Craftsteak

[oakapple]

According to Eater, Craftsteak opens tomorrow. The restaurant is at 85 10th Ave at 15th St — a neighborhood classified as the Meatpacking District, Far West Chelsea, or "NoMeat," depending on whom you ask.

A copy of the craft-like menu (PDF) is available here. As at the mother-ship restaurant, Craft, it looks like your meal can get expensive in a hurry.

It wouldn't be a Craft menu if the entrées weren't sorted differently than you find them anywhere else. Thus, the steaks are sorted by where they come from: Corn-Fed Black Angus Beef; Hawaiian Grass-Fed Angus Beef; Corn-Fed Hereford Beef; Ridgefield Farm Corn-Fed Premium Hereford Beef; RR Ranch Corn-Fed Black Angus Natural; Snake River Farm Wagyu Beef.

All of these categories make you wonder. From the Corn-Fed Black Angus Beef section, only the Hangar ($29) and the Filet ($49) are offered. What did they do with the rest of the cow? From the Hawaiian variety, four cuts are offered: Sirloin, Strip, Rib (all $39) or Filet ($44). From the Hereford, only the Porterhouse is available ($78).

Then there's the Ridgefield variety, where they offer only the Strip, but you pay $42–66 for it, depending on how long it has aged (28–56 days). From the RR Ranch variety, only the prime rib is offered. I don't understand the difference between First Cut ($240), Second Cut ($210), or Third Cut ($180). How big a portion would that be?

The Wagyu beef menu is as extensive as I've seen anywhere, with five cuts offered, anywhere from an 8 oz. Flat Iron ($49) to a 32 oz Porterhouse ($220). There are three Wagyu tasting menus, with a minimum of four guests, priced at $115, $135, or $165.

And that's just a bit of the menu. There are extensive raw bar selections, and various other entrée meets and shellfish.

Edited May 1, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Cleo]

I had a truly excellent meal at craftsteak in Las Vegas about 1 1/2 years ago. So last week when I was perusing Opentable.com for a restaurant for my husband and I to have dinner at in a few weeks from now, craftsteak caught my eye and I made the reservation.

I'm hoping to see a few reports before then, since all the choices of meat seem a little overwhelming at this point.

[rich]

I still think flying to Tampa is the best option and at these prices probably less expensive as well.

[oakapple]

I'm hoping to see a few reports before then, since all the choices of meat seem a little overwhelming at this point.

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Many critics thought that the original Craft menu was too confusing, and its current incarnation is a whole lot simpler. Overly complex menus are a big bugaboo with Frank Bruni. If a restaurant is on the borderline, it can cost them a star. Offering filet mignon at $44 or $49, with the difference being the ranch it came from, is one of the more peculiar things I've seen.

[adamru]

I've never been a fan of craftbar or wichcraft and those experiences plus the prices in all the craft world kept me from going to craft when I could find a similar meal in a more intimate environment at a place like hearth. so I don't know what prompted me to have dinner tonight at craftsteak. but on a whim I made a reservation on opentable, went to a tribeca film festival screening on 34th street and walked down the west side into their 'closed for private event - friends and family dinner.'

I walked in, explained how what the sign read seemed to be in contrast with my reservation, which they understood as me having a reservation for the friends and family dinner, told my date and I to wait at the bar, and after a few glasses of wine a manager came over to explain the mix-up and how we'd be seated regardless and just as for everyone else, tonight was gratis. we had thought something was up when there was no check for the wine and the invitation to stay was much appreciated.

