The Library Restaurant

The Library at the Public is a restaurant tucked away on the mezzanine floor of the theatre. Its a dimly lit venue with a fused décor of faux library books and theatre posters. The patrons are a mix of pre and post theatre crowds as well as dining clientele. Wait staff is attentive and don’t intrude unless needed. The Shrubs cocktails (herbal infused sugar and water mix with added liquor) featured on the menu are refreshing but I felt needed more of a kick especially with the ice filled glass. Ordered off their restaurant week menu and the calamari well seasoned and crispy but not oily-​superb! I really liked the branzino entrée served with coucous and spinach in a terracotta dish. The berry crumble was my dessert pick and it was good however the calamari and a glass of reisling is what I’ll come back for soon.

Am I glad i have a droid lite app for my smart phone.
Reserved table for two after theater .
Quiet when we arrived at 945. Crowded but not overly noisy when we left after 11. Active bar business.
Biggest problem is lighting. Dark walls in dining area and minimal ceiling lighting.
Small candles. Used droid lite to read menu and to see our food.
My wife started with nice Pino Noir. Two colorful and flavorful green pea soups, one arugala salad, one order of seafood tacos. finishing with tasty panna cotta and rhubarb pie. and rich coffee. Price $ 75 plus tip after 20% Public members discount.
Please brighten the room.
Other problem. Rest rooms are two floors below via either stairs or elevator. Public has put lots of money into the major building renovation. This needs improvement.

Dined alone on a blustery cold Sunday, early evening. There is no lack of heat in the building, and it was very warm in there, but cozy and inviting. I was informed by lobby security that the place opened in October ’12 after an extensive remodel. They did it the right way. It all has a wonderful «sense of place». The cocktails were expensive, so I only ordered one, the Jersey Sling, and it was slow coming and below my expectations (too sweet). Started with Ruby Red Shrimp tacos and they were excellent, but only after I added salt to the shrimps. My main dish was the Orecchiette pasta with roasted cauliflower, pecorino romano, toasted pine nuts, parsley, and golden raisins. It was unique and very very good. I think some roasted garlic would have made it total perfection IMO. For dessert the chocolate Panna Cotta was excellent, replete with cherries, crème fraîche, and toasted pistachio. A real surprise ending. The nice thing about this place is that everything on the menu is totally recognizable, a rarity these days. I will definitely return soon for the cheeseburger, french fries, fried calamari, seafood salad, and short-​rib goulash, which have all been reviewed here and elsewhere as well prepared. All in all, a very satisfying dining experience. Young, but well-​trained and pleasant waitstaff rounded out the experience.

So, compared to the reviews below, we had a pretty good experience. Yes, it’s hard to find (we definitely had to ask someone in the lobby for directions) but it was worth it.
When we got there it was somewhat empty but was packed by the time we left.
The drink menu was interesting. Everyone in our party ordered something different.
I would definitely give a shout out to the fries. Also, the burger was very respectable (and I consider myself a bit of a burger snob). The rest of my party really enjoyed the shrimp tacos as well.
I’d go back.

Great, gorgeous would-​be perfect place if they’d only executed it right.
Go for drinks before or after a show. Stick with the french fries. The rest isn’t worth it.
It longer to get a beer poured than to get the fries to the table. So there you go.
We tried to get a 6:30 reservation via Open Table, but were denied. When we called, we got it no problem, but the place was empty. Not sure what they were waiting for.
Don’t bother with the pizza popcorn, that should be free, rather than $ 5. It is soggy & awful.
Don’t bother with the crudite with wasabi dip — there’s not even the slightest hint of wasabi. We paid $ 13 for this and got about 14 veggies that were organic, but looked deformed & unappetizing. The wasabit dip tastes like yogurt with something out of a can. Onion soup dip is better!
The rigatoni with broccoli rabe, sausage & chickpeas was tasteless.
If you must eat, get a burger, and be adamant about how it is cooked.
Stick to french fries and the crispy calamari — but ask for more sauce.
Be vigilant about the wine pours. They’ll charge $ 13 — $ 14/​glass and pour you the cheapest, smallest glass on the planet. Complain. It is outrageous.
The specialty cocktails are yummy — and $ 14/​each, so unless you bring the entire bank account, you won’t spend an entire night drinking them.
I love this space. It would be jam packed & Indochine would be out of business. if only they could get it right.