GLEN ROSE
Staff Writer
Are your final papers and exams starting to stress out you or your significant other? Well, I have a place for you two to go together. It’s called Press 626. Tucked into downtown Ghent, this restaurant is built into a house and has a very charming feeling to it.
You’re welcomed in by nice lighting, especially during the day, and a mix of smells including cheeses, wine and all the food they’re cooking for the other patrons.
When you get to your seat, your water is brought in a used wine bottle and poured into a recycled, re-purposed wine bottle cut into a cup. This is just one of the things that gives you the rustic feeling that the restaurant seems to strive so hard to keep.
Press 626 was awarded “Best Grilled Cheese in the State,” which is what got me in the door. This seems a lofty claim, especially from a wine bar.
The grilled cheese sandwich has Vermont cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack, and goat cheeses, all on sourdough bread. When you first hear all of those cheese types, you may be thrown off, since a lot of those are very strongly-flavored cheeses, especially the goat cheese and Swiss. Even though these cheeses are strong, you don’t lose the flavor of any of them in the sandwich. Every bite is like a full cheese plate.
Sandwiches are accompanied by fries that seem to be freshly made. Other sandwiches available, besides grilled cheese, are a grilled veggie and cheese sandwich, a salmon BLT, and a sandwich that can have steak or a large Portobello mushroom on it. Many of these sandwiches come with Sriracha Mayo, which sounds great.
So if you’re looking for a place to have a date night or lunch with your girlfriend or boyfriend, that won’t break your wallet in half, this is is the place for you.
It is located on the intersection of Colley Avenue and Olney Road, in downtown Norfolk near the Hague neighborhood.