but even if it wasn't free (we figure our check would have come to $230 before tax and tip with four glasses of wine and two sodas,) it would still be the best steak either of us have ever eaten. we had the porterhouse for two, rare, roasted with an onion, a sprig of rosemary and accompanied by a neverending bone of marrow - incredible mixed with the potato puree, a tip from our waiter we learned after we thought we were too full to go on. the meat cut so smoothly and was by far better than any filet either of us have ever had. flavorwise it was a great contender to those perfectly seasoned strip house ribeyes

while any sauce would have been unneccesary for the steak, we found it interesting they don't offer any 1.) because there was an endless number of accompaniments for the seafood platter and 2.) because when we think of the steakhouses that sell bottle of theirs, of dylan prime's dozen different toppings and the show they make at quality meats of sauce produced tableside it almost seems sacrilege not to offer one. but there are no gimmicks here and it's impressive to see they stand beside the quality of their meat and the flavor created through preparation.

we were allowed two side dishes, and as the wagyu potato confit was not an option, we chose the yukon potato puree which portionwise is enough for three filling a large pot and the sauteed spinach which unfortunately will be no match for any restaurant's spinach, was a meager portion for one. this is the only dish I saw that didn't seem like it could sustain the nine or ten dollar price but it was late, they were running out of food and that certainly could be the explanation.

to start our meal we had the traditional seafood tasting, there are three on the normal menu but only this was offered last night. six oysters, three of two different types, a half lobster with meat cut and piled on the top of the shell as well as within it. the meat atop was well seasoned. the crabmeat was more abundant and more flavorful even unseasoned than the lobster meat. it was some of the freshest seafood I've ever had. it was accompanied by lemon wedges, a tomato aioli, a roasted tomato cocktail sauce with a smoky flavor, a miniature bottle of tobasco sauce, fresh horseradish, and two other accompaniments - one some kind of greens, one a clear liquid with a sweet potent flavor. they were all great, the aioli very mild and the cocktail sauce best but the seafood needed none of them.

for dessert, there were a lot of chocolate souffles and baked alaskas coming out of the kitchen but we opted for the make-your-own sundae. we chose pistachio ice cream of which we received five small scoops in a just ideal sundae bowl. with it came a long dish with five bowls, one of brownie squares, one of cherries - very rich sweet and moist but I can't recall how they were prepared, a bowl of crushed pistachios, a pitcher of cherry syrup, and a bowl of almond cream. other than providing more almond cream this is an excellent subtle dessert and non-traditional sundae better than the only other non-traditional sundae I can recall, at casa mono. they also offer monkey bread of which they ran out and a rhubarb based dessert.

petit fours came afterward and other than the little sugar-coated jellies, the stand-out was what may have been two oh so tiny devil dogs.

having now been to morimoto, buddakan, del posto and here, I can tell you this is the least pretentious room yet the one I'd feel most inclined to dress up for an intimate night out - as grand or clsustrophobic as those other three restaurants seem none create intimacy like craftsteak does, yet it's a bright open room. the wine cellar which is clear-walled and set above the bar is an awesome site. the dark wood slats in the walls around the front room repeat the aesthetic of the stacked bottles very well. also this is the only of these restaurants that makes any use of the street view it could have. I guess there's no harm for a steakhouse to remind you you're in the meatpacking district whereas del posto, morimoto and buddakan feel escapism is key.

no worry about us escaping, I can't wait to go back and with the money I saved I can go back for the prime rib. (and while I don't know what was the difference between the first second and third cuts of prime rib is - they weren't on the menu tonight and our waiter had yet to see one - I did ask and learn they feed four.)

Edited May 2, 2006 by adamru (log)

[cchen]

Thanks for the review! Makes me really want to try it now. Did they serve any wagyu tonight?

[Fat Guy]

One of our alumni forum hosts, Matt Seeber, is the executive chef at Craftsteak in Las Vegas (interesting that it's one of the few -- only? -- restaurants ever to launch in Las Vegas and then open a New York branch). In my conversations with him, he's indicated that Craftsteak is very aggressive about purchasing (or what some insist on calling "sourcing."). His analogy was that Craftsteak is to most steakhouses as a sushi restaurant is to most seafood restaurants -- they're just operating at a different level of product integrity, and the cooks on the line are exceptionally skilled. I've always felt the ingredients at regular Craft were a cut above -- not that you can't get X ingredient somewhere else but that few places are assembling X, Y and Z ingredients (each the best of their class) in one place and preparing them in a minimalist fashion calculated to show those ingredients in a relatively pure form. The downside is that I've always felt Craft is overpriced.

