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I have to get this out of the way before we begin. I heart Tom Colicchio. Some refer to him as my boyfriend. Well, OK, mainly it's just me that refers to him as my boyfriend, and an imaginary one at that... but oh! what a boyfriend he is.
Alright, let's talk food and stuff.
We were the nightmare table. After a long day on a production shoot, two of us rolled in and the hotel concierge made us reservations at 9pm, followed by a complimentary glass of bubbly. Always good in my book. Within ten minutes of being seated, our party started to grow. As more of our crew got back from set and the clock drew closer to 10pm (kitchen closes at 10pm on week days, I guess), we ended up being a tired, somewhat grumpy bunch of eight. Nine if you count the straggler girl who just drank.
The waiter and front of house guy made every effort to smile and put tables together, provide recommendations on shareable items for the table, send out amuses, refill our wines and basically treat us like a rowdy extended family (who you only have to see once a year).
Food. Sweetbabyjesus the short rib! And scallops. I am ruined for scallops! Roasted sunchoke, ridiculous gnocchi... Next time I'm in Dallas, you'll find me here.
Oh and by the way, the lighting -- the actual lights -- are so charming and chairs comfortable.
Tom Colicchio has a new nickname. Tom Salt-lickio.
We stopped by for breakfast after spending the night at the W Hotel. I wanted to try the place knowing it was Tom Colicchio's.
We were tricked into paying for the $400 room by our meth-fiend friend (long story) so we wanted to keep it simple. I ordered a frittata with some frou-frou cheese and a fancy pepper, and a glass of orange juice. The husband maybe got something with ham and toast but it was obviously not memorable.
This when I was still new to haute cuisine so I didn't know that I should have tossed the salty mess back to the kitchen and asked for my money back. Instead, my frugality forced me to gak it down.
I think the cheese amplified the oversalted eggs. The fancy peppers didn't have a taste (other than salt) and looked like sliced okra. When I wanted a respite from the saltiness, I drank the orange juice, which only attacked my sweet tastebuds. My entire tongue was throbbing with overstimulation.
There was absolutely no quality control going on here.
3.5 stars really????
I was hot when I read this! Anything less is lack of knowledge in the industry. If you noticed all the reviews under 4 and 5 stars are mostly from people eating there during Restaurant Week. They are coming in expecting a $100 plate for $30 (maybe what they charge)? Cheap people wanting a huge plate of crap like what they are used to. Well you came to the wrong place. Go back to the Country Buffet and eat your salisbury steaks.
This is one place where the Yelp community falters. A restaurant does something to show appreciation to the locals and lets the community try new things without having to pay full price. Then you get dumped on because you are bringing the wrong crowds in. People complaining about the foie gras not being the size of texas and 'what's this creamy crap inside the bone'? I wanna send it back. Pathetic!
I am so hot right now I can't even begin to talk about how all of my experiences dining in this establishment have been at the pinnacle of perfection. The service is always at the top of their game and the food is flawless!
Oh Craft. How sad you make me. I told everyone you were the best place in Dallas. Why you gotta make me look bad?
I was leaning towards 2 stars, but I'm giving this place a little pass...maybe RW is not their finest hour.
The food was good. Not spectacular.
Service was meh. Waiter kind'a had a little 'tude goin on.
Wine was superb.
I'm not gonna go into great detail, cause I think my 3 stars says it enough. However I will say that I really like how often their menu changes. It was completely different than the last time I was here, but the whole family style serving is still intact.
The 1st course was ground pork and a salad with cheese and toasted almonds (ok? real exciting here) and a tomato salad. Note: I do not heat any pig products (bacon, pork, ham, sausage...etc), and I don't like tomatoes *gasp*. So I had the lettuce with shredded cheese...oh and the almonds for course 1. K.
The only thing you actually picked was your main course. I chose scallops. The dish looked nekkid. It came on a white plate with just the scallops. No sauce. Nuthin. They were good, but I mean...sear it and serve. Side dishes were good. The mushrooms were outstanding. About 4 different kinds....filled my plate. Potatoes...garnished with bacon. Alas, I pick around it. Fine.
They have a new pastry chef. She's fantastic. I actually thought the dessert was the best part of the meal. 3 dif flavs of Sorbet, Panne cotta (WHICH WAS AMAZING...face cream worthy) and then a little lemon tart.
At the end of the night, after what seemed like 30 minutes to split our bill up, they turned the lights up. I felt like I should've gotten out my lighter for an encore. But I thought against it.
I have no idea what happened, but I can tell you that the last time I was here...I thought it was one of the best meals of my life. Now, I can tell you how sad I am about this...really Tom. *sigh*
One name: Tom Colicchio
That should do it.
In all seriousness, this is the best fine dining…
Read more »
Excellent restaurant. We had lamb for the main course. The presentation of the lamb was interesting. The wait staff was awesome. The setting was romantic. I had my one year anniversary with my ex bf. It was a good night. The food there was great.
I have been looking forward to dining at Craft for quite some time. As a major fan of Tom Colicchio and Top Chef--my expectations were very high.
Unfortunately, I have been let down. I attended during Restaurant Week--which may have been a mistake. The appetizers were ok, the entrees were ok, the dessert was fabulous and the wine was excellent.
I am upset that the food was JUST OK. I was expecting amazing.
Now--for some good stuff--the gelato was delish--mango-basil, watermelon, and strawberry... I preferred them in that order...
White Chocolate Panna Cotta with fresh blueberries --to die for...
The waiter was pretty cold--probably a result of Restaurant Week bias--which is crap, because the restaurant is raising money for charity and creating a loyal following when participating properly.
I'll go again and give it a second chance--hopefully it will not disappoint again!
The food here was on point and decently priced. It's family style but we still got two entrees, the steak and fish. The steak was really good and was topped with a fantastic sauce. The fish was above average.
My beef is with their wine pricing. We dropped $40 on a bottle and were real surprised when they brought out a 350 ml bottle with a screw cap. WTF. I'm no cheapskate but give me a break.
I still drank that jones though. And I liked it.
And now I present for you for the final time in 2009, Dana's B.'s Simple Restaurant Week (RW) Disclaimer in 3...2...1...
I believe you can tell a lot about a restaurant in how they "handle" RW. Yes, a portion of your noticeably discounted meal is going to charity, but a great restaurant notices that patrons who wouldn't normally dine at said restaurant are, and that the opportunity is upon them to treat you like gold and perhaps you'll dine there again....at the nondiscounted rate. It's Restaurant Customer Service For Dummies. I should pen the book. But I digress...
