Crave on 42nd

 

1

12

Theresa O.

New York, NY

This is Top Chef contestant Dave Wilson's restaurant. While there's not much around the restaurant, and you could miss it driving by, it is worth coming to for his famous black truffle mac n' cheese appetizer. It is heavenly. After splitting the mac n cheese, I'd wished I'd ordered my own. We had entrees as well - and while they were good, it was filling on top of the mac. The menu is fairly slim on entree selection, so when I go here again, I'll probably just opt for a burger, pizza or salad, something lighter (along with the mac of course- you start to crave it, all puns intended).

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0

46

Mishel F.

San Diego, CA

Very disappointing.  We had dinner there a few nights ago with a group of colleagues.  The decor and ambiance were nothing special, I was hoping for something more visually appealing.  No particularly interesting cocktails (prickly pear margarita was ordinary).  For a city with the some of the best dining in the country if not the world, this is a competitive market and Crave on 42nd just doesn't stack up.  

Cod was way too salty and underdone.  I ordered my salad without dressing, it arrived bathed in it and the waitress was reluctat to bring it back... yikes!  Dessert menu was lackluster and none of us ordered anything.  Frankly, we all expected better.  

Too bad, because there's lots of potential.

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Elite '08

14

85

Janelle C.

San Francisco, CA

I've been to Craft. I've been to Perilla. Perhaps those are my pitfalls. Had I not been walking from Times Square to Pier 83 to take a Harbour Cruise, no way would I ever have stumbled upon Dave Martin's Crave on 42nd. For follower's of Bravo's Top Chef, you will recall that Dave was in the top 3 of Season 1. So, despite no intending to spend a lot for dinner on Saturday night, I couldn't resist going in because there wasn't a line and when next would I be walking along West Side Highway. Oh right... that's my point. Location Location Location. That's the first problem. I don't live in NY and yet I found myself baffled by the location choice. But let's get to the good stuff that you're interested to hear about - the FOOD!

The wine by the glass list is on the high side considering that that the whole point of the restaurant is bistro in a casual setting. That said, my dinner frou frou development has developed a habit of having a glass of wine with dinner. So we had a glass of Reisling and Cabernet Sauvingon. One nice unique touch was that the bread was served with olive tapanade (my current obsession) instead of butter. AS a starter, we opted for the Macaroni and Cheese with Truffle Mushrooms that was apparently made famous on the show (though I don't recall it...). Mac and Cheese is a bit odd to have as a starter and I personally think it should be offered as a side instead. Next up - entrees. My bf had the Stuffed Roasted Chicken with Asparagus and Mashed Potatoes while I had the Vegetarian Mushroom Ravioli. The chicken was moist and seasoned well but the mash potatoes and asparagus, though tasty were nothing special. The mushroom ravioli fared better in my opinion. The pasta was light and stuffed generously. Since we were late for another appointment, we skipped dessert. Overall, the wallet damage wasn't too bad - around $100 after tax and tip BUT for the type of food it was, I felt it was very overpriced.

The wait staff was very courteous and the manager (I assume) came around a few times to talk up the restaurant a bit and ensure our meal was to our satisfaction. The ambiance is modern and I like the spaciousness between the tables. Enough to cram a busload of people yet still be romantic :-p

All in all, sorry Dave but I left disappointed. The food was good but it didn't blow me away, which is unfortunate because I was really enamoured with his food on Top Chef.

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Elite '08

20

218

Chris F.

Brooklyn, NY

Crave on 42nd isn't worth the price or the inconvenience of getting there.

I loved about half of the black truffle mac and cheese.  The crusty top and bread crumb crunch added a much-needed texture which was completely lost in the mush below, making the dish a treat to start until it devolved into oily squish.  I loved the finely diced peppers and chives on top as well, which added texture and a little bit of clean flavor.  

The $20 hanger steak was downright awful.  Tough and with a dirty-grill carbony char on it that overpowered even the frankly confusing, oily, and barely flavored peppercorn sauce.  The waffle fries accompanying the hanger steak were amazing, though.

I'll also be making that aloe vera and Grey Goose martini myself, thank you very much.  It's a quietly sweet and cool refreshment.

Our waiter was kind of scowly and dour, which was kind of odd, given how friendly everyone else there was.  The guys refilling the water especially were insanely attentive.  I never had more than an inch of water drank out of my glass before it was being topped off.

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Elite '08

8

167

anni b.

Brooklyn, NY

Very few restaurants are worth the trek over to (almost) 12th avenue.  In fact, I can't think of any.  Including this one.

It was just such a mixed experience.  I ordered a $4 Appletini off the happy hour menu, and the very persuasive bartender upsold me to the house special aloe martini.  Which was delicious and wonderful but before I knew it, my drink price had jumped from $4 to $13.  Was good but I felt kinda robbed and a little violated.