Oakapple, in terms of what they do with the rest of the animal, that's just how fine restaurants buy meat. They (as well as Japanese importers and other exclusive purveyors) buy the premium cuts from the best cattle and the rest goes into various lower levels of the distribution system.

[adamru]

They did serve wagyu last night. As we learned the policy last night was to order one first dish and one steak dish both to share and then one side each. So we opted for the larger dishes versus the most expensive, but we could have shared the $98 wagyu 14 oz ribeye, I just didn't think it was enough food for the two of us at that point in the evening.

Also, I was looking at that NYTimes article from last fall about all the new restaurants opening and there was supposed to be a another steakhouse in the neighborhood, STK on Little West 12th but I never heard of it anywhere else ever again. Anyone know what happened to it?

Edited May 2, 2006 by adamru (log)

[BryanZ]

adamru, you're a very lucky man.

[oakapple]

So many new steakhouses, so little time. That's the feeling I have these days, with high-profile steakhouses opening almost weekly. Craftsteak is special, being a creation of the sainted Tom Colicchio (Gramercy Tavern, Craft, Craftbar, Craftsteak Las vegas).

The space is comfortable and gorgeous. My friend was distracted all evening by a spectacular mural of the Chelsea landscape that takes up the whole back wall. You never thought Chelsea looked so good! I was, on the other hand, distracted by the floor-to-ceiling wine cellar that separates the dining room from the bar, where there is ample seating for the casual visitor.

The menu has undergone some refinement from earlier versions posted on the net. On Saturday night, the Wagyu tasting menus, which had ranged anywhere from $115-165 per person, were no longer on offer. Gone too was the prime rib, which had carried a price tag of anywhere from $180-240. I suspect the whole lobe of foie gras ($160) may be an endangered spiecies. Our server said that it has been ordered only twice.

A normal order of foie gras is $20. Our server was not informed as to how it was prepared. "I don't know...it changes daily" was all he could say, but he felt sure it came with toast points. Turns out it didn't. It was still a portion of seared foie gras ample enough to be shared (as we had expected), and sinfully good, but the server ought to know what's coming.

A ribeye for two ($72) struck us as under-sized. This does not seem to be a problem for the restaurant generally. A glance at other tables showed that most steaks were enormous. But this ribeye seemed only slightly larger than the typical steak for one. It yielded just nine small slices of beef. Luckily, we are not huge eaters, but I suspect others would have been disappointed.

One could find no fault with the beef itself, which was perfectly marbled and expertly cooked. We noted that it was grilled, rather than broiled, and did not have the exterior char that many steakhouses provide. It came with a bone on the side filled with gooey marrow. To top it off, we ordered the English Pea and Morel risotto ($22), which was superb.

Aside from the foie gras confusion, service was just fine. The amuse bouche was tasty, although I've forgotten what was in it. The bread, which came hot out of the oven, in its own cast-iron pan, was irresistible.

[Cleo]

My husband and I had dinner at Craftsteak on Saturday night as well. The place is very nice and I liked the atmosphere. I was somewhat surprised that even on a Saturday night, there were several empty tables.

That bread, while so simple, was delicious and addicting. The amuse bouche was some kind of chickpea mixture on a crostini with a slice of duck ham on top. Very tasty, but salty.

I started with the fava bean salad. I was actually looking forward to a hearts of romaine Caesar salad which I could swear I had seen on some rendition of the menu prior to the dinner, but it wasn’t there. The fava bean salad was a very generous portion of blanched fava beans with pecorino cheese, olive oil and something else, but I can’t remember what. Good, but salty. My husband started with the grilled Hawaiian prawns (6 of them). I didn’t taste any of it, but he seemed to enjoy it.

