Press 195 opens in Plainview

It was 2002 when Brian Karp and his college buddy Chris Evans opened Press 195 in Brooklyn. The idea for the concept was taken from a trip that Karp took to Florence, Italy, for a wedding. He fell in love with the city’s casual panini shops.

The duo soon expanded Press 195 to Bayside, Queens, in 2005, and Rockville Centre in 2010, but after a series of tough setbacks — the rent in Brooklyn tripled, their third partner, Jimmy Volz, died of cancer — it was time to press reset. Now comes a new location in Plainview.

Although Karp said it started as a “simple sandwich shop,” the menu has grown beyond panini to include starters, sides, soups, salads, fries, burgers and chicken sandwiches. The pressed menu includes favorites like #39 (grilled chicken, mozzarella, roasted red peppers and balsamic; $15), #38 (grilled steak with avocado, sweet onion jam, mozzarella and roasted red pepper dressing; $18), and #14, a veggie cocktail of zucchini, squash, red pepper, provolone and spinach with a black olive spread ($14). Inventive knish panini — meatloaf, pastrami, brisket — use signature ciabatta bread.

New at the Plainview location: chicken souvlaki sticks with tzatziki dipping sauce ($14), crispy plantains topped with brisket ($14), and a Baja grain bowl loaded with quinoa, black beans, corn, avocado and Cotija cheese with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette ($16). Addictive Belgian-style fries ($9) are thick-cut by hand (and twice-fried) and are accompanied by sauces ($1.25 each, three for $3.25). Add jalapeño honey mustard dipping sauce for a tangy kick.

Karp is most excited about the new “Southern Dunk” chicken sandwich ($18.50), a crispy buttermilk chicken breast dunked in the restaurant’s new Alabama white BBQ sauce, which he calls “devilishly evil.” It's topped with bread and butter pickles, smoked Gouda, jalapeño and crispy onion straws, with sauce inspired by Big Bob Gibson’s in Alabama, and a recipe “that took six months to get right.” Pro tip: It also makes a great dip for those fries.

The Plainview space in the Morton Village Shopping Center has a bustling bar complete with booths and televisions for sports fans. The back dining room, a quieter space, is great for families. Try the funnel cake fries ($12) for dessert. Yes — Funnel. Cake. Fries.

Press 195, 1048 Old Country Rd. Plainview, 516-696-0195, press195.com. Open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.