View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Dilbert
Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 1304 Location: central PA
|
Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 8:03 pm Post subject: Craft - NYC steak house |
|
|
Craft - high end steak house - NYC
Tom Colicchio
19th Street, short walk from any of the subway lines thru Union Station.
On a Las Vegas stint we did the tasting menu at CraftSteak - we were so smitten we made of point of checking out the 'original' Craft restaurant in New York City.
Party of four
Appetizers/starters:
- Pork Trotter – long slow cooked pulled pork pigs feet in its own “aspic” - for service a thick slice, pan fried, topped with sunny side up egg. A very involved prep, see below.
- salad: Frisee with sliced truffle dressed with hazelnut vinaigrette
Main Courses
- American Wagu Culotte (steak cut)
- Broiled Cod
- Monkfish
Sides
- Roasted baby carrots
- Cipollini onions
- Butterball potatoes
Coffee – a large pot of French press - Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- excellent – what’s more to say?
Desserts
- Pot de Crème
- Cheese selection
Dessert Wine:
H. Boch (Germany) Riesling Beerenauslese / 2006
Atmosphere –
Very comfortable, neat; old fashioned wood paneling, etc + exposed brick; uncluttered; good lighting and temperature. Although the place filled to the brim, it was not noisy. Table spacing is comfortable distances.
Waitstaff –
Well trained, professional, knowledgeable; offered a number of suggestions all well founded and sound.
Minor issue seemed to be: as the place filled up, the staff was overloaded – but if signaled, they got right to us.
The Food!
Note aside: Craft prints a daily menu, which eliminates the long table side recitation of “specials” followed by ‘Can you repeat that?’ So - be aware, any on-line menu will likely not be the same as what is available day-of-yo-din-din.
Appetizers and side dishes are served ‘family style’ – convenient for sharing and exploring.
Frisee salad – an absolute stunner – one can eat this by the basketful. Frisee is a lacy chicory – without the bitter/strong chicory taste. It is not a common green in commercial settings. Not sure what the truffles brought to the party – however the hazelnut dressing was not too heavy, not too light, just right.
The pork trotter was a hit all around the table. DW is still going on about it – not a simple dish –
see James Tracey, of Craft Restaurant in New York City, do his thing: http://www.starchefs.com/cook/videos/pork-trotter
The cipollini onions – flat oval shaped, ala “UFO squash” – roasted with (methinks) an aged Balsamic – if you like onion, they be wonderful.
The potatoes – uhmmm. New potatoes, fingerlings, most any of such would have been a better choice. To be fair,,, waitstaff did advise: it’s minimal preparation – turned out to be basically small (Russet?) skin-on, boiled - with inadequate salt - spuds cut in half. Not ungood, just not up to their presumed standards.
American Wagu Beef – most excellent, holding up our expectations from Las Vegas. Generous portion (8 ounces!) - fork tender, utterly mouth drooling. Super dang good beef. Did I mention really good meat?.....
The cod – per our Mass. seaside resident and ex-lobster fisherman – very good. I’m going with his expertise.
The monkfish . . . why-o-why did I go there . . . ?
Well, only one time in ten+ years have I seen it in local fish markets; not ever found on local menus. Had monkfish multiple times in history – so I went for it. Disappointed in the extreme. Encased in what appeared a seaweed (nori?) wrapper, served with something resembling dead and gone wilted spinach as a ‘plate sauce.’ The wrapping / tourniquet / binding turned the monkfish into a dense, solid, chewy, near death dried out chunk of “whitefish.” The monks apt be rolling in their graves . . . in my opinion, a major mis-step in preparation concept.
The Deserts:
Pot de Crème – highly hyped; totally unremarkable.
The Cheese: we have a winner here!
Platter of assorted (by diner choice) three – not a bad one in the batch - although our waitstaff did thankfully steer me away from an errant choice of a ‘stinky’ cheese. (Some do stinky, some don’t. I don’t…..)
And the winner is:
A cheddar – aged, drier, crumbles, makes you lick up all the crumbs . . .
http://www.dakinfarm.com/Cabot-Cloth-Bound-Cheddar,3267.html?b=d*19275
not cheap; ultra-scrumpous. But on my next mail order . . .
note: the software is having a good barf on the url link - you'll have to copy between the square brackets and past to your browser.
edited Jan 24/14 to note: if you order from Dakin Farm, be sure to use a disposable email address. they spam and spam and spam; replies are
/quote
Delivery to the following recipients was aborted after 0 second(s):
* dakinfarm@dakinfarm.com
/unquote
so it's hard to even get their attention.
The Auslese
"sweet” dessert wines from Germany are a real crap shoot. Auslese is “just short of” an ice wine. It takes a good year – the right spring/summer/fall weather plus the right post ‘normal’ harvest weather/temp/rain to make a good year. Too many Germany white auslese wines present the taste of utterly raw harsh stuff with a bunch of sugar added.
The H. Boch (Germany) Riesling Beerenauslese / 2006 is extremely refined and perhaps one of the best I’ve had – including years of Franken wine territory residence.
The Tab
Everything other than the $135 (current price) “tasting menu” is ala carte.
Makes for interesting totals.
Keep in mind, this is New York City – home of “in yo’ pocket” pricing.
Home of the twenty dollar five cent ceegar…..
Excluding alcohol:
2x starters,
4x mains,
3x sides,
2x desserts,
coffee….
$85 per person + tip.
Mixed drinks, non-call, $15, and up. Wine by the glass, $20 to unlimited….
For a “high(er) end” NYC restaurant, not unheard of. Any number of famously named “Xxxx’s” Steak House will more adequately empty your wallet.
Recommendations:
Yes, if it’s in the budget.
Danged decent food, environment & experience.
BUT - don’t go off script.
It’s a (famous for wagu) steak place.
They don’t do odd ball / all the fish stuff well.
Stick to the ‘house specialties” for best value. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You can post new topics in this forum You can reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|