Craft: A Dinner
Last night I took a couple of friends to Craft for dinner. The hotel bar and check-in area was deserted. The restaurant was sparsely populated. Our experience was fabulous. Some fine dining restaurants slack off when the pressure is off, but last night the staff at Craft made our tiny threesome feel like we were the only diners on the planet that mattered. We tried escargot with chorizo (a bit too much chorizo-to-snail ratio for our taste), buffalo seasoned with rosemary and topped with blueberries, rack of lamb, lobster-studded risotto, sugar snap peas, and halibut with sweet peppers. The dish that thrilled me the most was a simple salad (pictured) composed of frisee and the freshest walnuts I have ever tasted tossed ever so lightly in truffle-scented vinaigrette. I finished the crisp curly leaves for breakfast this morning. Desserts were divine: ricotta cheesecake with Bing cherries and Texas peach buckle. Craft has matured into one of Dallas’ best restaurants. Price be damned ($300 for 3, with two glasses of wine and tip)–I’d rather pay for simple, fine food prepared with ultra-fresh ingredients. My mouth is still dancing with flavor.
12 Comments to “Craft: A Dinner”
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you’d rather pay $100 for simple, fresh food? like, every day? must be nice to be a food editor.
I have a client who has taken me there for dinner several times. They are foodies, so when the food arrives, they have to wheel up a room service table to hold the dishes. I’ve eaten in New York, Paris and San fran and hold our little eateru up against anything. To me, it is consistently the best. IF you watch the drinks, it’s somewhat reasonable. I’ve heard the Sunday brunch is a great deal, relaxing and sort of like the Promenade at the Mansion was years ago. Ah, remember those days?
N, I wish you had taken ME to Craft. I did enjoy my Diet Gourmet, tho.
No silly I don’t eat that way every day. If I go out for a birthday or special occasion dinner, I would rather pay for a simple fresh meal than a tricked up dish or overly sauced meat with a $9 baked potato.
Interesting - some of the worst service I’ve experienced in numerous restaurants is when they are having a slow night to begin with. Somehow it turns the wait staff into a bunch of disinterested slugs. Kudos to the Craft wait staff for not falling into that trap.
i guess i can respect that nancy, but if i want simple and fresh, i can do it myself. if i’m paying >$100, i want stuff that i would never even think of myself. that sort of thing is pretty rare for me though, 2 or 3 times a year if i’m lucky..
If you can do simple and fresh in a knockout dining room with a sophisticated service staff, then I’m coming to eat at your house. I’m talking about 2 or 3 times a year for a special occasion dinner.
oi nancy…i think we’d better end the discussion at the mention of my service staff
I’m just saying, that is more than half of what you pay for in a fine restaurant. (little smiley face, back)
I prefer to eat at places where I can raise the flag if I want more to eat. Or, in the rare scenario, that accepts a passbook coupon. Does Nana or Craft have buy-one-get-one-free coupons available?
Craft is the elite restaurant in Dallas, bar none. No food or menu matches Craft’s caliber. Love it!
craft must be for the rich socialite’s. not the commoners. who can afford to may that much for a bite of food. way over priced IMHO.