Craft
New York, NY 10003-1304
Phone: (212) 780-0880
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Between Park Avenue South and Broadway
- Directions:
- N, R, W, Q, L or 4,5,6 to 14th Street / Union Square
- Best of Citysearch:
- New American Restaurant 2006
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
Editorial Review for Craft – by Allison Austin
The Scene
There's a rough-hewn aspect to the decor, from the scruffed wood floors to the curving patchwork leather wall that swoops from the entrance to the dining area in the rear, where a civilized crowd of foodies and their dressed-up companions gather. An all-glass wine loft perched above adds drama. Service is professional and informed.
The Food
The menu is entirely a la carte and diners choose a cooking method--braising or roasting, for instance--and an ingredient, such as soft-shell crab or sweetbreads; each dish is then put in the center of the table to be shared. The kitchen's strength lies in its braised dishes, such as bone-in lamb shank and buttery ramps. Exceptionally fresh, high-quality ingredients elevate dishes like roasted hen of the wood mushrooms and a simple, innovative octopus terrine dotted with preserved lemon. Desserts are excellent, especially a near-perfect apple tarte Tatin.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThe restaurant is often booked a month out, so reserve well in advance, or try the more casual menu at nearby Craftbar.
What to DrinkThe wine list features an extensive selection of domestic bottles and many full-flavored reds from Italy and France. One moderately priced choice is the Domaine du Vissoux gamay (2002), a smooth and drinkable wine from the Beaujolais region.
User Reviews for Craft
04/29/2008 Posted by mimirose
Spectacular in every way!! Food was the best I've had, service was impeccable, and setting was romantic. Our waiter was fabulous, friendly, and knowledgeable. He recommended a terrific wine for us based on our price range, and he also was great at reccomending dishes and educating us on foods we werent familiar with. Our glasses were never empty- servers were always there to refill them. I had a personal escort to the ladies room, and when I came back to my table my napkin was perfectly refolded on to my setting. We ordered Beef Carpaccio; Bacon & Apple; and French Mache Salad w/ Truffle Vinagrette for starters...fantastic! We were also given a complimentary Split Pea Panna Cotta..delish! Quail & 50 year Balslamic, and Braised Halibut for Main dishes...Quail was excellent, melted in my mouth! However, I've had better Halibut. After Main dishes, we were then given complimentary Lemon Spritzers..yummy & refreshing! For dessert we had their Doughnuts with Malted Milk Ice cream...to die for!!! And Lemon Beignets...yum again! And when we were leaving we were given more complimentary Crumb cakes to-go. Oh and to top it all off, the waiter remembered that we mentioned it was our wedding anniversary, and when dessert came "Happy Anniversary" was written on our plates. Lots of exclamation points for CRAFT! Loved absolutley everything.
Pros: Excellent food, Excellent service, great attention to detail
Cons: None
12/05/2007 Posted by tbrax
We had a satisfying, if not memorable, experience at Craft. The menu is a bit confusing--"first courses", "main courses" and "sides" all arrive simultaneously, with the only real difference between firsts and mains being portion size. Main dishes seem about 1.5 times larger than firsts, though they cost roughly 2x more. We ordered a total of 5 dishes (2 firsts, 2 mains and a side) plus dessert for 2 people and left satisfied but not stuffed. The food was consistently very good--well prepared and well seasoned all around, with the pork ravioli probably the highlight. For better or for worse, I don't think I would be able to tell the difference between the food at Craft and the food at other meccas of "New American" cuisine. For risk-averse diners in search of familiar, comfortable dishes, Craft does it as well as any of the other big boys in the genre for roughly the same price. But nothing we had or saw stood out as unique or exciting. I doubt that we'll be able to remember several months from now what we ate, not because it was bad but because it was familiar and easy to find in any number of different places.
Pros: Consistently good comfort food
Cons: Unexciting menu--standard dishes prepared in traditional ways