It's taken me 2 good nights sleep, lots of shower time thinking, and many cups of coffee to write this review. I had to invoke the 24 hour rule...or in this case, the 36 hour rule. Didn't want to fly off the handle and say something I may regret. That said, with a heavy heart, here in lies my Craft review...
Talk about hype. I haven't heard this much hype since Michael Jordan decided to strap back on his AirJordans and sink jump shots for the Wizards. Oh, the hype. And, why? Is it Tom Colicchio? Is it the W? I think I may need more time in the shower to ponder this one...
I'm fairly certain (and I say this as I imagine the proverbial cyberspace rotten tomatoes being thrown at my face) that no one would go here if not for the enormous success of Top Chef and the fact that it lies in one of the trendiest/hippest hotels in Dallas. And, it is because of those 2 facts that perhaps they've decided not to try as hard. AND I'm not saying they don't try, they don't try as hard. (Man I wish there was an italicize font on this puppy.)
I promise there's a review in here somewhere....
The basics:
6 Foodies
Sunday, the final night of RW
Awesome circular table
Hunger palpitating from our baited breath.
Course I
Salad (which needed more dressing. I swear. Not a "would you like some salad with your dressing" scenario, but could you spare some?)
Heirloom Tomatoes w/ Balsamic (I could make this dish in my sleep)
And for the life of me, I have not a clue what this dish is called, but imagine with me: Ground pork served in a mini skillet, a fig relish, and toasted rounds. I think I liked it because it was the most intriguing item on the table. If it was served at say an Applebees (Yes, I just said Applebees in a Craft review) I would've called foul.
Course II
Dishes came family style (even our personally ordered ones, which I'm fine with):
Yellow fin Tuna (totally 1000% didn't see this coming) sliced in to pieces larger than sashimi, but not in steak form. COMPLETELY over done. Medium rare it was not. Shameful.
Rabbit cavatelli - delish, however not enough meat in my opinion for a "family style" dish
Scallops - Nice work, Craft. You seared a scallop. The dish du jour. Every restaurant in America is searing scallops these days. Creative.
Wagyu beef - The dish du jour part II. The sauce on this one was the star. Rich, yet not over powerful. Scraped the plate clean. Yum!
An amazing plate of mixed mushrooms.
Fingerling potatoes with AMAZING bits of bacon. OMG YUM.
And a plate of root vegetables. I had A PIECE of broccolini. What is with the measly portions? I mean, now it's getting ridiculous. There were 6 of us, so by the time it got to me I could choose from 1 stem of broccolini and a baby carrot. It was like Thanksgiving on a budget.
Dessert:
3 Sorbets: Mango w/ basil, Watermelon, & Strawberry Cream. All delicious and refreshing.
3 lemon tartlettes - good. not great
And the star of the show: panne cotta with blueberry sauce.
Did I mention our server looked like Milli of Milli Vanilli fame/disgrace? I would've appreciated a little bit more from this guy. Not a whole helluva lot, but he's the one waiter in all of my RW meals this year that I could tell could care less about us returning. 6 shmucks out for a deal. I may be cheap, but I'm cheap with a discerning palate.
And, it is because of that, portion size, the uninspired salads & veggies, the overdone tuna, and the fact that you TURNED THE LIGHTS ON at the end of our meal to designate closing time (soooooo super shady and lame), Craft, that you receive 2 stars.
It's a sad, sad day in Foodie land.
My husband and I ate here for our first anniversary. Overall, the food was pretty spectacular. We enjoyed the prix fixe menu so that our decisions were fewer (it was just that hard for us to decide). We had beef tenderloin and braised beef cheek, both of which were perfect. The wine was a bit pricy, as to be expected, but tasty nonetheless.
My only disappointment would have to have been the waitstaff. To them, it was obvious that my husband and I aren't dining at these types of restaurants on a weekly basis, and they made us feel just as though. They weren't very helpful with suggestions for the menu, which might be nice in a "family style" setting.
I'm a fan of Top Chef. Was reading about the show and Tom Colicchio, so looked up Craft website. Amber has converted me to the merits of going out for brunch, so we met for brunch at Craft.
I look forward to brunch being a casual time to meet friends without the noise of a weekend night. Craft is pretty formal, so brunch wasn't exactly casual but fortunately still relaxing. And I'm guessing the quality of the food and preparation was equivalent to what you'd get at dinner.
While waiting for the food, they brought a board of pastries - two muffins, a bacon/cheese scone, and coffee cake. I would've ordered a few more of the scones to take home if they had a bakery.
Tried the french toast - lightly crisp, not chewy. Housemade preserves were great. Tasted like blackberry, but I detected not one tiny seed to get stuck in my teeth. He ordered the shortribs and hash -incredibly tender in a savory sauce, almost like a stew.
I'd definitely try Craft again. Maybe next time will try lunch and work my way up to dinner.
Best meal I have ever eaten! Very pricey but well worth it. Staff was freindly as well. Not snooty like you find in other upscale restaurants. Perfect for special occasions!
I was in the W Hotel after an event I attended for Ducati North America, and i asked the concierge where a good place to eat breakfast, she recommended this place. I'll agree the food was pretty good, and also pretty expensive.
I got the egg Fritatta (probably spelled wrong) with mushrooms, tomato, and ham. It was very tasty and I liked it alot, but for $12 I was expecting more, perhaps even a foot massage or something. I believe I was most annoyed when I was upsold a blue berry muffin (but when I got it there were actually 2) for $5. They were bite size, I mean it was rediculous how small they were. They were also very bitter, and actually tasted like Lemon, not blueberry...
Personally if they were to come with the main course, I wouldn't have complained here, but when I got my bill, and it was $21 including tax, I was a little annoyed. Talk about being gouged for the sake of the decorations. Unless you are visiting from out of state, and have no means of transportation, other than by taxi, or you have this compuslive need to eat somewhere that makes you feel "cool and modern high-roller" go somewhere else. I'm sure Dallas has better things to offer for breakfast.
Craft, or should I say "typical crappy hotel restaurant as of summer 2009", has decided to apparently stop preparing delicious edible foods and providing exceptional service, and has instead gone with the mantra "all I'm concerned with is overhead" hotel people and terrible plain old ordinary food.
My most recent visit left a lot to be imagined, the food was not even in the same league as it was before, and the wine suggestions were poor at best? This was my last visit to Craft, and I wouldn't waste the money again! Did the people working there lose interest or not care anymore, or did the ones that did run away crying? What happened?
