The Press
After afternoon classes were cancelled during yesterday’s inclement weather, I ventured down to the Press in the Plaza District before the storm hit. I had tried to go to this restaurant for a special occasion before, but they were closed on the day I wanted to go, so I was excited to finally experience this restaurant. The Press had been recommended to me by several friends, and after doing a quick scope of the menu, I decided that I was most intrigued by their brunch food.
Parking in the Plaza District is always a challenge, but I found a space in the lot on the south side of 15th Street for free. At 11:15 a.m., the restaurant was very quiet, populated mostly by people dressed in business casual, presumably on a lunch break. The restaurant uses a lot of wood and “old fashioned” styles of decor, like Edison bulb light fixtures. I asked my waitress for a recommendation on what to order, and she recommended the avocado toast highly.
The avocado toast
I sat for a few minutes, sipping coffee and enjoying having the rest of the day off. But, when my waitress brought out the toast, I was a little confused. After looking at the menu again, I realized that the toast came with sliced cherry peppers on it, and not cherry tomatoes like I first thought. I ate one full piece with the peppers on it, and while it wasn’t a bad flavor combination, I just really hate peppers, so I picked the rest off. Let this story serve as a warning: read twice before you order.
After being pretty embarrassed when my waitress came back to pick up my place full of picked-off cherry peppers (which she thankfully did not comment on), I ordered a round of sweet potato fritters to finish off the meal. These were absolutely incredible. The Press has discovered the perfect way to fry sweet potatoes, keeping them perfectly soft and creamy in the middle, while crisping up the outsides to an ideal consistency. Then, they doused the whole dessert in a sweet cinnamon glaze and a healthy dusting of powdered sugar. Honestly, I should have forgone the toast and just gotten the fritters.
With the coffee, the toast and the dessert, my meal came around to about $23, including tip. I was impressed by the quality of the food and service and pleased by the convenient location. I will definitely be coming back here for more sweet potato fritters, and to try their lunch items as well. I give this restaurant an 8/10.
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