Craft

[rozrapp]

We have tried to get in several times at the last minute on Sundays, but have always met with a "fully booked" response.  Looks as though you got really lucky.  We are going to be in NYC for the 4-day July 4th holiday week-end, so I'm thinking that with everybody out of town, maybe that's a good time for us to try again to get a reservation -- that is, if they're open.

BTW, I'm definitely not a salt-a-holic, so thanks for that tip.

[Jinmyo]

Rachel, what a great post. Thank you.

I'm glad you've had morels. Everyone should have morels.

Let's have Momo corner Tom Colicchio to do a Q&A.

[Sandra Levine]

May I be so impolite as to ask what the damages were?

[Rachel Perlow]

I wasn't going to post that, but since you asked, $250 (incl tax, tip, 2 glasses of wine).

[cabrales]

Below is the current dinner menu at Craft ("*" denote dishes taken in during a recent meal with robert and Susan brown; overall assessment of the cuisine -- average-plus, with a good-plus Porterhouse and very good steamed lemon pudding):

FIRST COURSES

-- Fish & Shellfish

Raw

* Fisher's Island Oyster 3

* Wellfleet Oyster 3

* Belon Oyster 3

Glidden Point Oyster 3

Yellowfin Tuna 18

Hamachi 14

Cured/Marinated

Arctic Char 13

* Squid 12

Sardines 14

-- Meat

Charcuterie

Proscuitto 12

Foie Gras Terrine 18

Duck Terrine 18

Rabbit Ballotine 13

Roasted

Sweetbreads 12

Foie Gras 20

Quail 11

-- Salads

Mizuna 12

Beets 12

Mixed Lettuce 12

Arugula 10

Frisee 12

Stringbeans 12

MAIN COURSES

-- Fish & Shellfish

Roasted

Skate 22

Halibut 24

White King Salmon 26

Striped Bass 25

Braised

Lobster 30

* Monkfish 26

Red Snapper 25

--Meat

Roasted

* Organic Chicken 24

Sirloin 35

Sweetbreads 24

Quail 26

Hangar Steak 22

Loin of Lamb 28

* Porterhouse for Two 72

Braised

Beef Shortrib 24

Rabbit 26

SIDE DISHES

-- Vegetables

Roasted

Asparagus 8

Red Peppers 7

Jerusalem Artichokes 7

Carrots 8

Spring Onions 7

Sauteed

Spinach 7

Lambs Quarter 7

Sugar Snap Peas 8

Braised

White Asparagus 12

Wax Beans 7

Spring Peas 8

* Spring Peas & Proscuitto Risotto 12

-- Mushrooms

* Roasted Hen of the Woods 12

Roasted Shiitake 8

Marinated Chanterelles 10

Roasted Bluefoots 12

* Braised Morels 13

Truffle Vinaigrette 6

-- Potatoes

Gnocchi 9

Puree 7

Gratin 7

Boulangeres 8

* Roasted Fingerlings 7

-- Grains & Beans

Lentils 6

Farro 6

Soft Polenta 7

Marinated Chick Peas 7

The Current Chef's Tasting Menu ($85) is as follows:

-- Marinated Squid, Marinated chick peas and arugula

-- Roasted Halibut, braised sweet peas and braised morels

-- Roasted Quail, sauteed lambs quarter and soft polenta

-- Braised beef shortrib, braised wax beans and potato puree

-- Balsamic Strawberries with vanilla ice cream

-- Dessert sampler

[Rachel Perlow]

That is about 95% the same as the menu the night we were there. I really wanted that tasting menu. I think I'll have to go with Cabrales and without my husband to ever be able to order a tasting menu. Sniff.  

[tommy]

I think I'll have to go with Cabrales and without my husband to ever be able to order a tasting menu. Sniff.  

why doesn't jason ever want to order a tasting menu?  i'm baffled.  :confused:

[Jason Perlow]

Because in Craft's case, I didn't want 90 percent of the stuff on it.