I was very impressed with the service level at Craft. I had called earlier in the day to ask about parking and valet. I was extremely impressed that when we arrived for our reservation she somehow knew it was me that had called early in the day and asked if the valet was acceptable. WOW, I love that they took notes and paid such attention to detail. She even remembered we were going to the Celine Dion concert and wished us a good time when we left. I LOVE THAT. I would have given Craft 5stars had it not been for my entree. I had the Alaskan Cod with King Crab...the first two bites melted in my mouth but each bite after became increasingly buttery. By the end of the dish I couldnt take the buttery sauce any longer. Luckily the Risotto saved the day!
Great experience!
I had lunch at Craft yesterday and I honestly believe that I had one of the best meals of my life. They first brought out the bread board, with soft butter and it was OK. Nothing magical, but good hearty bread. I had the prix fixe lunch and it was worth every single of the $28 that it cost. I started with the arugula, grapes and parmesan salad. It was supposed to also have almonds but I didn't notice any. The salad was good. Not outstanding. The main course was amazing. Roasted sirloin perfectly prepared "medium" that just melted in my mouth. Potato puree was just short of orgasmic. And the side of roasted veggies (onion, squash, asparagus, carrots) were just right crisp and browned. Everything was just perfectly flavored. Then came dessert - choc chip cookie with vanilla malt ice cream. The waitress was sweet to bring an extra cookie, so that my friend could share. I wish I hadn't offered to share. Warm, chocolatey, melt in your mouth cookie and the ice cream was sooo good. I'm not an ice cream person, but I may be a convert.
My friend had the yellowfin tuna sandwich which she loved, but had to take half of it home because it was huge. It came with a side of potato chips handmade on the premises and they were yummy. Crisp, very potatoey and salted just right. She only let me have a couple :(
We both had wine - i had a by the glass Gott merlot and she had a by the glass pinot. The wine was great, albeit extremely spendy. $13 to $16 per glass. And we had 5 glasses between us!!
A very expensive lunch, but the food, atmosphere and service were top rate. Someone remarked on the Vegas decor?? It was very tasteful and refined. Masculine and minimalist. Nothing even remotely Vegas about it. Our server was attentive without being intrusive. The restaurant was quiet. And we were given little freebie bags of Craft granola as we left.
I'll be back.
After spending nearly a week at the Dallas Victory, we decided that we couldn't leave without visiting one of Tom Colicchio's (aka Sexy Beast) restaurant, Craft.
I think what hits you first is the sleek and masculine decor. I love the feel of the thick, hand-carved mahogany tables and admiring the 2-story glass and metal wine cabinet... maybe it was just looking at all those wine bottles... or just some deep, dark, Freudian longing? Anyway, the wine list was superb and had most of my Napa faves.
The food was the best part. I really wanted to eat at the both LA and NYC Craft, but never got to it while in town. It's fantastic to know that this Dallas Craft can definitely hold it's own. As a big fan of Top Chef, I've listened to his reviews on the contestants and often wondered what his own palette is really like. Craft's menu certainly reflected his tastes and culinary whim.
We started of with - what else - the seared fois gras. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount on the plate. My bf had the arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette which he enjoyed. Because we just got back from snacking at a Stars game across the street at the American Airlines Center, we decided to share a dinner entree and side.
We ordered the Diver Scallops with Mushroom Au Jus and the Gruyere and Caramelized Onions Risotto - both beautifully served in copper cookware. The scallops were perfectly seared and lightly seasoned, enabling us to taste how sweet and fresh it was. The risotto was velvety smoothed. I can see Tom's preferences in truly balanced dishes that are well-seasoned without going over-the top.
I remember a recent Top Chef episode where he spit out a very spicy habenero shrimp appetizer. In looking at his menu, you would never find anything spicy - compared to other chefs like Michelle Bernstein in Florida who loves it wickedly hot! (BTW - Just took a cooking course with her - it was awesome!)
Craft, similar to Craftsteak in Las Vegas, has gone beyond my expectations. I wish we had dined there earlier in the week instead of our last night in Dallas, I would have gone back again!
I am a fan of Craft. I have been to the location in LA multiple times and have had great experiences. I dined at Craft Dallas this past Valentine's Day and was slightly disappointed. When I made the reservation I was not told that the menu was a pre fixe tasting menu for the evening. Being an experienced Craft diner I was looking forward to their stellar a la carte menu and I most likely would have spent so much more. We also felt extremely rushed which was not cool. It just seemed that they wanted to turn as many tables as possible. I get it. That is the goal, but it really turned me off and I haven't returned since. Overall delicious food though.
I wanted to love this restaurant.
Upon arriving, we were promptly seated. Unfortunately, the tables are so wide, you either have to yell for your dinner companion to hear you, or sit next to each other, which is never appealing to me.
As soon as the waiter handed us the menus he asked what we'd like to drink. I asked for one minute to look at the wine list. One minute turned into 20. 20 minutes before even ordering wine.
The Heirloom Tomatoes were past their prime. The lettuce had browned. When I showed my waiter the brown lettuce, he just laughed and said "ooh". Yes, ooh. Point being, nothing tasted good, nothing looked good.
For being such a prominent figure on television, I would thing the man with his reputation attached to what could be a lovely restaurant would taste this food and revamp the menu. New chef, new wait staff. There are many wonderful chefs out there, and this one should be replaced by someone who can bring a meal that is as fierce as the name and setting imply.
Money is better spent on a room in the W rather than a dinner for 2. The atmosphere is lovely. The restaurant is not.
So what gives Colicchio? I had high hopes. You know, given your James Beard medals and all.
I like that you passed out complimentary amuse bouche to start off the meal - pumpkin shooter was a nice touch. I like that you serve sides family style - great way to sample. I like that we also received a nice treat of chocolate truffles and caramelized popcorn after dessert. I thought passing out a sample of your cranberry muffin after the meal was a nice gesture to showcase your brunch offering.
What I didn't like was well... most of the meal! You're always talking about how the most underrated seasonings are salt and pepper. I hate to tell you this, but almost all the food served was mediocre and verging on bland.
For a four-top we ordered:
starter:
different varieties of oysters (mine wasn't too briny - which was good)
entrees:
- diver scallops (good, but in reality...a safe dish that's hard to screw up)
- lemon sole (really bland and totally lackluster)
- rack of pork (tasted more like smokey bacon, which isn't bad)
- halibut (bland)
sides:
- gnocchi (one of the better sides) - really light and melted in my mouth
- baby shitake (good)
- polenta (best side) - could tell time was well invested in preparation
- broccoli rabe (good)
desserts:
- apple tart (average)
- huckleberry cobbler (average)
See what I mean? Everything was just meh. I was truly looking forward to this celebratory meal, but ended up disappointed. If I had a do-over, I would strictly dine on a meal of sides. They were the most flavorful and enjoyable part of the meal.
