It’s big; it’s cozy, it’s beautifully decorated and professionally managed, Craft is one of New York’s renowned restaurants known for its good food and special ambiance. You have a meeting, or probably a date... do it at Craft. From the sea to the land, the food choices are diverse, created using products handpicked from farmers around the area. The mission is to use antibiotic-free ingredients.
On the menu: fish and shellfish, caviar, raw fish, braised octopus, five salads, roasted meat, two pastas, pork chop, aged ribeye and sides.
Vast and wide with a high ceiling, the place feels good. Metal and wood on one side, white bricks on the other and a big blue painting on the wall facing the entrance. A floor covered with wood, a ceiling made of absorbent materials to avoid echoes and lights come down from the ceiling. A dimmed and yellow ambiance yet soothing and enjoyable.
I had the Grimm beer, an aromatic beer with intense notes of fruits. It’s light-bodied, smoothly bubbled with 6,4% of alcohol. It’s the first time and I loved it; a beer I recommend.
Dinner starts with an amuse bouche complementary of the chef, a sliced cucumber filled with salmon tartare. Bread followed, a moist bread that feels cold, sourdough with strong aromas of anis and licorice. The smell of the yeast and the bread itself with the seven grains mixed inside makes of it a unique bread, the French would be proud of.
Service is professional. Perfectly trained waiters approach you with a Smile. They recommend, ask questions, describe the plates, share their knowhow and ask the kitchen for any inquiry you might have. The manager came to inquire about my garlic allergy proposing an alternative to the pork plate I wanted to have.
Great food is served here:
- Hamashi fish served raw on a bed of lemon with baby fennel, thinly sliced strawberries, and poppy seeds. Every bite offers a crunch, a kick of sweetness and the gourmet touch of the fish. Art and simplicity combined to amaze.
- The salad: pea shoot, ricotta, and spring vegetables. A mix of simple ingredients on a bed of creamy ricotta makes of this dish an addictive combination. Every crunch gets you closer to devour that plate and smile while enjoying its favors. The above was finished completely!
- When pasta turns into a magical creation, served in a casserole, portions of pasta cooked al dente, each stuffed with goat cheese and bathing into a white sauce cooked with crunchy pines nuts and decorated with green spinach. It’s the butter, the creaminess and the notes of sweetness that make of it a plate you must order when visiting Craft; the plate of love if I may call it.
Another beer: war flag, grand master IPA, 6,9%. This one is more robust, less aromatic, more bitter and more bubbly. A connoisseur beer.
By coincidence, the department of health passed for a checkup tonight stopping the operations of the kitchen for half an hour. The management reacted very professionally by proposing a drink and apologizing more than three times. Anyway, I was happy enjoying the moment and ready to hit the main plates despite the lateness.
The most buttery potato purée I’ve ever had makes you want to lick your lips after every bite. The only certified organic wagyu beef in the United States makes your heart skip a beat, and the mushrooms are a signature the restaurant has been known for. It’s the meat, the quality and texture of this unique meat, perfectly peppered and salted and grilled to perfection giving it a soft protective envelop of grilling flavors while the heart remains red and juicy.
It’s a journey through time; it’s food as not seen on tv or imagined by the Internet. It’s the meat you rarely eat, the potato purée you didn’t know existed, and the mushrooms only smurfs knew about.
Orgasmic... the food is orgasmic! The purée is extravagant and the meat unbelievable!
Great food, great service, a great experience at a recommended restaurant.