Dinner was hit or miss.  I found the truffle mac and cheese to be good, but very heavy and with a pile of oil in the bottom.  My burger was very good and reasonably priced, but then my date's steak was charred and tasted burned on the outside.  The waffle fries, honestly, were the highlight on both of these dishes.  Other friends ordered the crab salad which was overly marinated in a sugary sweet sauce and they both hated it.  The mussels in a spicy peanut sauce were pretty good.

So, good drinks and good waffle fries.  But when the bill came, and it was over $200, and we didn't even all order entrees, and the food was soooo meh, that I definitely don't think it was worth it.

Also of note - their "pre-fixe" pre-theatre menu, which is a choice of app, entree and dessert, at $50, actually costs more than if you had ordered the individual items separately.  Huh!?!?!?!?  Wha?  Never seen that before.  I guess you're paying for the privilege of not having to think too hard.

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Elite '08

8

187

Charlotte W.

New York, NY

By far not my fav dining experience.  Met a friend here where we shared the artichoke/bean dip with pita chips and Dave's famous mac n cheese with truffle oil.   The dip tasted pretty bland although the mac n cheese had good flavor it felt overwhelming  and too rich after a few bites.  For entrees we both had the hanger steak and fries, the steak was cooked pretty well, we did not like the butter/shallot sauce they served on the side and thank god it was on the side, the fries were like frozen fries.     The only good thing was the St. Urbans glass of Riesling we each had.   Didn't go for desert because we couldn't get out fast enough.   Did see Dave come out into the dining room once looking all frazzled.  Our waitress really had no interest in being a waitress and did an adequate job, the place was empty the whole time probably because its in such an out of the way spot all the way on 12th ave.  Definitely go to Harold's restaurant instead!

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6

20

Nari W.

New York, NY

Make the trip!!! Solid, delicious food in a surprisingly fun, chill atmosphere. Dave's Crave is simple, well-conceived and executed in fine fashion.

The space is open, with good acoustics. The walls and tables are neutral. The walls are simply-adorned, boasting single-colored square canvases in multi-colored groups. The large picture windows are decorated with festive, multicolored strands of light. We ate dinner here on a Monday night, and it hasn't been open very long -- but the place was bustling! Everyone seemed relaxed and happy.

I am pleased to report that we plowed through a good part of the menu. Yelpsters, I did it all for you ;) so here it is:

* **They bring you bread and a fresh, salty tapenade... the bread was perfectly soft inside and crusty outside.

1) Roasted mushroom soup: absolutely delightful! 3 kinds of mushrooms, savory thyme, and just the right amount of vegetable stock and cream.

2) Simple Salad: yes! yes! YESSS!!! With or without bleu cheese, this salad is awesome. The field greens have been picked through, and you'll find no rotten greens here. The cinnamon pecans are subtle, the dried cherries are sweet and plump, and the vinaigrette is lightly and sweet. Q: What is walnut oil? A: I don't know. YUMMY.

3) Black Truffle Mac'n'Cheese: The Vatican called; they just named this dish the 8th deadly sin. I'm lactose-intolerant, but I ate the whole thing. I'd been lusting after this dish since seeing it on Top Chef, and itt was better than I had even IMAGINED. The gemelli were al dente, the cheese was perfect, the black truffle was subtle and earthy, and the top was full of crrrrusty goodness. Believe the hype: eat this dish!

4) Gingered Salmon: I could write an ode to this salmon. It was cooked *just right*. You have to see it to believe it. The sauce was yummy, the toasted coconut couscous was as delicious as it sounds, and the roasted vegetables (zucchini, red bell pepper, and squash) on the side were perfectly tender and seasoned with salt and pepper. Added bonus: pretty presentation!

5) Veggie Pasta: stay away from this pasta. The penne were overcooked, the marinara was a little too watery. The acid of the tomato and the acid of the artichoke hearts was overkill, and the pine nuts tasted strange with it. This dish would have been better with a pesto sauce, and any pasta other than penne. In other words, "nonexistence" would be the best improvement. You get the picture.

6) Apple Turnover and Vanilla Bean Gelato: yes, I did manage to eat dessert AND live to Yelp about it! The turnover is made in-house, and is SO FRESH. The apples are soft and cinnamon-y, and just the right amount of tart. The flake pastry is deep-fried perfectly, and it smelled really yummy - as though it had just come out of the fryer! The gelato is very tasty, with plenty of vanilla bean flavor, but it is not made in-house (maybe from Il Laboratorio?). Reimagined McDonald's baked apple pie? Umm, yes please!

The service is a tad slow, but attentive and (actually!) cool. Our waitress was nice, and very good about asking if we'd like sharing plates.