Also, validated parking does not equal comped. It's still $6 excluding tip!
Okay, Craft is good. Really good!
Starting out with the Baby Spinach and Applewood bacon was generous and convincing and was exactly what I was needing this particular evening. A cream of root soup Amuse Bouche was lightly and slightly scented with micro chives; a slight crunch and gorgeous cream.
The second plates were a succulent Alaskan Halibut that was amazingly fresh and sweet; the short-ribs and root vegetable was so fantastic as short-ribs need to be but rarely is--each taste was a convincing flavor profile of well done, uber tender meat; a rich but not think sauce tantalized each morsel. I love mushrooms and ordered the assorted mushrooms which was near perfection--this contained Abalone, oyster, Hen of the Woods, Baby Shitake, and Trumpet Royale; the Yukon Gold Puree is a must order; in a near rapid fire succession kept feeding myself this brilliant dish; this was nearly my dessert.
Dessert is a wonderful scalable experience; I ordered a roasted banana and Mexican vanilla ice cream; I don't know how they roast the banana but it comes out perfect each time; I have never been able to replicate this dish; and because it was my birthday I got a flour less chocolate cake which was a very generous size.
We received some cookies to top off our evening; the lavender cookie was brilliant. The service was masterly, elegant, respectful and fully attendant without over doing it. I love Craft's environs-- understated and yet cooly elegant.
I enjoyed my experience at Craft and look forward to my return.
I'm sad that I didn't like Craft more. I really really wanted to, but it just didn't happen. We were there during restaurant week so this is a RW review (if anyone is curious).
We arrived on time for our reservation, but were a person short of our 3 person reservation and so we had to wait 10+ minutes for a 2 top table to open up which was kind of annoying. I love it when everyone that comes in gets seated right away and I have time to browse an entire magazine before I'm seated, but maybe that's our fault for my fiance being out of town. Either way - Unimpressed #1
We were finally seated and the service was a little slow, but nothing terrible. The bread arrived and the ice cold butter was a big turn off. If the bread isn't warm enough to melt the butter then you should serve it to me at a spreadable temperature. Unimpressed #2.
The first course arrived. Some kind of salmon dip with large cracker-ish pita chip things. I don't eat salmon, but the cracker thing had a lot of black pepper flavor to it. The salad was decent - greens with a sherry vinaigrette and a smear of goat cheese on the plate. The goat cheese was needed to balance the dressing, but the salad was - you guessed it underwhelming. Heirloom tomato salad was the best of the tree, but in my opinion it felt like it was missing fresh mozzarella, but perhaps that's just what I'm used to. Overall the first course left me.. Unimpressed #3
The main course arrived and looked tasty. I got the short rib and Aimee got the scallops (2). It was served with family style Potato Gratin, roasted mushrooms, and farmers market vegetables. I ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli with Summer truffle as an additional side also. The Short rib was fantastic - fall apart tender, great flavor, loved it. The potato gratin was delicious as well. The cavatelli was fantastic, but not really the portion I expected for the price. The vegetables were a little salty and as much as I love mushrooms - they just didn't do it for me. Overall impression of main course - Mostly impressed with slight disappointment.
Dessert was also family style. Lemon custard cake with black berries - tasted greasy - yuck. Vanilla ice cream and black currant sherbet - not sure how you can mess up vanilla ice cream, but they did and the sherbet tasted like a candle. Seriously. The cookie plate was bite size pecan brownies (yuck - gritty and tasted like cocoa powder), white chocolate macadamia nut cookies - yum warm from the oven, and these chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies that were the star of the show. A chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookie is the star of the show? That's when you know dessert is disappointing. Unimpressed #4
After dessert they dropped out a strawberry jelly(ehh) and some chocolate covered sunflower seeds (yum!). Neither impressed or unimpressed.
I like the way you pick up your to-go box from the host area on the way out . They validated my valet parking and I still had to pay $6 for it - what's that? Thanks for partially comping my parking? That's almost as cool as getting my diet coke from room service - seriously! It was in the little glass bottle like in a mini bar and it was $4.50. I think they ordered it from W room service.
Overall - even though its RW I still expect more than this when I'm shelling out $100 for dinner. If I had paid full price for this experience it would have been 2 stars for sure. 3 actually feels a little high, but the main course was pretty delicious and the decor was nice too so I gave them the half star bonus.
So, Craft is in the W Hotel and is very nice for a hotel restaurant. And that's about the best I can say about it.
In one sense, I think it's very good: the food is interesting, they try hard and the service was excellent. However, in another very real sense, I was just completely underwhelmed with it.
I thought the food was only okay. I thought it seemed like the kind of food that's really hard to make and everything, but it just really didn't taste as good as it looked. Perhaps the best thing I had was the haricot vert, and that's not really saying too much.
The desert was also uninspiring. I mean, it's good. It's fine. It's trying to be really fancy food and it sort of works, sort of. However, I just never felt like it would be a fun place to go back to nor would I ever really crave anything off their menu.
However, if from some of the very positive reviews, you want to go here, I would never say it was bad. Just kind of blah...
Best meal of my life?
Probably.
I went to Craft with my dad. My food philosophy is "Tom Squared" - That is Tom Douglas and Tom Colicchio - luckily the latter opened a restaurant in Downtown Dallas and I was able to go there with my beloved father this June while visiting.
We walked in and there was going to be a 20 minute wait. We were led to the bar (not a Craft Bar- the Ghost Bar) Craft in Dallas is in the W Hotel - they house also The Ghost Bar, which I find both obnoxious and overpriced (that is 10 dollars for an unbelievably mediocre Cosmopolitan). Anyway, after the wait, and my Cosmo, the Maître D of Craft came to get us and we were seated.
The atmosphere is very warm and romantic, but as we all know that can also lead to a less than perfect reading atmosphere. My father, said (attempting to read the menu in his low lighting), "I can't see much in this lighting." Not even 1 minute later, a waiter came to him with a light/magnifying device combination.
1 Star.
Our waiter was fantastic. He answered all my questions. I'm a Libra and as an indecisive creature, I always ask questions. It's also important to me that I understand how the chef prepares certain things and every ingredient that goes into my body. He was very knowledgeable and could answer literally everything. It was great. His name was Joshua and if you go, maybe ask for him. He's that good.