[Wilfrid]

You didn't go for any charcuterie :wow: !  

I remember hating the roasted fingerlings.  Greasy and, of course, cold.  How were yours?

[Rachel Perlow]

And it is usually the case at other restaurants as well, as tasting menus generally include fish (he doesn't eat fin fish except raw in sushi). The menu at Craft also included other things he doesn't care for, namely quail and braised meat.

If he were willing to order the same number of courses, do you think it would be reasonable to ask them to make an exception to the whole table only rule? I really don't get that one. Just put an explanation on the menu or have the server say it, that items won't arrive at the table for each diner at the same time. Wouldn't that take care of it?

Educate me: Is there some other reason for requiring an entire table order the tasting menu?

How about if we offer to sit at two separate tables?

[Suzanne F]

Rachel: economy of scale.  As long as the chef or sous or other relatively high-level cook has to make up each dish and each plate, it's actually easier and less wasteful to do it for more people.  Also, s/he can pace the table better if doing it for all than having to coordinate with the line cooks.  That's more polite than bringing out food at different times, in the sense of "generally accepted service standards."  It's pretty much assumed that even if the customer says, No problem, they still won't like it if their food isn't there when everyone else's is.

BTW: if you and Cabrales go, may I tag along?    I love Craft!

[Rachel Perlow]

Hmmm. Maybe I can sneak away for a girls night out when Jason's away for an upcoming business trip.

Honey, any objections? :batting eyelashes smilie:  

Or, maybe GT? ('Cause he wasn't as interested in going there as I was.)

[cabrales]

Rachel -- In view of the bone marrow thread, Jason might be intending another timetable for your revisit  

Wilfrid -- Yes, no meat appetizers.   I'm glad robert, Susan and I chose the US belons (not as "thin" height-wise, with respect to the flesh as French belons, and more substantial; but good) and the Wellfleet oysters. The Glidden variety was so-so. The squid was appropriate, with little rings accompanied by olive oil and sufficiently spiced. The bread was unimpressive. With the appetizers, the party had 1992 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs (not as nice as we would have hoped, although time opened helped).  

The party took the spring peas and proscuitto risotto as an intermediate course after the appetizers. This dish was significantly oversalted.

The restaurant's presentation of all dishes in the center of the table facilitated sharing, and this occured with respect to the entrees and entree sides as well. The Porterhouse was good-to-very-good, substantial and with nice meat. We enjoyed it with the wine that I leave to robert to discuss. The bernaise accompanying the porterhouse was appropriate as well. This was perhaps the second-best dish of the evening, particularly given the two sections of bone marrow included.

The monkfish was a disappointment, not because the flesh was poor or the cooking overdone. The composition of the dish was not appealing to me, given the dominance of tomato in the saucing. The combination, in the context prepared, did not work.  The chicken was average, with crispy-ish skin and a sauce of medium consistency bearing a little bit of sweetness.  I would not order either dish again.

The sides were not impressive either. The hen of the woods, while appropriately cooked, was noticeably oversalted. The morels were soggy, immersed in a jus-based liquid that was itself unappealing.  Due to my concentration on the steak, I did not meaningfully sample the fingerling potatoes.

One of the desserts (the lemon one) was, unfortunately, the best dish of the evening in my assessment. Our party shared (1) mint chocolate chip ice cream, (2) a chocolate tart (which was inadequately described), and (3) a lemon steamed pudding, which was wonderful.   We had wanted to order the chocolate souffle, which was described to us as requiring only 7 minutes of cooking time (due to some type of special machine?). Unfortunatley, it was sold out.

Portion sizes were substantial. Service was fairly good, although we had to advise the dining room team of a significant understatement of our check.  We had to wait around 10-15 minutes for our table, relative to the scheduled time. When we first arrived, the seats at the bar were all occupied.

Overall, an average-plus meal, but only because of the Porterhouse and the lemon dessert. Otherwise, I would have rated the meal below-average relative to restaurants with its aspirations.

