Craft

I have now dined at Craft 2X and both have been a dissapointment. The place is beautiful and the staff is attentive, but to pay for a great meal, there are many restaurants to pick before Craft. The portions are tiny, and the food taste of a mixture of salt and butter...no matter what the dish was. The desserts were the best part of the meal and they were less than creative. If you are planning a special meal based on the food itself, then I would not suggest Craft .

Based on all the stellar reviews here I felt zero reservations about treating my beautiful girlfriend to a well deserved meal at Craft. I researched extensively on several different websites and read numerous rave reviews extolling the excellence and freshness of the dishes at Craft. How very wrong and misleading they are! I was flabbergasted by the bland tastes, the lack of creativity and lack of aesthetically pleasing presentations (copper pots?!). I was truly disappointed. The only redeeming qualities here are the excellent waitstaff, romantic atmosphere, and the brioche.

Every dish here was incredible.

Entrees seemed not to be enough for male diners but it turned out fine. Appetizers small, but excellent pate and foie de gras. So many choices. Duck and Poussain wonderful so was the lamb and scallops (grilled perfectly but only (3). Glad we were group of 4 so that we had more to taste. Contemporary decor was warm and seat spacing comfortable and private enough for conversation. Desserts more home style, no fancy pastries or flaky dough - steamed pudding. Loved the sorbets - with real fruit - pomegranete and blood orange - reminded us of Florence and the great granitis - Wine list expensive but a modern contender to Gramercy Tavern except for the desserts, wine-beer costs and service - a notch or two more. Tom C's influence is culinary perfection again. Daughter really found this place to be at the top of her list.

I went to Craft for the first time for dinner last night, and I have to say, I was quite impressed. A friend and I were able to walk in and get two seats at the bar without any wait. We enjoyed every single dish we were able to sample. The amuse bouche was celery root soup with black truffle vinaigrette, very rich, very satisfying. Split the octopus terrine appetizer, it was quite tasty. Then we split the a venison entree, an appetizer portion of sweetbreads, and sides of gnocchi and hen of the woods mushrooms. Each bite of every dish was a joy, both simple and delicious. We were given a nice cranberry gelee with cardamom panna cotta in a shot glass while we perused the dessert menu. My friend had the chocolate souffle, while I had the donuts and pumpkin ice cream. The desserts were all heavenly. When the check arrived, the chocolate tart petite fours were definitely the icing on the cake for us. What a great meal. Absolutely no complaints about the food. The service, however, was a little blah. They didn't seem to particularly care that we were there. Oh well, the great food made up for it. Definitely not cheap, but would be a great place to splurge a little every now and then. Can't wait to go back!

My wife and I discovered Craft about 2 weeks after they opened. Needless to say, we were amazed by the entire experience. A first rate wine list, incredible food and wonderful service. As a small business owner, we have an annual holiday dinner for our staff every year. The dinners have been at Craft for the last three years and will continue for years to come. We start thinking about the dinner in November and count the days. Not a cheap thrill, but the quality of the ingredients, the variety and the preparation certainly make it a worthwhile treat. I honestly consider it one of the top two or three restaurants in Manhattan. Enjoy.

I just had my first dinner experience at Craft and must say everything was superb; the ambience was great, with tables spaced far apart so your conversation is kept just at your table. The wait staff was extremely knowledgeable and patient and walked us through all the choices, including the spices and flavors in each dish. Great choices of wine, even by the glass. And the food! Craft is unusual; it's a place where you design your own dinner. When you order side dishes, (which are served to be shared by others at your table, please order the gnocchi - never in my life have i eaten anything like these, light as air and melts in your mouth. The sauteed mushrooms (there were 3 varieties this evening, can be combined into an order containing all three(as suggested by our waiter.) We also had Delicata pureed squash, which was great. I don't eat meat, but my friend said the steak was delicious; I had lobster in a delicate, delicious light sauce. For dessert we had a variety of 3 cheeses (they bring their entire cheese selection to your table and describe each of them). My friend indulged and also ordered a dessert with brioche, caramel leche ice cream and something comparable to bananas Foster, but better. The latter was served with separate small pitchers of caramel sauce and a chocolate sause. They also served 3 amuse bouche, each better than the one before. This restaurant is truly great (I've lived and eaten in nyc my entire life and think thas might have been the best meal ever). Reservations must be made about 4 weeks in advance and the luxury of this food does not come inexpensively. For a special occassion, save up and go here. I don't think you'll regret it, but remember it is costly.