other
goodies
all
cradled
in
molten
mozzarella
cheese,
then the
entire
thing is
pressed
like a
panini,
so the
top and
bottom
of the
knish
are
seared
and
slightly
crisped.
The
combination
of
fluffly,
spiced
potato
with the
fillings
and the
contrasting
exterior
is just
addictive.
Other
variations
on a
theme
include
the
Steak
Knish,
grilled
and
marinated
sliced
steak
with
fresh
mozzarella;
turkey,
Canadian
bacon,
tomato
and
Swiss
cheese;
roast
beef,
Cheddar
cheese,
sweet
onion
jam and
spicy
brown
mustard;
pastrami,
Swiss,
sauerkraut
and
tangy
roasted
pepper
dressing
and the
homemade
meatloaf,
Cheddar
cheese
and
gravy.
Well,
you get
the
point...they
are
great.
Move on
to the
starters,
such as
the
Buffalo
Wings,
wonderfully
meaty
(not
like the
anemic
wings we
are so
used
to),
each
like a
mini
chicken
leg
served
with a
thick
bleu
cheese
dip. The
wings
are
served
either
slathered
in the
spicy
Buffalo
sauce or
in a
sweet
BBQ
sauce;
either
one is
sure to
please.
Excellent
too is
the
grilled
asparagus
appetizer,
with
snappy
fresh
stalks
of
asparagus
served
atop
slices
of
tomato
and
thick
wedges
of milky
mozzarella.
But what
really
takes
this
dish
into
another
realm is
the
addition
of the
house's
unique
maple
syrup
basil
pesto
dressing,
something
that has
become
so
addictively
popular
they now
sell the
sauce if
you want
to take
some
home.
And
speaking
of
sauces,
sample
them all
when you
order
the
Belgian
Fries, a
variation
on the
French
version.
They are
hand cut
and
double
cooked.
What
makes
them
Belgian
is that
they are
browned
so they
remain
soft on
the
inside
and
slightly
crunchy
on the
exterior.
They are
served
wrapped
in a
paper
cone and
set into
a
serving
tray.
Order
them
with the
dipping
sauces,
which
include
the
Honey
Jalapeno
Mustard,
sent in
from
upstate
and a
Brooklyn
exclusive;
or the
roasted
pepper
(a
smooth
confection
that's
mmm, mmm
good),
roasted
garlic,
Chipotle
Jalapeno
Mayo and
BBQ.
Staying
with the
starters,
there is
also the
very
singular
Hummus
Plate,
not your
mother's
hummus
plate
either.
This one
consists
of a
black
bean
hummus,
grilled
marinated
Portabella
mushrooms,
Kalamata
olives
and
imported
roasted
red
peppers
with
grilled
spicy
bread
rounds.
And
there is
so much
more to
come.
Let's
get the
long
list of
salads
out of
the way
for
those at
your
table
who just
must
have
one. Now
don't
get me
wrong,
the
salads
are as
creative
and as
satisfying
as
anything
else on
the
menu,
but when
you come
to Press
195, I
want to
feel my
teeth
tearing
through
the
ciabatta
bread on
their
way to
my
next-to-be
favorite
sandwich.
But for
the
salad
types,
options
range
from the
mixed
greens
with
roasted
beets,
marinated
onions,
goat
cheese
and pure
maple
syrup
walnut
vinaigrette
to the
grilled
lemon
chicken
with
mixed
greens,
goat
cheese,
fresh
orange,
caramelized
walnuts
and a
cranberry-citrus
dressing,
to the
greens
with
grilled
marinated
sliced
steak,
fresh
Mozzarella,
corn,
red
pepper,
tomato,
Bermuda
onion
and a
tangy
creamy
roasted
pepper
dressing.
Of
course,
there
are also
half-pound
burgers
available,
as well
as a
variety
of cold
sandwiches,
but with
40, count
'em, 40
hot
pressed
sandwich
creations,
you
rarely
find
your
eyes
leaving
that
page.
Now
while
all the
sandwiches
boast
entirely
original
and
differing
inspired
combinations
of
ingredients,
they all
have
certain
aspects
in
common.
To whit,
they all
come
between
the
kitchen's
hand
crafted
ciabatta
bread,
and as
we all
know,
what
makes a
great
sandwich
is the
bread...and
this is
truly
awesome
bread.
Next,
portion
size is
always
generous.
And
finally,
prices
are
always
moderate;
you
can't
spend
more
than $10
on a
sandwich
no
matter
how hard
you try,
and
unless
the two
of you
are
ravenous,
or you
make the
mistake
of not
ordering
two
different
sandwiches
so you
can
share
and have
double
the
pleasure,
one
sandwich
tends to
be
plenty
for two
people,
especially
if you
add on
an
appetizer
or two
(and you
will), a
knish or
two (and
you
will),
or the
fries
(ditto...you
will).
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