Originally posted 10/28/2022
Quick review of The Pressroom Restaurant. Alex and I are probably horrible people, and I think we are both okay with that. We have some fairly high standards for restaurants, so take the following with that grain of salt.
The Pressroom is okay. That's it. It's okay. Nothing spectacular. No dishes to sing the praises of. Just okay. The food is there and it is edible. Nothing was horrible or inedible. Lots tasted either canned or frozen, though, which is what gives it the okay rating.
Our server was a gem. I think she was new, but she was delightful. She even asked if we would like a picture together at the end of our meal. Of all of the dinners we've had out together, I think this was the first time we've had one where we took a picture of us!
Drinks: The cocktail menu is odd. Most of the flavors in the listed cocktails seem like they wouldn't go together. We ordered what seemed like safer cocktails and, after waiting almost 30 minutes for our drinks, that's what we got. The pour was *heavy*, so we are not complaining. The bar appeared to just be running very much behind tonight.
Apps: The charcuterie board and a crab/shrimp/avocado dish. The charcuterie board was underwhelming, with one cheese not having any taste at all outside of "I think I've had this from Aldi". No explanation of the cheeses and meats was given and we still have no idea what the one pickled vegetable was. The preserved tomatoes were the star of the board, which is just wrong.
The shrimp and crab appetizer was also not up to par. I'm fairly certain the crab was from a can and the shrimp did not taste fresh. There were some crisps served with it that were delicious, but were so delicate if you looked at them too hard they fell apart.
We both ordered the steak frite with parmesan fries for dinner. The cook on the steaks was perfect, but I do wish they had let them rest for more than a brief moment. When I cut into my medium rare steak, juices went all over the plate and turned it into a crime scene. Just 5 minutes more rest time would have kept that from happening.
The fries made me laugh. Each of us had taken a bite and we looked at each other.
Me: Are you thinking what I am?
Alex: That I also like shopping the freezer aisle?
The fries had that freezer taste and were covered in a light dusting of sub-par parmesan. That is not what I would consider parmesan fries.
Dessert: Alex got the chef's dessert, which was a chocolate dessert that sounded amazing. Since I am being uber careful, I ordered the olive oil cake.
Both desserts came as if they were cooked in a mini-muffin pan. Definitely not what I was expecting from an olive oil cake. I am used to olive oil cake having a light citrusy flavoring, but that was missing here. The texture reminded me of cornbread. While not unpleasant, it was not what I was hoping for.
I'll let Alex speak to the chocolate dessert. Since coffee is often used in chocolate desserts and we didn't ask what was in the cake, I didn't risk taking a taste.
All of this was followed by a very nice brandy to round off the meal.
On the whole, dinner at The Pressroom Restaurant felt very much like we had been dropped into the midwest. The food was serviceable. I'll go again, but with a group of friends out doing other things, not out to have a fantastic meal. It's good, but not great. Nothing to go out of your way for.
Afterward, we went to Plough Lancaster to sit at the bar and enjoy a dirty martini. While I don't plan on dining there ever again, they do great drinks and the bartenders are super nice.
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