A short time later, a server came over and put down a plate of fluke. We said that we didn’t order it and he seemed a bit confused. He left and then came back with the plate to let us know that it was compliments of the chef. Not my thing, but my husband liked it.

For an entrée, I had the Ridgefield Farm Corn-Fed Premium Hereford Beef New York Strip, aged 35 Days ($48). It was humongous. While the meat was good, I like it better when it has that char on the outside. My husband had the Wagyu Filet Mignon ($110). When he took his first bite, he said “mmm, buttery”. I kept asking him if he noticed a difference between this Wagyu and a regular filet mignon, and he said that this was definitely the tenderest piece of meat that he has had. However, maybe because his expectations were so high, he was not quite as enthusiastic as we both would have thought.

For sides we had the fries and the polenta. Polenta was delicious and fries were good, but once again, too salty. The table next to us had an order of onion rings which looked fabulous, but since my husband doesn’t like onion rings, I didn’t order them. The portion was large and I just didn’t need them (but I really wanted them!).

We were stuffed, but managed to eat dessert – a Chocolate Tart with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Caramel Ice Cream ($12). It was excellent.

We didn’t drink wine (I’m 5 months pregnant), but my husband had some kind of beer and I had 2 sodas. The bill came out to $255 including tax but before tip.

I think I had read somewhere that much of the food was salty. As you can see, I found this to be the case. Overall, an enjoyable meal. Our waiter was knowledgeable and very nice. I’m just not sure that with all of the other options for good/great steak in the city right now, I would run back so quickly.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Cleo (log)

[flinflon28]

Met a friend for drinks at Craftsteak last night and ended up having a light meal as well. Service at the bar was friendly and helpful and the overall vibe was fantastic. A complimentary crostini with chickpea puree and and what I think was duck ham was very nice. We tried every oyster at the raw bar and they were terrific. came with fresh horseradish, lemon wedges and cicktail sauce if I recall correctly. Also tried the sweetbread appetizer and it was amazing. Very crisp exterior and nice and soft in the middle. The roasted baby shittakes were nothing special and could have used a bit more seasoning. The kitchen sent out a complimentary dish of salmon crudo (I think...started to get foggy after our third bottle of wine) which was the highlight of the meal. But that spotlight can easily be shared with their onion rings which were out of this world. They also sent out a complimentary side of english peas which were expertly cooked but lacked salt.

I am very eager to return for a full meal soon.

[jimk]

Going to craftsteak tonight for the first time with my wife and a friend visiting from Jakarta. Interested in hearing about any recent experiences that haven't been posted here already. We're planning to order three steaks and share all three to maximize comparing and contrasting pleasure ... I'm thinking maybe a Hawaiian grass-fed NY strip and a Ridgefield corn-fed 35 day strip but can't decide on the third ... maybe one of the older strips (48 or 54 day? what happens to the flavor when you give it that kind of aging - does it get extra mellow, or does it intensify or what? what about texture?) Or maybe a Wagyu for the third (although I'm always disappointed when I try Wagyu - I guess because I've been spoiled by the chance to eat really great Kobe beef in Japan a few times) ... anyway, any advice would be much appreciated.

[tommy]

i found the 49 day aged strip unremarkable, whereas my companions liked it a lot. i just didn't get much minerally flavor that i'd expect from something aged that long.

the grass fed strip blew me away, although my guests were not quite as convinced. it was the closest that i've ever gotten to florentine beef in the US. rich and herbal.

we were all reasonably pleased with the wagyu selections, of which we tried 2: rib eye and flatiron. i guess everyone really liked the texture. i'm not convinced that wagyu is necessarily big on flavor, though. my tastes apparently lean more towards assertive beefy minerally flavors.

if i go back i'm going straight for the grass-fed. you can get corn fed anywhere, so i don't see the big draw here.

the tuna tartar starter and soft-shell crabs were quite tasty as well.