Dave buzzed around throughout the meal, casual and cool in an Atari t-shirt. He seemed shy about asking how our starters were, but he was nice once he started talking. He served one round of dishes to nearly everyone in the restaurant, and chatted, too. It's easy to root for him.

The restaurant is really close to the corner of 12th Avenue, so if you're taking a cab, the West Side Highway is a good call. There is a well-stocked bar. The post-meal menu includes a good selection of digestifs, espresso drinks, and even cigars (!). The table in the back corner of the sofa is nice, and you can even watch a game on the flat-screen TV over the bar.

Three last words: happy food coma.

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3

22

V S.

New York, NY

i don't think I should have had to ask Dave Martin if we could get some bread, but when you've been sitting there for 20 minutes and he just served you your appetizers (before you got your wine), you'd probably be inclined to do the same.

I wanted to love Crave just because the menu looked amazing and I wanted my trip last night to warrant a return visit.  I probably will go back , but it wasn't love this first time around.

Crave was probably 2/3 full and fairly quiet on a Tuesday night.  Dave was running around, serving food and looking stressed out.  Maybe he was realizing that his waitstaff and hostess were flubbing up all over the place and putting a damper on the experience of his delicious, well-crafted food?

That was the heart of the problem here - though the decor was a little blas and cheap-looking, it was the poor service that was the biggest turn-off.  Our waiter took a long time to take our order, with no "Hello" or "Welcome".  Then, about 20 minutes went by and we still hadn't received our glasses of wine or bread.  Cue Dave arriving with our apps (artichoke/red pepper hummus with pita chips - it was decent) and my asking him for the bread (sigh), which was actually very good though the olive tapenade that accompanied it was extremely salty.

I tracked down our waiter to find out what was going on with our wine, only for him to return with my glass and ask my friend to remind him of what he had ordered (incidentally, the same wine that I had ordered).  Ack.

Thankfully, our entrees were delicious - I had the sea bass, which had a honey glaze that perfectly complemented the taste of the fish.  I would've preferred some more seasonal vegetables rather than the zucchini, summer squash, and red pepper.  My friend's lobster ravioli tasted like a seafood dumpling - awesome.

The warm chocolate cake we had for dessert needed some vanilla gelato for contrast, and they really shouldn't detail the after-dinner liqueurs they have if they don't have a liquor license yet.  It's a big tease.  (I really wanted that Bailey's.)

Side note - I thought the wine list had several great choices - all which had descriptions and suggested food pairings, which I certainly appreciate since I'm not yet a wine connoisseur and like some guidance.

Crave needs to get its food and service aligned if it wants to draw people towards it as a destination spot considering its far, far west location.  I'll be back, mostly because there's too many choices on the menu I still want to try.

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Elite '08

21

68

Jenny S.

New York, NY

I really wanted to love this place and it kills me that it didn't quite meet my expectations. I am a huge Top Chef fan - so going to Dave Martin's restaurant was exciting regardless, but the atmosphere and food let me down a little. I'm almost cringing as I write this because after looking at the menu and seeing Dave's delectable creations on the show, I was really looking forward to a blow-me-away experience.

First things first - this place is in the middle of nowhere. 42nd between 11th and 12th? There's no way you're just going to "happen to be in the neighborhood" (unless you're Nick and Vanessa, who happen to live in the Atelier across the street). Bottom line, you gotta trek to go to this restaurant, and for such a hike, this place better be slammin'.  

The decor was questionable. The idenity crisis comes forth with their slogan "think bistro. dine casual." So already you know they aren't sure about how to answer that lingering philosophical question "who am i?" haha -but in all seriousness, it was a little confusing to decipher. it was half elegant and half modern/casual.  There were sports playing on the tv, candles on the table, floor to ceiling windows (cheesed up with some rainbow christmas lights), brown paper on the tables, and colored squares all over the walls. The acoustics were pretty open and loud, and I felt like the whole restaurant could hear what I was saying and that i couldn't laugh as hard as i wanted to (although i am a pretty loud laugher).

OK - food. Well let's start with the wine list. It's a diverse, worldly wine list with food pairings for each wine, which I think is so great, since it didn't seem like they had a sommelier on hand to recommend anything (I could be wrong, but there wasn't when I was there). There were a few organic wines on the list as well, which is spectacular.

The bread & olive tapenade were a really unique way to start off the meal instead of the traditional bread and butter. The tapenade was excellent, but VERY salty. I like that, though. Bring on the salt.

The roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips was good, but served very cold. I would have liked it a little more at room temperature.

The gingered salmon was amazing! One of the best salmon dishes I've ever had - perfect amount of sauce and perfectly cooked. The side dishes were lacking, though. The cous cous was dry, and the vegetables were fine, but a little plain. I was disappointed that the salmon and the sea bass (what my friend ordered) had the exact same sides - spice it up a little!

