Restaurant Review: The Library at the Public

Restaurant Review: The Library at the Public

Gotham chefs seem more comfortable in TV studios than kitchens these days. But Andrew Carmellini â€" the James Beard Award-winner behind hotspots The Dutch, Locanda Verde and, um, Sausage Boss â€" has taken to the stage instead.

Well, sort of. Carmellini’s behind the nouveau-American menu at The Library at the Public, the clubby new eatery and lounge in the Public Theater’s mezzanine. An homage to the building’s first role as the Astor Library, the restaurant opened as part of the Public’s much-ballyhooed $ 40 million face-lift.

He’s installed a trusted lieutenant, Locanda Verde alum Michael Oliver, as chef. How’s Oliver's debut in the spotlight? Let’s say solid but safe.

The menu’s mature, a kind of meat-and-potatoes lineup for the L-train crowd. It suits the room, a David Rockwell-designed bibliographic temple of dark wood, leather banquettes, and actual books. Oliver introduces just enough punctuation marks â€" shishito peppers here, purple cauliflower there â€" to keep it engaging. But much of the kitchen’s output stops just short of real drama.

Take Oliver’s Peetytoe Crab Rolls ($ 10), which pack creamy seafood “patties” onto tiny brioche buns pierced with little spears. A pair look sweet on the plate. But the chunky crabmeat boasts less of a flavor profile than the bread. A platter of crudité with wasabi dip ($ 13) elicits similar shrugs. The creamy sauce gives just enough of a goose to a heap of a snapping-fresh broccoli, red pepper, fennel, radicchio, celery, and shallots. But nothing elevates it from the prosaic; it’s just good veggies and dip.

Crispy calamari ($ 14) comes expertly flash-fried, with barely a drop of excess grease on its curved wooden serving platter. Those shishito peppers make a welcome cameo here, adding gentle but much-needed heat.

The Library’s most humble-sounding app proves the biggest surprise. We expected to see a couple of half-sours and a gherkin on the pickle plate ($ 9). In fact, it’s a massive medley of marinades, with little green tomatoes, crunchy carrot slivers, firm okra, and â€" delightfully â€" eggs tinted crimson from a beet brine. The pungent panoply sings with a brilliant balance of cidery sweetness and palate-piquing bite.

With entrees, the kitchen’s still learning its lines. Orecchiette ($ 17) could use another minute or two in the pot, crossing the threshold between al dente and dense. Tiny florets of white, orange, and purple cauliflower dot the generous bowl, though Oliver’s kitchen skimps on the promised Pecorino.

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Joe’s Burger ($ 17) translates as a plump, perfectly polite patty with cheddar and bacon. A paper cone of crispy fries in a stainless-steel cup plays second banana. It’s all expertly prepared and carefully plated. But the meek meat, with minimal minerality or earthiness, needs more oomph to hold center stage.

Catskill Mountain Trout ($ 24) earns the biggest ovation. Simple presentation suits its clear flavors and clean textures; a snowy fillet rests on a smooth, tangy bed of ocher-colored butternut-squash puree and firm lentils. I’d welcome it on a warm summer night or a frigid winter’s evening.

Like any smart performer, the kitchen waits for the last act to really strut its stuff. A textbook-perfect Gala apple cobbler ($ 8) arrives in a miniature cast-iron baking pan. Though not on the menu, a little dish of butterscotch-drizzled, house-made soft-serve vanilla ice cream accompanies. The whole thing’s big enough for two, but you’ll probably fight over the meltingly soft dough, tender fruit, and sweet crumble topping.

Your battle will escalate over a trio of house-made peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies ($ 8). These puck-size beauties come soft and warm, the peanut-butter and chocolate flavors rich and subtle. They’re joined by a homey, delicate chocolate malt; it’s the milk-and-cookies of childhood dreams, all grown up.

You can actually focus on food here; acoustics, for a change, are terrific, with generous spacing between tables. We were able to converse without projecting to the back of the house, a rare privilege in Big Apple eateries these days.

When late-night post-theater crowds arrive, the vibe can change. An overflow crowd at The Library's popular bar one Friday night meant posteriors â€" including one frighteningly encased in gold lamé jeggings â€" uncomfortably close to our seats. Servers navigate the room with unflagging good humor; ours, in a sparkly top and a megawatt smile, made us feel like she actually was happy to see us.

It was an award-winning performance. With some fine-tuning, Oliver might earn those kinds of notices, too.

THE LIBRARY AT THE PUBLIC

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Website: thelibraryatthepublic.com

In short: New eatery at historic playhouse needs a little more drama on the plate.

Don’t Miss: Pickle plate ($ 9), Catskill Mountain Trout ($ 24), Gala apple cobbler ($ 8)

Pass on: Joe’s Burger ($ 14)

Suggestion: Pick a table along The Library’s periphery to get distance from after-theater bar crowds.

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