Craftbar

Craftbar is one of Tom Colicchio’s restaurants and I couldn’t care less. Nothing against him but typically, restaurants with big names are overrated (in a lot of my past experiences). They’re crowded for no reason, it’s overpriced, and the food is mediocre.
Craftbar met my expectation of this. I ordered the veal ricotta meatballs, which comes served on a bed of spaghetti. It was just okay. I’ve definitely had better anywhere else. Or even in my own kitchen — and one of the main points me eating out at a restaurant is so that I can taste something I can’t make, or something that tastes so much better than a variation I would cook. This was not the case here. Maybe it was my own fault and I should not have ordered a pasta dish from an ‘American’ restaurant. But everyone else also said their food either okay, or too salty. Do yourself a favor and get out of this Unilocal review, and enter something else in the search bar.
P. S. I wasn’t the one who made the reservations but the person who did, told me that a CC was needed to hold large groups. *rolls eyes*

I had not been there in probably two years, it is still a great place with great food.
I have to add that the service was professional and thoughtful.
I went with my elderly mother and the hostess thoughtfully put us in a little nook in a side room where she’d would have a better chance of hearing.
We had a small mix up with the starters which the manager insisted on taking off the bill. It was unnecessary but they insisted. They wanted to make sure that they cleared everything up and with very little fuss.
I need to put this back on my list of places I go.

Early dinner tonight since I have a ticket to a show. Food here is great. Started with the Whipped Ricotta Toast with charred carrots, sunflower seeds and balsamic. Good mix of flavors and textures. Fairly light way to start.
The pork tenderloin was done perfectly, and the match with sweet and green strawberries and sunchoke purée borders on umami.
I love peanut butter and chocolate, so I had to go with the A Betta Butta for dessert. Thick chocolate pudding in a peanut butter lined chocolate crumb crust accompanied by peanut caramel ice cream. Fabulous!
First server was very attentive and helpful, but had to go off shift. Second server followed the process but was not engaging, thus the lack of the fifth star.

OK, it’s a bar/​lounge, which means you’re not going to get tablecloths and crystal.
But gosh darn it, the food is astonishingly good.
We had the anchovy appetizer, the cheese plate, and the pâté, and that was all we needed. Just wonderful flavors, very well-​made food, great presentation, and very good service.
Pricey, though.

Came here for a Sunday brunch with a friend. It’s a large space so it’s pretty easy to get a table for a weekend brunch, which I can’t say for a lot of other places in Manhattan. They serve REALLY good coffee and the staff was very attentive. I ordered the poached eggs on toast, which was very ordinary — literally just poached eggs on some toast that had some jam spread on it. Not bad but don’t think I’d order it again. My friend had the chicken and waffles, and he raved about the chicken, so maybe that was the way to go. Might return to try some of the other menu items!

Thoroughly enjoyed restaurant. Had marvelous fried chicken (tender, moist) embedded in a bowl of grits and spinach. Flanked by cornbread that was a super combo. Excellent service and good drinks and diverse beer selection. Friend had the orecchiette minus cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not as expensive as other Collichio restaurants but hits the right spot for a casual or business lunch setting. Quiet and not overflowing for lunch.

Went here our final morning of my friends bachelorette weekend. Needless to say we were tired and hungover but Craftbar knocked it out of the park. I had the croque madame and it was absolutely amazing even through the nausea. It was exactly what I wanted, buttery, cheesy, crispy and delicious. The biscuits and gravy were good too. The restaurant went above and beyond knowing this was for a bachelorette. They printed menus with congratulations on them and gave the bride a thank you card. So sweet. Would definitely eat here again.

I don’t often use the terms «multi note dish» or «unique dishes» but this place defiantly has both. Very memorable & very tasty.
When I was looking at the menu I was excited to see items like wagyu beef tongue, duck hearts & dumplings among others you don’t commonly encounter.
Even though we had a large party our weight staff was perfect. This part was insane: my water glass never went below 50% empty. Someone was constantly filling it up. It was their entire job, and it was awesome.
The Duck hearts & dumplings was perfectly coked, and all aspects of the dish blended nicely.
The Pork Belly was fantastic. Crispy top, tender meat and not too salty or greasy (as pork belly can be). What impressed me was that this was very much a multi note dish thanks to the other items included. I had fun pairing the pork belly with some grits, the chili braised peanuts, the tomatillo and sometimes everything in one fork full. Eating certain parts of the dish with the pork belly was my favorite way to keep each bite interesting.
We had a ton of different desert items (our group shared them) and each one was fantastic. My favorite was a desert with chocolate ice cream, marshmallow and some crunchy things (I think it was glazed nuts but can’t remember to be honest)
This place only (barely) drops a star for a few reasons. The first is that it was just a bit on the high side for what food like this should cost. Also, I hate sitting in unpadded wooden chairs with low backs. They’re just uncomfortable.
I’d definitely go back just to try some of the other things on the menu. Here on 04÷16÷16

Neat atmosphere here! Interesting, funky art on the walls and a bar near the entrance. Feels clean and the food despite on the pricier side, was delicious! I had the Crispy Pork Belly with just water ($ 30). Presentation and wait time were great and the service was good too! I came here with a bunch of friends for my buddy’s birthday and it was perfect for such an occasion. Recommended if you’re in the mood for something a bit fancier for dinner! Yum.