1 Star.
The bread service was prompt. I was a little irritated by the ice cold butter on cold bread. It was hard and cold, which made you to scrape the bread too much and thus, made you compromise the integrity of the gorgeous and delicious multigrain bread. What I was most impressed by was the extra servings in between meals. Time and time again, I will go to an expensive restaurant that is overpriced for what you ordered and nothing else. Tom never lets me down! We started of with an (extra and complimentary) Salmon Tartre. We got the Romaine and Anchovy Salad - A fancy name for Caesar salad. For a starter. I also got amazing fingerling potatoes as a side to my Copper River Salmon with Dill Flower.
1 Star.
QUICK CON: I hated the Dill Flower and I also hated the shaved fennel on the side of my plate. There was no depth of flavor there. It was too much with not enough complexity. But we all have our flaws.
The Salmon was very good. My dad got the quail, which was devoured but he had to take some to go because the portion was so generous. We then were served a small bowl of white currants (which I liked, I prefer black but they were lovely) and then our dessert came out.
We got the fruit plate as well as the blueberry cobbler. I'm NOT a fan of biscuit cobblers. They have the tendency to get really gooey and snotty and disgusting. But my dad wanted it. He was right. The cobbler was amazing. I couldn't believe how good it was. The biscuit was perfect. After dinner, we continued drinking coffee and were served 2 micro-brownies with a ramekin of caramel popcorn. A nice finish. My dad then said, "The only thing that could make this better would be a massage." Not 3 minutes later did a female manager come and rub his shoulders after collecting his sugar papers. It was insane.
1 Star.
Joshua, then came to check on us. We assured him it was outstanding. The service, food, atmosphere. He then brought the Chef de Cuisine, Tony, out to meet me and we had a nice conversation about the Craft family and the intentions of the Dallas Craft over the next few years. He was lovely.
1 Star.
We then made our way to the front and picked up our left over food box. And the valet drove up our car. 5 dollars parking for an amazing experience and all night stay if you want? Perfect.
So if I did my math right that equals 5 Stars. I would have giving one more if I could for them not making me box my food myself and carry it out through the restaurant.
Thank you, Tom!
Restaurant Week Review:
We got there about 830. I had originally made the reservation for 3 people, not knowing for sure if Jenn's DF was going to be in town or not. It turns out that he was off on business, so it was just the two of us. Because of which, we had to wait a good 10 minutes for a small two top by the window. It's not like they were full and didn't have empty tables throughout the restaurant.
I have a feeling our waiter sized us up before he even came to the table, not even offering to describe or suggest a bottle of wine to us. I guess he was right, since I hate wine... but our service the rest of the evening was, I'd have to say... a bit standoff-sih.
Let me tell you about room temperature bread and ice cold butter. Guess what? It doesn't spread. Um, yeah... so no matter how nice it was that you thought enough to offer me a black cloth napkin instead of white... the cold butter just threw that point out of the window.
The food as a whole just really underwhelmed me. The salad, greens with a sherry vinaigrette and a smear of goat cheese, made with field greens excited me because I could eat it. It was probably one of the best parts of the night.
The heirloom tomato salad needed some salt, mozzarella, basil or something (which I think all the salt landed on the rest of my meal). The smoked salmon rillet, a dip of sorts, served with black pepper thin crackers was decent. I had full reign over this portion of the meal since Jenn sticks to mainly LandBased foods.
I ordered the scallop, which on it's own was fine. Actually, the scallop was perfectly prepared and probably the best I've ever had... hence the 3 stars instead of 2. The bite of the short rib had was very tender, the sauce had a nice hearty flavor and consistency. The roasted wild mushrooms had no wow factor. I love mushrooms and was really looking forward to this part of the meal, but they just didn't do it for me.
The mixed vegetables, consisting of zucchini, broccolini, cippolini onions, asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes were margarita-rim salty. The potato gratin easily stole this part of the show. We hadn't gone shopping at Central Market so we didn't have the coupon for the optional 4th course.. but as coincidence would have it... the Ricotta Cavatelli with Summer truffle was the same thing that Jenn decided to order extra.
The desserts, what I was hoping would be the saving grace, weren't. The Lemon Custard Cake with Blackberries was greasy and luke warm. The ice cream sampler of Vanilla and Black Currant were just disappointing. Blue Bell makes better vanilla ice cream and the black currant was just waxy (like a candle Jenn said).
Then the cookie plate. White chocolate macadamia nut and Chocolate Peanut Butter were pretty good, but the brownie was gritty to the point that it tasted like all the cocoa powder didn't dissolve. We were just ready to either go home when the strawberry jelly things and the chocolate sunflower seeds arrived just a little to little too late.
We were expecting an Abacus rate meal... and it was far from it. I regretfully say this makes me wonder if the reason my favorite contestants on TopChef never win because of the fact that the head judge also owns this place.
A lot of places have differing reviews... as you will see by other Yelpers who went on the same night for Restaurant Week. Service has a lot to do with the end result and they had the "wow factor" in service. We were pretty much left alone. The menu wasn't described and the one question we asked was answered with a 30-second, "yeah, its good" kind of response.
To top it all off. Don't let the votes for "validated" parking fool you. It isn't fully validated... it is just discounted. You still end up paying $4 out of the original $10.
Outstanding. Nothing else to say.
Great decor sets the ambiance. The service was impeccable and seemed to anticipate anything we needed. Definitely go with a large group of people so you can try a lot of the menu.
Highlights: Any of the oysters. Foie Gras, Rabbit, Arugula Salad, Scallops, Kobe Beef, Applewood Smoked Bacon Risotto (ridiculous!), Hen of the Woods, Jerusalem Artichokes, Romanesco, Fingerlings.
It is really hard to go wrong here - and there is a superb wine list to complement the menu.
Make a reservation. Don't eat for two days prior. Go Nuts.
I wanted to eat at Craft because I know of Tom Colicchio from nearly the only program I watch, Top Chef (I avoid TV, but join my family to watch Top Chef and Project Runway, and so they are the only recent shows I have much cultural literacy about).
I really wanted to like the restaurant, and given how much I spent -- despite a carefully managed use of the menu -- I expected to enjoy it far more. Instead by the end of the meal, my mouth stung from the overuse of salt and sugar. What a sad surprise. Maybe if I had just gone all out and paid $50 for an entrée, I would have had a better meal. As it was, I chose half-orders of a salad and two sides, along with oysters and desert. Really with an entrée, it would have been far too much food. I conclude that unless you are ready to go all out on the check, and are eating with several others, the menu is not well designed. Here's how it stacked up:
Super: The oysters on the half-shell were wonderful. The wine (I forget the variety, but described as an Italian Zinfandel) was excellent.