[Wilfrid]

The restaurant's presentation of all dishes in the center of the table facilitated sharing

Also facilitates very tired arms by the end of the evening, as I recall.  Thanks for the description Cabrales.  I can recognize the restaurant in everything you say, but I am still keen to go back.  I am sure I would have ordered very differently.  Was there a temperature problem with any of the hot dishes?  I know I harp on about this, but at Craft it seems almost built-in to their silly style of service.

[cabrales]

Wilfrid -- I did not have temperature-related problems with the meal, and did not receive indications from robert or Susan on that front. Note we ordered primarily cold appetizers, and had the intermediate risotto course on its own. I ate the monkfish first, then the beef and finally the chicken. Taking in fish entrees first might, as you know, mitigate temperature-related problems.  

[Steve Plotnicki]

I had some old wine chat room friends in from Holland last night and I arranged a dinner for five people at Craft. Marco did his usual terrific job of laying out the meal for us. But one dish really stood out as exceptional. Canadian scallops that were served raw in a salad with heirloom tomatoes. Really as good as it gets and it reminded me that scallop season will soon be upon us. I'm looking forward to months of eating Peconics and Taylor Bays. But you should check to see if Craft have these on hand because it's worth a special trip to check them out, even if you have to sit at the bar to eat them. They were that good, and were just marvelous with a bottle of 1982 Krug. But any well chilled, acidy bottle of white wine will do.

[Fat Guy]

Thanks for the update. This is exactly the sort of restaurant news tidbit that I'd love to see more of on eGullet.

[Wilfrid]

The curse of eGullet, I suppose. We set out on Saturday night, intent on a movie and a pizza, just for a change. Minutes after the opening credits, my Beloved revealed that she had the seen the film before (she's not strong on titles). I had no interest in it, so in a twinkle of an eye we were clutching menus and wine lists and doing what we're good at.

We walked into Craft and secured the end of the bar nearest the entrance, which gave us plenty of space (and the bar seats - more than mere stools - are very comfortable). Hilary Swank was down the other end, sipping martinis and flexing her cheekbones. I would like to have owned ten percent of the jewellery on display along the bar at any point during the evening. Even so, it was quiet for Saturday prime time.

Again, the charcuterie was the highlight for me - a duck terrine which layered dark meat with pate and rare breast meat, served with brioche toast. The generous slice of seared foie gras, with pickled lemon, was good too. She ate nicely charred quail; my braised veal cheeks qualified in my book as a daube through the presence of black olives and orange peel, but they were too salty - not enough to be sent back, disrupting the flow of the meal, but a disappointment. I stupidly ordered the potatoes "Boulangere" again, forgetting how much I disliked that dish in the past. As before, some fingerling potatoes, scattered with oregano, and steeped in thick oil - not too pleasant when warm, disgusting when cold. But the swiss chard with garlic and the roasted carrots were fine.

I noted that the menu has been simplified yet again: it's now completely conventional, listing appetizers, mains and sides (the veggies), so no lecture about proteins from the server. The next thing they need to do is start warming the plates. The kind of service they offer now is common to Indian restaurants - but any decent Indian restaurant sends up the food on hot metal dishes, and gives you warm plates on which to serve yourself. Craft is nearly very good; if only it would shake off this last quirk.

[Jinmyo]

A dreaded thread returns.

Wilfrid, at least it didn't all come out cold.

[Wilfrid]

Specifically, my veal cheeks were served in a nice, hot copper pot. Dat's de way to do it.

[tommy]

Hilary Swank was down the other end, sipping martinis and flexing her cheekbones.

freakin egullet stalker.

[ahr]

Tommy, didn't we also see her at Artisinal? Maybe she's stalking eGers.

Or is that what you meant? (Too subtle for me.)

[tommy]

are we even now?

[Wilfrid]

I am going to send her over a drink from "eGullet's Wilfrid" next time I see her. I'll report back.

[ahr]

Tommy, only if you were being intentionally subtle.