Print at Ink48 – Hot off the press.

“Who goes to the 11th Ave at night?” I thought as I departed the glitzy midtown area and continued west until I was surrounded by warehouses and car dealerships.

Looking at the small crowd at the base of the brand new Ink48 hotel, quite a few people, apparently.

Despite the recession, trendy boutique hotels are popping up across Manhattan, creating vast, expertly designed space for new restaurants to grow. The key is to secure the right type of restaurant the fits the profile of your hotel guests. Ace hotel had the Breslin Bar and Dining Room, a perfect compliment. Thompson Hotel featured Shang, a unique crowd pleaser. When Ink48 needed a restaurant, they went to the mastermind of upper west side dining, Adam Block.

Block, who’s company was responsible for the uber expensive restaurants in Time Warner Center, decided to down a different path with the creation of the new restaurant in the lobby of Ink48. Gone are the high profile celebrity chefs and luxurious ingredients flown in from across the globe. In its place, a husband a wife team with a solid resume, plus locally sourced ingredients focused on being fresh and organic. The theme comes from the history of the building, which was a print shop. Print was born.

Straying from his formula for success was particularly risky for Print, because unlike the previous establishments created by Block, this was without significant foot-traffic. Compared with the bustling Columbus Circle, one would be hard pressed to find a reason to come to 48th Street on the west side…….. unless you’re car shopping. Yet somehow, as I’m finding out today, he seems to have figured out a solution. Could it be the food? lets find out.

Walking into the restaurant, you can easily tell that everything’s new. The OpenTable touchscreen reservation system is present, and not hooked up to online reservations. The staff seems eager, energetic, but still a bit raw. I’m sure things will improve with time.

Hot off the press, into the kitchen~

The menu were presented on a piece of very finely printed paper (yes I double checked for print quality, after all this place was a print shop), which was tucked onto a sheet of copper plate. A very artistic tribute to the building’s past. The drinks were all affectionately named after paper-related items such as white-out, which was quite delicious.

The food options are what I consider the new American cuisine, crossing cultural barriers in both ingredients and preparation. Since this restaurant has a very “green” theme, most ingredients are local sourced, many were organic, and clearly labeled as such.

The appetizers were gorgeously presented, and taste every bit as good as they look. My ceviche was absolutely delicious, with just the right amount of aroma from the herbs and a dab of heat from the peppers. The crab cake was hearty and flavorful, but the star was the grilled octopus. I had never had octopus so soft and tender, yet charred perfectly on the outside for that smoky flavor.

Ceviche, with a south east asian flavor

Crab cake, a bit light on salt but very refreshing.

Delicious and tender grilled octopus.

The entrees were also quite exciting. My pork chops was some of the best I’ve had, extremely tender and going perfectly with the slightly sweet sauce. The scallops were absolutely perfectly cooked, though a tad on the salty side. The sea bass was seared nicely as an expensive piece of fish should be.

Eco-friendly pork chops.

Scallops, a tad on the salty side.

Sea bass, seasoned and grilled very nicely.

Desserts were pretty and unique. The Ricotta Crème Brûlée was a unique taste, and my Chocolate Bread was a rich, thick chunk of chocolate goodness.

Ricotta cheese flavored!

A chunk of chocolate bread with butter and honey.

While this restaurant is not quite ready for prime time in its service and over all coordination, the caliber of the food is definitely up there with many recent Michelin Star recipients. I’m eager to see the roof top lounge “Press” open later this month, which will definitely bring more traffic to this great restaurant. Will I come back again? most definitely.

If there ever was a reason to go to the west side, 48th street, at night. This might as well be it.

CS

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Print at Ink48 (Make a Reservation)
653 11th Avenue at 48th
New York, NY 10036