Stopped by during Restaurant Week and was not disappointed at all. High ceilings, beautiful bar and plenty of space. I was definitely underdressed for the Friday work lunch crowd and got some side eyes for sitting by myself but any qualms I felt were gone the second my food started to arrive.
Started with the Pecorino Risotto Balls — rich, cheesy, surprisingly filling with a spicy tomato sauce that went perfectly with what essentially is fried balls of rice and cheese. Next the mussels. OH MY the mussels. There was a keffir lime almost red curry-​ish sauce that complemented the chewiness of the mussels and was sopped up perfectly with the bread. I literally ate every single mussel on my plate. For dessert I had the carrot cake with a=caramel which was light and fluffy compared to most carrot cakes I’ve had in the past.
Really just an amazing amazing meal. Worth the price tag.

Tom Colicchio’s Craftbar does not disappoint. Outstanding service and delicious food/​drinks. Great ambiance as well — good for groups. We ordered the following:
— Chicken Liver Pâté — did not try but everyone else at the table enjoyed it
— Salmon tartare — don’t expect them to get this wrong. great starter
— Whipped Ricotta Toast (with Enoki Mushroom and Fried Shallot) — I mean how can you go wrong with whipped ricotta?
— White Anchovy & Soft Egg Toast (with Lemon Aioli and Confit Leek) — another great dish
— Skuna Bay Salmon (Carrot Corriander Purée, Fennel, Citrus) — I usually stray away from ordering salmon unless I’m at 5 star restaurant since it’s easy for it to be over-​cooked and dried, but to my surprise, it was cooked perfectly and was delicious!
— Veal Ricotta Meatball (Capellini, Basil, San Marzano tomato) — didn’t try, but this dish is very popular. Everyone thought it was very tasty.

Restaurant Week Jan 2016
This is my first restaurant week restaurant for the year and second Tom Colicchio restaurant I have been to.
Their RW lunch menu is not available online.
I have it up posted up here in the pictures if you guys need it.
FIRST:
— White Anchovy & Soft Egg Toast (Lemon Aioli, Confit Leek) [4 STARS] — the anchovies were a little sour from the lemon aoili but this was surprisingly very good. The eggs were very buttery and soft. Great presentation as well.
SECOND:
— Craftbar Burger — (Bacon Jam, Pickled Onion, Roasted Tomato, Bibb Lettuce) [4 STARS]This was so good! Burger was moist and sweet from the pickled onion and bacon jam. I recommend you get this burger. Did I also mention, this comes with chips? The chips are fried and super crispy.
THIRD:
— Tumbleweed by 5 Spoke Creamery — Quince, Spice Walnuts [3 STARS] — I had absolutely no idea what this was when I ordered it. It’s a cheese plate with some bread, walnuts, and quince (what this? it’s a fruit that looks like a pear that’s bright golden yellow colored). I typically don’t like cheese but this was actually quite good. The quince and walnuts paired well with the cheese.
OVERVIEW:
I actually prefer Tom Colicchio’s Riverpark over Craftbar but this place is good as well. Riverpark’s menu was better and tastier.
Service here was on point. Servers promptly refilled my cup when they notice my water was running low.

So glad I finally got to try one of colicchos restaurants. This was a nice introduction to his work. The restaurant itself is very typical of a flatiron establishment. Classy causal. We came here for brunch and I got the croque Madame which was delicious! It was a little too salty but still very good and filling. It also came with a side of chips and dip. My friend got chicken and waffles which was done up in a fancier style than I’ve seen before. Good service and nice atmosphere. While it’s just a little shy away from that extremely wow factor, it’s still a really good place to come for food!

This restaurant owned by Tom Colicchio, of America’s Top Chef fame, is supposedly one of the most well-​known hot spots in the Flatiron District of New York. While waiting for my friends to arrive at Craftbar for brunch, I had a chance to chit-​chat with the bartender and have a drink.
We ordered a few dishes, which I will describe below:
Apple & Pear Salad — Interesting dish to start off. The hazelnut and the The Shallot Confit Vinaigrette were the takeaways from this dish because those flavors definitely stood out to me.
Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese — This was actually the best dish we had, and was quite good. The Shishito relish and tomato jam complemented the sandwich with robust flavor.
Skuna Bay Salmon — The fish itself was good, but a bit salty. Good thing the brussel sprouts, squash, and pomegranate were there to counterbalance the taste.
Pork Scrapple & Eggs — Your typical brunch item custom tailored to Craftbar’s way of doing brunch. Loved the potatoes and bacon accompaniments.
The prices of each of these dishes combined can run up the bill, so my suggestion would be to eat a sandwich or something before you come here. That way, you don’t overindulge and have a heart attack when you realized you paid that much for brunch. That’s not to take anything away from the quality of the meal, but if you’re a local, it would be really difficult to justify paying those prices.

