by Steven Doyle
Class is almost in session at the West Village’s newest gastropub, Public School 214, which will be opening doors to the public on Thursday, January 29th at 11 AM. In additional this opening news, they have announced Public School 972, which is headed to the Addison area in fall 2015. This past weekend we had a chance to sample much of the fare at PS 214 at a pre-opening dining event hich gave us some perspective in what you have waiting for you when you come in to try the new restaurant, and you will want to come in for a tasting.
The menu at Public School exploits only the hottest trends in food and booze. So you can be sure to find a crazy good version of chicken and waffles, with their tower high plateful secured by several waffles made in house using a cornbread batter, with bits of corn, cheese and green chiles. This was served with a side of red-eye gravy for an extra kick.
The menu is broken down into shared plates and full on meals, with room for pizzas and salads as well. This season we are seeing our share of mezzze plates, and PS puts in their bid for one as well with baba ghanoush, hummus, tapenade, marinated feta, crispy chickpeas. I am a fan of all of these, and PS does a fine job job with their version, as they do with most items on their menu; it is pretty rock solid.
The true star of this side of the menu is Bacon Cheddar Tots, served with a side of sriracha ketchup. These are not some odd experiment made in the land of frozen appetizers, but instead a thoroughly well thought out version that plays nicely with other. This shared dish gets an A+ grade, to be sure.
I am about over kale as a trend but PS does a fine job with their Kale Caesar salad. It can be uplifted to carnivore status with the addition of roasted chicken or salmon, but this plate holds its own without the extra protein.
With a nod to all things local, PS makes Temptress Stout Short Ribs which is a heavy meat bomb served on top of a mound of freshly made smashed potatoes that has evidence of a few lumps (bonus points) and shaved horseradish. This dish can move to the head of the class. Other dishes enjoy that evening include the shrimp and grits, and the most anticipated dish of the evening, a lamb bolognese. I absolutely loved the sauce, it was sturdy and packed with lamb goodness.
I didn’t sample the burgers yet, but will be back very soon to do so. The chef explained the burgers to me, and I remember thinking I wanted each of them at that moment even though I was all in with bolognese, waffles, and bacon cheddar tots. There is a beef, lamb and bison burger, all served with its own unique cheeses and topped with brioche. The doors open for the first time at 11am on Thursday, perhaps you will see me in line.
Desserts are just as fun as the savory dishes. Share a Nutella cookie sandwich that is infused with a bacon brittle.
There are lesson in cocktails we could all learn, and the biggest tip I can pass on is to try them all. Good beer list available, with many of our starred locals on board. Someone definitely did their homework.
The servers were all extremely well trained and ready for th opening, the space is beautiful and the food is good with an even better price point. I see no reason why you wouldn’t want to do your homework at the very playful Public School 214.
PS 214 Brunch Menu PS 214 Dinner Menu PS 214 Lunch Menu
