The era of the jet-setting celebrity chef and umpteen-course degustation tasting meal is over, according to Adam Block. He should know—the longtime restaurant consultant and sometime investor has spent his career working with many of the biggest names in the business, from Charlie Trotter to Thomas Keller. What people want now, he believes, is something a bit simpler: straightforward, farm-to-table food, sourced regionally and presented casually. That’s the vision he had for Print, his first project as sole operator, in the Kimpton-run ink48 hotel on the far western fringes of Hell’s Kitchen. The onetime printing plant has gotten a makeover by David Rockwell, who also tweaked the décor to Block’s specifications. “I was looking for something with soul,” says Block, wary of hotel-restaurant connotations but entirely approving of Print’s Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs, sturdy copper-topped tables, Heath Ceramics dishware, and separate street entrance. For insight into his biggest influences, Block flew his culinary team out West, to eat at Chez Panisse, Zuni Café, and, less predictably, Dynamo Donuts, the inspiration behind brunch’s maple-bacon sticky buns. At Print, the water is filtered, the refuse is composted, and chef Charles Rodriguez’s burger is made from Slope Farms grass-fed beef, topped with New York Cheddar on house-made focaccia. Staff forager Meghan Boledovich procures local ingredients like Liberty Gardens greens and Argyle farm’s Greek yogurt, while others may come from the rooftop garden. The butter and ice cream are made in-house, and even cocktails get a locavore twist, crafted with spirits like Due North Rum from Red Hook’s Van Brunt Stillhouse.
— Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
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