Edited June 12, 2006 by tommy (log)

[flinflon28]

i found the 49 day aged strip unremarkable, whereas  my companions liked it a lot.  i just didn't get much minerally flavor that i'd expect from something aged that long.

the grass fed strip blew me away, although my guests were not quite as convinced.  it was the closest that i've ever gotten to florentine beef in the US.  rich and herbal. 

we were all reasonably pleased with the wagyu selections, of which we tried 2:  rib eye and flatiron.  i guess everyone really liked the texture.  i'm not convinced that wagyu is necessarily big on flavor, though.  my tastes apparently lean more towards assertive beefy minerally flavors.

if i go back i'm going straight for the grass-fed.  you can get corn fed anywhere, so i don't see the big draw here.

the tuna tartar starter and soft-shell crabs were quite tasty as well.

←

I had he Grass Fed Steak and found it great for three bites and then it became just regular meat to me. I really missed the char that other steakhouses put onto their meat too. Definitely get the onion rings and Soft Shell crab if available. The Sweetbread appetizer is wonderful as well. There was also a wine by the glass which I THINk was a Seven Hills Cabernet that went really well with my grass fed steak.

Enjoy!

[jimk]

Thanks to those who offered advice yesterday. Thought the least I could do was give you a quick report on our dinner. On the whole, it was a lovely dinner. In terms of hospitality, service was a notch up from Craft proper (where I've always found the staff to either be junior-and-nervous or senior-and-frosty), but a bit more clenched than Gramercy Tavern. The dining space itself is nice but the venue as a whole feels underpopulated. You come into the restaurant through a bar area that seemed like a work-in-progress - felt like a semi-disassembled hotel banquet room ... dining room is lovely though - high ceiling, and a huge painting on one wall of the view uptown from the Meat Packing district. Really great lighting, comfortable banquets, lots of space between tables.

We skipped cocktails (having come straight from Pegu) ... Two of us had the sweetbreads to start, one had the lobster bisque. The bisque was spectacular - the best I've ever tasted. The soup manage to carry an intensely fresh flavor of lobster, and the butter and cream somehow seemed to stand on their own, as though they were complementing the flavor of the lobster rather than just serving as a vehicle for it. The sweetbread dish managed to be both great and the only real misstep of the evening. The serving of three sweetbreads was generous (easily sharable by two as an app) and the first two sweetbreads I had were probably the best I've ever had. The third (and largest) was sadly underdone and had an unfortunate squishy and slightly damp texture ... I pointed it out to the server who took it away to show the chef and offered to cook me another sweetbread. I declined, as it would have thrown off the pace of our dinner, but I was a bit disappointed and surprised that he didn't take it off the bill or send over a drink after dinner or something.

For our mains, we shared three NY strips (all steak - no kidding) ... one was the Hawaiian grass fed, the others were Ridgefield, one aged 35 days and the other was 49 day. My fave was the grass fed, but the others perferred the 49 day by a nose. The difference between the 35 and the 49 was pretty subtle ... the 49 was perhaps a bit more flavorful but definitely more tender. Foro me, it wasn't that the grass-fed necessarily tasted "better" - it was just very different from what I'm accustomed to, more intense and almost herby flavor that I could enjoy both viscerally and intellectually.

Sides were all solid - we had fries, zuchini blossoms, butter-braised English peas, and hen of the woods mushrooms ... all were simple but packed with flavor. The fries blew me away. We didn't find anything oversalted but we tend to enjoy things on the salty side. We skipped dessert and opted for some interesting sweet Italian wines instead (a vin santo and a Piedmontese Bigaro that was incredible). The bill for the three of us was about $500 before tip, but more than $200 of that was wine ... a Gruner with the first course and a spectacular '98 Macayamas (sp?) with our mains.