Medium: The spinach salad with applewood bacon and grated egg - good but a bit insipid (I thought the grated egg was some kind of extra mild cheese for my first three bites). The cavetelli, wonderful texture, a bit too much garlic - didn't work as an entrée because it was too much of the same thing. The roasted bananas - brown sugar and spices - were good, but too sweet or they needed cream as a foil. The three amuse bouches I was given were nice treats, but so-so. The first was the best, a salmon tartar before my salad. Salty and crunchy - I could have had three more. The second, an orange gellee, was served before dessert. It was a bit too much like baby food, but interesting. The third was a bite of brownie (good) and some caramel popcorn (huh?! I just left it after trying two pieces).
Poor: The wild mushroom assortment was way over-salted. I left nearly half of it, and I usually eat every scrap. I should have ordered a green vegetable side to go with the cavatelli.
Service was attentive. Like another reviewer, I found it condescending that I was given a picture book on Bali and a Dining Guide magazine moments after I took my seat. Another downer: there was a party of drunken women first in the restaurant and then in the waiting area just past my table. The staff was trying to deal with them, but I wished that they would go sooner. On the up side, the waiter asked about my meal and I was pleased that he comped me for my espresso and dessert after I told him that the mushrooms were over salted. I also really appreciated the wait staff steering me to York Street for my next night's dinner. I was not given the blueberry muffin to take home (mentioned in reviews and that I saw at least one other party receive). Was that because I complained or because I didn't order an entrée? Overall, I wouldn't go back.
Can't go wrong here - Waygu beef & braised shortrib are big winners, scallops and foie gras is outstanding. we ordered family style and shared sides - love the little palette cleansers before each course - mini brownies after dinner are fabulous! - got to sit next to Tyler Florence of food network - tons of fun!
There are only so many Rockstar & True Religion jeans that one can endure seeing while tush watching at Craft, not to mention the over sized sunglases on the fashionista cool crowd, or as the locals call them, "Thousandaires", as they they pretend to be millionaires, but they only have a thousand in the bank, but the highlights of our brunch experience at Craft included attentive service and a fine, if not somewhat simple brunch of short rib hash, Crab Benedict and steel cut oats. Our meal included the three organic pastries, which were satisfying as well, though they would have been nice as an appetizer prior to our main course.
The restaurant itself is oh so Las Vegas - as my brother so adequately put it "It looks like the same architect and designer worked on all these restaurants". Not particularly green, but a cool effect, the approx 195 Victorian style, exposed light bulbs that hang above the center of the dining hall. The dining booths are nearly identical to their "W" cousin in San Francisco, XYZ - circular booths with the equally overused Chilewich placements, though I must admit to having a set at home for outdoor dining. The glass enclosed wine cellar is a la Aureole at the Mandalay Bay, sans the "Wine Angels". Tall, lit frosted glass rods, which looked like light sabers, separate the booths. The servers also did that silly "one hand behind your back" thing that seems to have failed at Michael Mina's Arcadia in San Jose, CA.
In reviewing the dinner menu, I suspect that Craft provides for more inventive supper options, however, with only three days left on this business trip and a few more local eateries to try, Craft might have to wait until I return to Dallas for a dinner date.
Wow, Craft gets my first 1 star review and it seems as though it is their first 1 star review. Where to start? I feel a little like there is something wrong with me given the hype and the popularity, but I won't be going back to find out.
It was really the whole experience from the snobby seeming waitstaff, to the ridiculous prices for what you got, to the average or below average taste to the Gramercy Tavern knockoff muffins at the end that weren't good.
In all the items, I feel like I sound like I don't know what I am talking about and who knows maybe I don't. We ordered salads to start. Of the three salads we got to split amongst the 4 of us, each of them was just not good. Very plain, not eventful and beyond that, just not good. Craft is described to us as family style, when it is more like tapas. For the entrees we ordered the scallops, the short ribs, and two different fish. One was striped bass and I can't remember the other. As sides we got the gnocchi, baby carrots, a rice dish and i can't remember what else else. There were literally 10 little gnocchi in the side, I think 11 baby carrots. The gnocchi was probably the best thing we had, but I think it was seemingly better by comparison to the rest of the meal. The carrots were flavorless. The scallops were 4 of the smaller scallops I have had and weren't impressive. I felt like I was in a commercial where they are making fun of a fancy pants restaurant and a waiter comes out with a dish with one pea, and eighth of a breast of chicken and half a leaf and set it in front of someone. Which is such a scenrio, it would be fine if the food was something to write home about.
So basically if you are staying at the W, go across the street to Nine (not my favorite but night and day better than Craft), the Boardroom across the other street is a decent sportsbar, if you want better food, go to Stephan Pyles, Al Biernats, Newports, Nick & Sams, Fearings, etc. Dallas has as many or more good restaurants as any city around, I recommend that you do not waste your time at Craft.
Walking into Craft, I immediately knew that I was in a fine establishment. The design of the restaurant is simply beautiful with modern touches, but not overdone with contemporary flair. The colors are rich and dark with a tall wine wall on one end, larged booths along the side and tables throughout. Although it was not crowded, it did not seem as though the tables would be cramped even if the restaurant were full. The lack of diners, however, made us concerned that Craft may have a short life in the W Hotel, unless they are willing to operate at a loss until business in that area picks up.
One thing you need to know when dining at Craft is that it is expensive. I am guessing the three stars from the other diners is a result of expectations not being met. Unfortunately, Craft kept its NYC prices here in the Big D and I am not sure that will fly for the long term. The portions of the entrees are small and are meant to be served family style. However, there is really only enough for two...maybe three people to share each dish. The sides, however, are large and can be passed around the table.
For appetizers, the oyster eater was happy. The rest of us shared a double order of the endive salad. It was pretty good, but not spectacular. The shortribs were really good, but we are not sure why they are "famous" here. They were tender but a little fatty. The duck was okay. I am a serious duck eater and this was on the low end of duck I have had in my life. There was nothing to it, no real flavoring and it was fattier than normal (I mean, I know duck is fatty, but it was particularly fatty).
The real jewels were the sides and dessert. I could seriously go here and just eat appetizers, sides and desserts, skipping the main course. They were that good and that big. The mushroom risotto, gnocchi and polenta were all top notch. I did not care too much for palenta until I had this masterpiece. Delish! The desserts were down home and simple. We ordered chocolate chip cookies, which were rich and warm, beignets, which came with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces and butter pecan ice cream. Everything was great.
