PRESS 195: LUNCH SOPHISTICATION COMES TO BELL BOULEVARD BY SUZANNE PARKER OF THE TIMES LEDGER

December 29, 2005 - View actual article by clicking here

Press 195 Sandwich and Wine Bar may or may not be a harbinger of the Brooklynization of Bayside, but it definitely brings with it an alternative food attitude. Both its food and beverage menus feature many locally produced products and ingredients in tune with the sustainable agriculture movement. They have eight microbrews on tap, all domestic, including two from Brooklyn and three from Upstate New York. The wine list, regrettably, offers no New York state wines, but offers many other interesting options, even for the price conscious.

Press 195 has managed to make their small space feel light and breezy rather than cramped. There is some first-rate art on the walls to distract from the narrowness of the space. Come the nice weather, they will also be serving in their backyard garden.

The name, Press 195 refers not to the fourth estate but to what they do to their sandwiches, the mainstay of their menu. The 195 part comes from their original location, 195 5th Ave. in Park Slope.

The bulk of the menu offerings are soups, salads or sandwiches. Some of it calls to mind a mixed marriage. Maybe it's sandwiches like grilled marinated house steak and fresh mozzarella pressed between a potato knish, or pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and spicy brown mustard on organic ciabatta bread from the Sullivan St. Bakery in Greenwich Village. The Italian side, however, is emphatically the dominant influence.

The soups we sampled were notably healthy, relying on fresh vegetables and were virtually fat free. We preferred the Italian vegetable soup with peas and basil. Though free of meat, it was satisfyingly complex without being heavy or stodgy. The ginger carrot soup was thick with pureed carrots and redolent of ginger, but too one-note for our taste.

Our allegiance to things locally produced drew us to the Hudson Valley Salad. It is made of mixed greens with crumbled blue cheese, hazelnuts, apples and Doc's Draft Hard Apple Cider vinaigrette. Doc's is from Warwick, N.Y. The salad is a pleasing melange of tart and sweet flavors. It is not quite rib-sticking enough to make a meal out of, but ample enough to be shared by two or even three diners as an antecedent or accompaniment to other courses.

The pressed sandwiches are clearly the reason here. There are 30 different combinations of fillings available for warming and squishing between halves of ciabatta. If those don't satisfy you, there is a prodigious list of extra ingredients which may be added to your sandwich for a small surcharge. They will also cheerfully whip up a half sandwich as either a soup or salad combo.

Choosing a sandwich from the line-up is a real challenge. We were tempted by the turkey, fresh mozzarella, grilled marinated mushrooms and sweet onion jam. Then again, there was the homemade roast pork, Monterey Jack, pickled jalepe–os, fresh cilantro, onions and roasted garlic spread.

We finally settled on Bresaola, shaved Parmesan Reggiano and grilled asparagus with fresh lemon and roasted garlic spread. Each ingredient was fresh tasting and robust enough to command its own share of attention. A very successful combination. We also enjoyed one of the several vegetarian options, feta cheese with fresh spinach, tomato and black olive spread. Almost a Greek salad on a bun. The warmth created by the press amplifies the flavors.

They also offer pressed knish sandwiches, cold pressed sandwiches on Italian bread, and pressed pizza, all of which we have yet to explore.

For dessert we tried something so yummily sinful it could make you want to go to confession. That would be the Nutella press with fresh banana and ice cream. Image a sandwich of Nutella, the chocolate hazelnut spread and bananas on white bread, pressed until warm and gooey, and then topped with some very rich vanilla ice cream. This could easily have come from the imagination of a culinarily precocious 10-year-old. We fed our inner child.

The Bottom Line

When looking for a more sophisticated lunch or light supper option, or drinks and snacks, Press 195 fills the bill. Their menu boasts that they were named "Sandwich Kings of Brooklyn" by the Food Network. They may be contending for the Queens title as well.