Bottom line - I'll be back. It's expensive, so it's not a casual drop by anytime kind of place. On the whole, the surroundings and the service and the sides are so much better than Luger that even if I'd probably just slightly prefer a Luger portehouse, I'd definitely rather spend an evening at Craftsteak.

[adegiulio]

I'm going to craftsteak tomorrow with a buddy. I checked out the wine list online and I have to say....it looks kinda weak. They are offering these wonderful cuts of beef, but no first growth Bordeaux? There are 9 bordeaux listed...Is the list they have on their website REALLY their complete list? Or is the website just not updated??

[tommy]

I'm going to craftsteak tomorrow with a buddy. I checked out the wine list online and I have to say....it looks kinda weak. They are offering these wonderful cuts of beef, but no first growth Bordeaux? There are 9 bordeaux listed...Is the list they have on their website REALLY their complete list? Or is the website just not updated??

←

well, i ordered the least expensive bottle from the list, and i can tell you that that one is indeed on the website's list.

do yourself a favor and order your steak sans thyme, which they apparently put on all of their steaks. that is, of course, unless you want all of your steaks to taste like thyme.

[adegiulio]

Thanks for the advice Tommy, I did indeed ask for no thyme on our steaks. We split a grade 10 wagyu ribeye and an Hawaiian grassfed strip. Obviously, the Wagyu was like eating beef infused butter. I prefered the flavor of the Hawaiian, as well as its heartier texture. For my taste, neither steak was better than a dry aged prime strip from Lobels. At $320, the ribeye somehow makes Lobels look like a bargain.

The big issue with craftsteak is their lousy winelist. Odd vintages (who sells '83 Bordeaux?), strange wines, no big names. I think their white selections are better than their red, a silly focus for a steakhouse. Their list at the Las Vegas shop seems much more complete and in line with the premium beef they are selling.

Overall, a nice "gotta try it" experience. I doubt I will be back. I can get better (IMO) meat and better wine at other places, for a lot less $$$

[Sneakeater]

This is a stupid thing to argue about, and I apologize in advance for it, but 1983 was a very good Bordeaux vintage that (assuming the right bottles) still drinks pretty well. What do you expect, a lot of '82s?

[adegiulio]

Sure, I'll agree that 1983 is a well regarded vintage. It's just that I wouldn't expect an '83 offering and NO 1982's. Or 1990's. California Cabernets were restricted to 2001-2003 vintages, with a few 1998s thrown in.

It's possible to find nice wine on this list. It just doesn't have the depth I would expect from a premium steakhouse...

Oh, and don't apologize...you make a legitimate point

Edited June 15, 2006 by adegiulio (log)

[jimk]

This is a stupid thing to argue about, and I apologize in advance for it, but 1983 was a very good Bordeaux vintage that (assuming the right bottles) still drinks pretty well.  What do you expect, a lot of '82s?

←

Yep, 83 was a dandy year in Bordeaux, and the better wines are still drinking well.

I also thought the wine list was fine ... the red list was definitely focussed on New World wines but I've always tended to associate the American Steakhouse with California Cab. I didn't even really look at the French reds ... And sure, there weren't tons of huge names on the list but on the whole I thought it was an interesting and well-chosen selection. I'd rather have a list of high quality esoteric wines than a compendium of the usual suspects ... but then what do I know ... I actually liked the thyme with my steak!

[adegiulio]

Las Vegas craftsteak wine list

If this list is good enough for Vegas, it should be good enough for NYC....

[tommy]

Las Vegas craftsteak wine list

If this list is good enough for Vegas, it should be good enough for NYC....

←

you're right! damn, i wish the NY outpost carried that negroamaro for 32 bucks. i wouldn't have had to spend 60!

[jimk]

Sure, I'll agree that 1983 is a well regarded vintage. It's just that I wouldn't expect an '83 offering and NO 1982's. Or 1990's. California Cabernets were restricted to 2001-2003 vintages, with a few 1998s thrown in.

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We had a '98 Mayacamas (sp?) that was outstanding ...