The service was okay, nothing spectacular. They messed up the first round of drink orders and forgot olives for the martinis. After that, it improved. The amuse bouche, pre-dessert offering and petit fours were all great. All in all, I enjoyed my experience at Craft but am not sure it is worth the moullah. My best piece of advice...go when someone else is paying!
I knew I wanted to visit Craft while I was in Dallas to see how it matched up to its Los Angeles counterpart. I can safely say that we Angelenos are fortunately to have our particular Craft establishment, both in terms of service and food.
Craft Dallas is located in the W Hotel, which is an abomination to the eyes and ears, with bright, garish neon lighting and hordes of bleached blonde, silicone-enhanced guests. The restaurant itself seems ill-suited for this environment, with its muted tones, sophisticated lighting, and a jazz and blues soundtrack. (Halfway through dinner, loud, pulsating dance music from the adjacent club began blaring, competing with - and ultimately aurally bludgeoning - the Miles Davis playing at Craft.)
When I arrived, I was seated quickly and the hostess brought me an issue of Wine Spectator and a coffee table book on Bali. I would have appreciated this had I asked for reading material, but as someone who frequently dines alone in upscale establishments in different cities, I was offended that she brought these out as soon as I was seated. Frankly, I think this is the sort of thing that should only be done upon request.
The bread board was brought out almost immediately. The multi-grain bread is addictive, as is the white bread encrusted with toasted sesame seeds. Unfortunately, the butter was hard. My waiter, Jon, brought out a menu and a wine list for me; I already had an idea of what I wanted, since I'd checked out the offerings online before making my reservation.
When Jon asked for my wine order, I asked if he had recommended either the Zinfandel or the Pinot Noir offered by the glass. He surprised me by describing the difference between Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs and seemed taken aback when I responded that I was well aware of the characteristics of different wines and had been asking whether he recommended one or the other of the specific wines on the list. We agreed that I'd order dinner first, and here his service was more helpful.
I had wanted to try the Heirloom Tomato & Baby Basil salad, but the menu had just changed with the season. Jon recommended I instead try the Peruvian Octopus & Potato Confit and a half-order of the Chanterelle Risotto. He then suggested the 2004 Four Graces Pinot Noir as an accompaniment.
The wine was excellent - probably one of the best Pinots I've ever tasted, with lovely sweet and tart cherry notes. My amuse-bouche was crisped prosciutto with tiny cubes of kiwi and green apple; the flavors went together wonderfully, but the dicing of the fruit seemed a bit overzealous. The octopus was amazing; it came charred and had a smoky savory flavor balanced with an almost slight barbecue sweetness. The potatoes were also perfectly cooked and I nearly finished this entire dish. The risotto, on the other hand, wasn't as enjoyable. Jon said the dish was made with Parmesan cheese, which I normally love, but it had a funky taste, almost like a bleu cheese. I barely touched this before setting it aside.
For dessert, I ordered the Pumpkin Turnovers, Spiced Pears & Hazelnut Ice Cream. My dessert amuse bouche was salty watermelon granita - a perfect palate cleanser, with the sweet and salty playing together nicely. When dessert arrived, the two small pillows of pumpkin encased in pastry were wonderful, with a subtle sweetness that went really well with the hazelnut ice cream. The pears, unfortunately, were cloyingly sweet and overwhelming.
I almost forgot that the final amuse-bouche was Caramel Popcorn and a Chocolate Truffle. The truffle was delicious, but the popcorn was like bad Fiddle Faddle. Not exactly ending on a high note with that one.
Overall, this wasn't a terrible experience, but it wasn't the perfect Craft experience I had here in Los Angeles, nor was it what I would expect of a Tom Colicchio restaurant.
Simply divine. Sugar Bear and I adore Craft. We've enjoyed our experiences at the one here as well as Craftsteak in Las Vegas. Dinner is AMAZING, but try something different and check out the breakfast and brunch menus. Both are outstanding. Whenever you go (even if it is breakfast) try the cheese plates. Sugar Bear is a cheese fanatic and he was very pleased with their selections!
I first must confess that I enjoy watching food shows on TV. Secondly, I can be swayed to visit establishments fronted by celebrity chefs who talk up a good game on TV. Sure I was sucked into the hype that is Emeril but, in my defense, almost every meal with the Big E has been spectacular. I have been addicted to "Top Chef" since Day One and really buy into the pearls of wisdom offered every week by Chef Tom Colicchio. When he opened up in Dallas, amidst much fanfare and glowing reviews, I could not wait to plop down my wad of cash for some delectable morsels. Sadly, I may have been better off staying at home and watching Top Chef on TiVo instead.
Don't get me wrong, the restaurant itself is very nice. The subdued lighting from the hanging filament bulbs creates a romantic atmosphere and the food itself is created from quality ingredients but everything seemed to be lacking a little something that make a place great. Colicchio often criticizes contestants because their dishes don't have a "Wow-factor" and I would point the finger at Craft for the same thing.
The service is quite lackluster. There is a very large staff but they were too busy standing around to see we had no bread or needed tea refills. The meat courses were juicy but certainly didn't melt in your mouth. The risotto was well-stocked with shrimp but really heavy on the butter. The roasted mushrooms were fine but maybe could have used a dab of something to draw out the flavor more. Overall, the meal was just OK. I know this may seem a little picky but considering Colicchio's pedigree and the cost involved, I expected much more.
TV chefs, I'm calling you out. Any of you opening here in Dallas be prepared to bring your A-game or you will be asked to "pack your knives and go".
I had low expectations coming in. I read the reviews on Yelp (taken with a grain of salt), heard that it was all hype, etc... I was ready to rip into Colicchio's restaurant like he rips into the chefs on Top Chef. When I walked in, all these negative feelings faded away. I toyed with whether I should give this place 4 or 5 stars, if I reviewed it right away I would have given it 4, but now after having time to reflect it definitely deserves 5.
The decor was great. They had some really unique lighting structures which I thought were really cool. The placemats they used made me feel at home, especially since they are ones that my parents use at home. Overall a pretty amazing place to look at.
The idea is unique to this type of cuisine in the whole pro-family style and it worked extremely well. Our meal started with 12 very fresh oysters, some lobster, foie gras, and shrimp. Everything was cooked to perfection and was amazing. I was especially impressed with the foie gras. I expected it to be good, but it really was one of the best if not the best I've had in Dallas. For the main courses we had the guinea hen, kobe skirt steak, scallops, and the duck. Everything was fantastic. The weakest dish was the scallops, while they were cooked well and the flavors were great, it just didn't stand out next to the other main dishes. The steak was the best out of the 4 main dishes. The meat was lightly but perfectly seasoned and almost buttery and very tender.
