Crave on 42nd

[raji]

As a Hell's Kitchen resident, I was ecstatic to see somebody willing to give it a go west of 10th; despite several thousand new residents in that immediate area in only a few years, development (and zoning) has been slow to follow. So when I saw infamous Top Chef Dave Martin (he's smaller in person) kvetching into his cellphone outside the River Place apartment complex a few months ago, I was pretty pysched. Crave is located in the ground floor space just off 12th Ave on 42nd - a very difficult location... no moreso than, say, Perry Street, but over the course of 5 years that space has gone from a deli, to a pizzeria, to a deli/pizzeria, to a mediocre Italian American. And for the those with a tourist allergy, the majority of foot traffic would be from the Chinese Embassy, Intrepid, Circle Line and NY Waterway. At the same time, the restaurant has the unique opportunity to be the only full service restaurant within 1000 feet to service 3000 residents above and a smattering of celebrities across the street.

So the short answers - is it worth the trek and a stroll down the deuce? For one dish - yes - the Black Truffle Mac 'n' Cheese, probably the most famous dish in Top Chef history, is better than you might imagine it even could be, even if you don't like macaroni and cheese. Judging from the recipe on Bravo's website, it seems like a pain-in-the-ass to recreate at home. It's worth every penny of it's $14, and deceptively filling. It's listed as an appetizer, but even if you eat half, it's a stomach bomb (in a good way). I'm not particularly a truffle freak, but the flavors infused from the little bits and pieces that are acutely fortified by the smokey, earthy, rich characteristics of the other things in there - the cognac, the cheeses he uses, and seasonings. While the dish owes it's inception to a time-controlled competition, I'm sure Dave has now had time to experiment and make it even better, and I just hope that he's around to keep executing it for the forseeable future - it's been solidly excellent having tried it several times now, and I certainly rank it enough of a draw as I would with others that would bring me to williamsburg, jackson heights, woodside, (guess where!), etc.

However, you can't expect a restaurant to survive on a singular dish, and after that initial success, the rest needs help. They're certainly still breaking in servers so service is lacking. Most wines by the glass are $13 or more, and that doesn't fit the casual, affordable bistro storyline. Where the menu fails are mostly holdovers from the old restaurant - a margherita pizza I ordered really needs to go. Dave should really take complete editorial control of the menu, as for the most part his additions have all been overwhelmingly positive. The burgers there are well above average, and the execution on most other dishes is what you should expect from a chef with Dave's resume. The filet mignon with gorgonzola and onion rings - well the onion rings were some of the best I've ever had, but the cuts of meat I've been getting have been inconsistent.

So, they certainly need to work the kinks out and I hope they weather the storms as, with the right order, the positives certainly outweigh the negatives. And if you're the kind of person who will go to an outer borough for a certain slice of pizza or hotdog, then yeah, you should kind of get there asap for that mac'n'cheese. If you're a Top Chef fan, you're probably already been there; Dave's so talkative, animated and engaged, you're going to meet him either way... which is a good thing I guess?

[Fat Guy]

It's weird that two restaurants named Crave (the other being Crave Ceviche Bar on the East Side) have opened recently. That's going to cause all sorts of confusion.

[Chris Amirault]

Most wines by the glass are $13 or more, and that doesn't fit the casual, affordable bistro storyline.

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What's on that list?

[cakewalk]

Thanks for that review. I live in the building but haven't yet been to Crave, mostly because the restaurant that was there before it was so bad, as in actively bad, not just humdrum or mediocre. I thought the owners must have been having a contest (I have no idea with whom) of who could create the worst possible restuaurant, and they were definitely in the forefront. I guess the bad rep of that restaurant has carried over to the new one (same owners) -- people in the buidling don't even go to it! The owners don't seem to be doing much of anything by way of publicity. I had been reading about that mac 'n' cheese recipe a while ago, time to give it a real go now that the opportunity is so close at hand.

[Kape]

It's weird that two restaurants named Crave (the other being Crave Ceviche Bar on the East Side) have opened recently. That's going to cause all sorts of confusion.

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And let's not forget Carve, the sandwich place on 47th Street and Eighth Avenue.