Craft L.A.

Being huge fans of Top Chef, J and I were eager to check out Tom Colicchio's new resto. With all the buzz from his NY restos, we were excited to find out that he was going to get "Crafty" in L.A. We invited the Bhaktas to join us on this little adventure.....

As we walked into Craft, we were immediately drawn to the simple and modern decor, the soft lighting, the adorable and comfy terrace and the friendly staff. The hostess was so friendly and knew that J & I ran into a little mishap on our way there. She recommended that we grab a cocktail as they prepared our table. The Bhaktas had already started with some Chimay beer and wine while J & I waited for my East meets West martini (a lychee and strawberry vodka martini). Soon after my cocktail arrived, we were promptly seated.

We were seated at this super cute little booth for four and immediately greeted by our waiter. As we were contemplating over the menu, he brought over a selection of breads. The Bhaktas choose some olive bread while J & I had some ciabatta. After placing our order, we received an amuse-gueule - I believe it was a crostini topped with chopped eggs and herring (I think...it was kinda noisy and I didn't hear the description). Regardless, it was pretty terrible...over drenched in olive oil and difficult to swallow. We were a little worried at this point, but were still optimistic.

Amuse-gueule: Crostini

As we washed down the greasy crostini, our appetizers arrived (phew!)....and we were PLEASED!!! Yes indeed, that amuse gueule became a distant memory as the Pork Belly & Madras Curry, Baby Beet & Gorgonzola Salad, Ricotta Tortellini & Artichoke and Chittara Spaghetti Carbonara hit the table....

Pork Belly with Madras Curry

This is the BY FAR the BEST pork belly I've ever had. This should be the poster-child for pork - perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside...lightly seasoned and accompanied with a sweet curry sauce. This is perfection...the epitomy of PORK.

Baby Beet Salad with Gorgonzola

This was a healthy portion! The beets were incredibly fresh and the gorgonzola was not at all over-powering. Even B's hubby (who doesn't like beets), really enjoyed it and raved about it :)

Chittara Spaghetti Carbonara

The most TENDER and fresh tasting pasta! Loved it!

Ricotta Tortellini

These little pillows of pasta were a huge hit - not at all heavy and just bathing in a light soupy-sauce :)

By the time we finished our appetizers, we were already pretty stuffed! Craft definitely serves up a healthy portion and the great thing is that everything is served family-style.

The mains: Alaskan Halibut with salsa verde, Local Wild Sea Bass wrapped in prociutto and black grapes, Roasted Guinea Hen and Local Roasted Chicken. We also ordered a side of sweet corn, corn agnolotti with speck and baby broccolini (we actually ordered the assorted mushrooms, however with the mass confusion, I think it was mistaken for the corn agnolotti....hmmmm). Well, luckily it was a nice mix-up because the agnolotti was delicious...the taste of sweet corn wrapped in a delicate pasta dough...yum!

Alaskan Halibut with Salsa Verde

This was perfectly cooked - the fish was tender and juicy and it was not hindered by any heavy sauce. We really tasted the freshnest of the fish it all its glory

Local Farm Chicken

One of the best roast chicken dishes in town! I normally never order chicken (cause I'm a chicken snob and I am always true to the asian-style chicken), however I would definitely order this again!

Guinea Hen

I've read a lot of rave reviews about this hen, however it does not come close to the Local Farm Chicken.....

Local White Sea Bass with Black Grapes

After trying the Alaskan Halibut, this fish unfortunately did not measure up. It was a little too "meaty" for my liking and the prosciutto wrap was too over-powering.

Sweet corn (upper left), Corn Agnolotti with Speck (upper right) and Rapini

Amazing sweet corn - I am so glad we ordered this because it was UNBELIEVABLE! Yes, it's simple, but it was great! The rapini was a little salty and pretty basic (should have been the mixed mushrooms instead!) and the Corn Agnolotti was a nice surprise!

We knew that Craft would be generous in their portions, but we were totally blown away. We were unable to finish any of our mains (except the halibut and the sweet corn) and were so stuffed that we couldn't even fit in dessert. After discussing with everyone, we agreed that we over-ordered and should have ordered 3 appetizers (instead of 4), 2 side dishes (instead of 3) and 3 mains (instead of 4). We ended up asking our waiter to pack our leftovers to go (great lunch for the next day!).

All in all, we really enjoyed Craft. The love of food and fine ingredients is so apparent here and the atmosphere is not at all stuffy (given the location). The service was impeccable and the attention to detail was spot on. We received a wonderful little complementary petit fours sampler along with a blueberry corn muffin packaged to go for breakfast the next morning. This is service and customer appreciation! Please unpack your knives and make yourselves at home!

10100 Constellation Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90067

Tel: 310.279.4180

http://www.craftrestaurant.com/