One thing that really stuck out to me was how honest our waiter was. Generally when I go out and ask about a dish, no matter what dish it is, the waiter will say how good it is. Our waiter was very honest about which dishes he enjoyed and which ones he didn't like, and he was very detailed on why he didn't like them. I was really happy and impressed that they have staff like that.
The prices are expensive, but in no way for a quality meal like that are they unreasonable. This was really a 5 star experience, and would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a great place to eat and also has a fat wallet to splurge on it.
absolute BEST meal I've had in Dallas (but I didn't have to pay for it so that made it even tastier!) Besides for the awesome service, modern decor, and excellent ambiance, the food was just freakin awesome! Start with a ginger martini...it has a nice spice but not overpowering. Seared foie gras was different than most foie gras I've had but delightful. Diver scallops were huge and melted in my mouth like butta! Short rib was succulent. Risotto was darn tasty. I even loved the assorted mushrooms and I don't even like mushrooms! TRY IT ALL!
I was lucky enough to be treated to dinner at Craft last week, and it was even better than I expected. The place was gorgeous and the service matched up. I had a Craft cocktail to start, a really yummy concoction involving sprakling wine and starwberry rhubarb syrup.
We started with a couple of salads and I loved the beet salad - lots of places do some variation of beets and blue cheese, but something about the orange zest and the other flavors really made this stand out. For our main courses, we shared the short ribs, some dorade, and the killer Copper river salmon. We had the light as air gnocchi that everybody raves about and a great pattypan squash gratin - tjhis was an awesome vegetable dish. Desserts were all excellent, but between the amuse bouche strawberry popsicle we got before dessert, and the tiny brownies and cookies we were given after dessert, I was about to die. Love, love loved the place.
p.s. it was a bonus that I got to see Ty Pennington cruising through the W lobby as I was entering Craft !
This really is a beautiful restaurant and the service was great. My favorites were the short ribs, ravioli, asparagus and yellowfin. Everything else was good but not amazing. I personally thought the fingerlings and gnocchi were a little bland.
Another highlight was walking out of the W and having the valet call the house car instead of a taxi to take us back to our hotel. :-)
I had reservations at Craft for Restaurant Week last night and it appears that I had a very different experience from some other yelpers who were there at the exact same time.
The three of us arrived early and were seated a couple of minutes later. Our waiter immediately introduced himself as Troy, the beverage manager who was helping cover the floor for RW. He went over the menus in depth with us, giving us a great description of how each entree is prepared. We asked for his help recommending a wine, and he spent a good 5 minutes with us before selecting a blend that ended up being fantastic.
Our first course consisted of heirloom tomato salad, greens with a goat cheese (local goat cheese infused with olive oil), and salmon rilette with black pepper crackers. All were enjoyable dishes prepared using simple, fresh, local ingredients.
Before our main course arrived, Troy returned to tell us several stories about his trip to Spain when he visited the vineyard that produced the wine we were drinking. He mentioned that at the time of his trip, he was the wine director of La Bernadin. If I wasn't already hanging on his every word, I certainly was after hearing that.
The main course arrived in a timely manner and a storm of tastiness descended upon the table. There were three of us, so we each ordered a different entree. We had the skate wing with roasted lemon, diver scallops with mushroom jus, and the braised short rib along with the sides of farmers market vegetables (carrots, zucchini, broccolini, cippolini onions, asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes), roasted wild mushrooms, and potato gratin. We also had the free Central Market fourth course of Ricotta Cavatelli. The skate wing was easily my least favorite thing on the table (not bad, just not very exciting) but I truly enjoyed everything else. I don't eat red meat but I had to sneak a taste of the famous Craft braised short rib, and it now has me questioning my meatless diet. It was absolutely spectacular. The scallops were among the best I've ever had - perfectly seasoned and nicely seared while nearly raw on the inside. I could eat wild mushrooms for a living and these didn't disappoint. The cavatelli was intensely rich and quite delicious. The portions were perfect, as well.
The service throughout this portion of the meal was really great. Our water and wine glasses were constantly refilled (but not in an annoying way) and empty plates were taken away in a timely fashion.
While waiting for dessert (a bit of a lengthy wait but who is in a rush to leave Craft??) Troy returned to our table to check on us. We asked him to recommend some wines to try while on our honeymoon in Greece next year and he stayed at our table for 5-10 minutes, giving us some super helpful tips. At the end of the meal, he gave us his card and told us to email him for specific wine names, which he would be happy to provide.
Eventually, dessert arrived and this was my least favorite part of the meal. I had been looking forward to some of the desserts listed on the RW menu I saw on the web, but unfortunately they changed it up. We had vanilla ice cream, blackberry sherbet, mini brownies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, chocolate peanut butter cookies, and a lemon custard cake with blackberries. None of those things are my favorites, so I tasted them all but wasn't blown away by any of them. Well, except for the half-dollar sized chocolate peanut butter cookie, which was awesome. But who can screw up chocolate and peanut butter?
All in all, it was a tremendous meal. We were there almost 2 hours - the staff never rushed us or made us feel like 2nd class citizens. I'm already planning my return to Craft.
I came here during restaurant week expecting small portions and mediocre food and instead I was pleasantly surprised. Craft is owned by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. The restaurant was smaller than I expected but had a very impressive glass enclosed cellar containing hundreds maybe thousands of bottles of wine. Since I went during restaurant week, the menu items were limited but since the idea of Craft is to share the food with the table, it allowed me to try a wide variety of food.
I enjoyed the assortment of bread that is whisked to your table as soon as you arrive. The one thing that definitely stands out in my mind is the braised short rib. The meat was so tender that you did not need a knife and it just fell off the bone. It came with 3 sides, but the best side was the assortment of wild mushrooms. This was a perfect accompaniment to the short rib itself.
Dessert was also very good. During restaurant week, they gave you 2 desserts...one a very rich chocolate cake and the second one, a gelato sampler. The gelato was delicious and finished off the meal nicely. Since the restaurant is a bit pricey, I would recommend coming here for a special occasion.
went for RW last week.
appetizers were great (heirloom tomatoes yum) and service impeccable.
great place for special occasion.
Sunday Brunch
Dallas, TX
Hector's $3 Craft Beers
Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX
Category: American (New)
Dallas, TX
Category: American (New)
Dallas, TX
Category: American (New)
Dallas, TX
Category: American (New)
Dallas, TX
Category: American (New)
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