Date: 9-28-09
Dining Companion: Crys C.
Another opportunity to visit a Tom Colicchio restaurant! I've been to Craft- NY, Craft- LA, Craftbar....but now it was time for craftsteak (they don't capitalize it, why should I??). Craftsteak's menu was reminiscent of Craft's but more like a steakhouse. Craftsteak also has a location in Las Vegas (MGM Grand Hotel). We started the meal with an amuse bouche of pita crisps with a salad made of garbanzo beans, pickled jalapenos, and sorpressata. I don't particularly love whole garbanzo beans or jalapenos but I really enjoyed this which speaks volumes for the dish. Crys can't eat beans (allergic) so I ate the whole thing. We also got a pan of little Parkerhouse rolls- classic steakhouse fare.
Our first dish of the night was from the raw bar. The menu offers both clams and oysters. We chose Littleneck clams ($3 apiece). The clams were fresh, well prepared, and accompanied by tasty condiments including a mignonette sauce that was not overpowering.
Then we shared the bone marrow and steak tartare. The bone marrow was nice but a bit fatty for my taste. It came out to the table in a beautiful presentation showing how it was salt roasted. The baguette slices that accompanied it were perfectly toasted- crispy but not hard.
Th steak tartare was a wagyu beef diced with some spices and a raw egg yolk atop. It came with cross cut potato chips. I enjoyed this dish but found the potato chips to be a bit too salty and little over fried. It's a good dish but I would have preferred the chips to be a little less "done".
Then we shared a filet mignon ($40). The filet mignon, we were informed, and the other steaks are prepared in a parisian style by searing, then roasting them with thyme and butter and ladling the butter atop until the steak is cooked, and then it would be sliced before it was brought to us. The steak came to us a perfect medium rare (making Crys very happy) accompanied by four dipping sauces. Crys likes her steak naked. I do too, but I also loooooove sauces, so the steak ended up being my vehicle to taste the sauces- tamarind (nice, like a sweet complex steak sauce), chimichurri (not my favorite), horseradish (decent), and bernaise (fabulous). I didn't love the way the filet was sliced- it was kind of messy. But it still tasted good. I would have preferred neat slices.
We also shared a rather large side order of gnocchi. The gnocchi were light and fluffy perfect cylindrical tubes accompanied by a buttery creamy sauce (more butter than anything else) and a light sprinkling of chives.
The decor in the restaurant was beautiful and tasteful. The low lighting and artwork enhanced the dining experience. The service was friendly and prompt. And, on our way out we got scones for the next morning's breakfast. I think I am gong to eat mine right now....
Craftsteak
85 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
www.craftsteaknyc.com
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