Overall, everything here could use a little tweaking. The coolest part to me is that Dave walks around the restaurant checking in on his guests all night, and you can tell he genuinely cares about what people think.

Granted, Dave knows he needs to kick the execution up a notch. I spoke to him after the meal and he said he's working on the decor to make it sexier, and that soon they're going to offer brunch and outdoor seating when it's warm. A nice, outdoor brunch scene with a promising menu served up by Dave himself should be enough to get Top Chef fans and tourists off the main stretches of Times Square and Hell's Kitchen and over to Crave on 42nd. To be fair (and because I'm a reality TV junkie), I will try it again once he incorporates outdoor seating.

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8

57

kawan t.

New York, NY

When I thnik of this place I simply shrug. And sigh. I shrug because im not quite sure what to think of it--its got significant issues both good and bad.

Good:
you can tell the heart is here (at least for dave martin) he wants this place to work, he's busy running to tables greeting people and making sure people are happy.

The menu is great--its big and there is something for everyone.

Wine list is good--pairing suggestions for everything

Tomato soup. Very yummy!

Bad:
Colored Christmas lights lining the windows. 'nuff said.

Prices. A little high, I'm happy to pay for food if its worth it, but here, its not quite there yet

Over sauced sea bass.

No liquor license I think--I may be mistaken...

Bottom line: trying to be something its not--the food doesn't live up to the prices or the hype. The dcor highlights the fact that there is something strangely missing/out of place here. I wanted to like this place, so I hope it gets better.

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Elite '08

26

187

John O.

New York, NY

After reading Nari's great review of Crave I decided to make a trip of my own.  As a big fan of Top Chef Season 1 I was looking forward to seeing what the big, bold flavors Tom Colicciho always attributed to Dave's food were about.  On a Saturday night I arrived with no reservations (ironically I came here straight from the Anthony Bourdain book signing for his new book) and was seated promptly.  The restaurant was about 80% full and had a good buzz.  

As soon as I was seated I connected with chef Dave Martin who was walking the floor and talking to the patrons.  I asked him what he recommended from his menu and he was happy to give me some tips.  I started with the scallops and his famous black truffled mac n cheese.  The scallops were well executed with smoky tomato sauce glaze.  The plate came with 4 large scallops that were extremely tender and cooked to perfection.  The plate could've been a bit warmer but a minor miss.  The black truffle mac n cheese was a show stopper.  An amazingly rich and flavorful dish that is crunchy on top.  I was blown away by this one.  You really do have to try it.  Dave stopped by to ask what I thought of the starters and I told him they were just great.  My main was the smoky filet mignon with fried onion and Gorgonzola cheese.  My first impression was again big bold flavors.  This guy is really on two something with his cooking.  The filet was perfectly prepared and extremely tender.  On the side was asparagus that is always welcome on my plate.  My companion had the Chilean sea bass dish and that was really good as well.  Boy that steak was really something!  At this point I am completely stuffed but I had to try the desert.  I had the chocolate cake.  It was plenty good but to be honest I was too full to enjoy it.  

I give this restaurant 5 stars for the awesome flavors chef Dave Martin brings to the plate.  They are exactly as they were on Top Chef - big and bold.  It was great chatting with him as well and his enthusiasm for his new restaurant is cool to see.  The service still needs some work and it isn't perfect so be patient.  Our server was really nice but I think she was a bit new to the restaurant business.  Seems that other reviewers are having the same issue so I hope they get their act together!  Definitely make the trip to Crave, I'm sure glad I did.

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4

45

Albert C.

New York, NY

If I am going to walk so far west to 12th Avenue and 42nd Street, the food better blow me away.  It was decent, but I am not sure it was worth the trip all the way to the west side from my UES apartment.

We were all excited about the black truffle mac and cheese and it was decent.  Part of it was that it wasn't hot enough.  While I enjoyed it, it did not blow me away.  The same thing can be said about the main course.  I had the smoked rubbed filet mignon with gorgonzola cheese and aspargus and my friend ordered the hangar steak, both of which were overcooked (we ordered medium rare, they both came out slightly under well-done).  My other friend ordered the marscapone and green apple ravioli with a bolognese sauce and she liked it.

Dessert was equally inconsistent.  We ordered the apple turnover with vanilla bean ice cream and it felt like something that we could have made from frozen packages that we bought at the supermarket.  My friend liked the sour cream panna cotta with mango couli that she ordered though.

Dave was super nice and that helped a lot.  It was nice to see him walking the floor and talking to customers.  I wanted to like this place a lot, but as others have said, I simply shrug when I think about this place.

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