Great ambiance, great service, staff was very friendly and checked on us regularly even though we were only having drinks & appetizers at one of the high tables towards the front, on a Saturday night.
Cocktails…some serious mixology going on behind the bar, very cool stuff! Ceviche appetizer was a bit bland though. But overall nice place to hang out for drinks.

So star struck, haha. Not that I got to see Tom Colichio or anything, but just being here made me so happy. This bookmark was getting old — like 2 years old. My sister and I grabbed brunch here recently and boy was it good! For a Saturday brunch, the place was not as busy as I would have expected, but that also meant our service was very attentive, so I am not complaining :)
The décor is very nice — rich and dark tones, with a few quirky murals thrown in here and there. The tables were a little tight, but we didn’t have anyone next to us, so I didn’t mind as much.
I had the poached egg on a croissant which also came with a little side salad. My eggs were perfectly seasoned and the salad dressing had a hint of sweetness that went very well with the eggs and the butteriness of the croissant. The portion size was also great and I finished every little lick!
My sister had the burrata salad with squash and she loved it too! She’s not a big fan of cheese, so I was actually a little skeptical about whether she would like her burrata, but she did! She spread bits of it on her side of toast and finished her entire dish!
We also shared a side of potatoes, which I think were a little sad –they were not crispy as I would expect breakfast potatoes to be and something about the texture threw me off.
As for the service, I think it was great. The clumsy duck that I am, I knocked over w glass of water and one of the servers came rushing over to clean it, without us asking. They were super courteous and always smiling.
My one gripe about the place — my sister is a complete vegetarian, but our server didn’t really give her any options where she could customize her order to make it more veggie friendly and told us the chef was unable to make her a custom veggie sandwich because it wasn’t on the menu. i would understand that being a problem when they were super busy, but this was just a little strange. Regardless it all kind of worked out because she loved her salad!
Will I be back? I think I would like to try their dinner menu once, so sure I will.

Great dining experience: the service was fantastic, the wine list reasonable, and I didn’t try a thing I didn’t like!
Definitely on the pricey side but I thought it was well worth it. The pecorino fonduta was a phenomenal appetizer, one I’ve had cravings for since trying. The sausages with sauerkraut were also incredible. For the entrée the fried chicken was another solid choice! I tried a friends short rib and loved it too. OH — the bread sticks were just dangerous.
Also, they put the birthday boy’s name on the menu which I thought was an adorable touch!

I had high hopes for this place. I came for a group event and was not terribly impressed with the food. It’s a cool vibe upstairs but I sat in the private room in the basement.
1. Salad: my house salad was quite salty and without any real flavor.
2. Brisket: mine was overdone so the dish itself was a bit tough. It was paired with polenta which was decent.
3. Cheesecake: pretty standard and nothing special about this cheesecake.
I thought overall the food was lackluster. It may be different a la carte but for a group prix fixe I was not impressed.

Awesome interior, quality food. Tip: get anything with ricotta in the ingredient list — the ricotta is so good and makes anything an automatic menu highlight. Whipped ricotta toast = so good.
There are approx 10 snack, appetizer, 1^st course (similar portion size as apps), and main course options each. Apps run $ 8 – 15, 1^st courses $ 12 – 19, mains $ 22 – 29. Flavors are often combined in ways you don’t commonly see and in ways that look great.
Salmon tartare and ricotta toast were superb. Beef tongue was like a thinly sliced meat — good, but we were quick to move on. Main = pork berry, sausage, and sauerkraut. The pork belly looked great, but it’s taste was not there. Not as flavorful, juicy, nor soft as you definitely hope for. The sausauge, though was great.
Giving 4 stars over 5 mainly since I think the larger portions (that I experienced) did not stand up to the smaller apps.

Wonderful atmosphere food and service !
For first courses we had the octopus and arugula w lemon. Main courses day scallops and beef short rib with sides of kale and roasted mixed mushrooms. All delicious. Service was attentive and friendly with Ceasar and a manager ensuring we were happy and well taken care of … Recommend for dinner w colleagues friends or a date.

Es uno de los restaurantes del chef Colicchio (juez de Top Chef).
Este en particular es uno de los más relajados, nada demasiado fancy. Siempre fui a almorzar, y generalmente hay gente teniendo almuerzos de trabajo, y algunos turistas.
La carta es acotada, pero todo es riquísimo. Recomiendo particularmente el salmón (el mejor que probé) las pastas con albóndigas de ricotta.
Almuerzo para dos, aproximadamente U$S 50.

Le resto d’un des juges de Top Chef! aux US… c’est bon, plein de gouts et rafines, mais bon, cela reste cher pour la quantite presente dans l’assiette (ce qui est assez rare aux US pour le remarquer !).
Un point negatif, la salle est sympa mais tres bruyante…