01/08/09

Oh my...such a disappoinment

by plowrimoremd

Collichio, spend a little time guiding your substitute chefs. The current state of affairs at Crap...I mean Craft is pretty pathetic. Inedible food, expensive wine, interesting but unavailable wait staff...well, why on earth would I ever come back? Couldn't cut the mushrooms with a serrated steak knife, bland al dente vegetables, chewy pan bread desert...Blechhhh. That's about it.

• Pros: Ghost Bar alternative
• Cons: simply bad food...and expensive to boot

12/26/08

Flop Chef

by Unilover

Where do I begin? A $500 meal which amounted to little more than a good bottle of wine and tasty french fries. The rest was pathetic and inedible. Colicchio? Pack your knives an go home. That's where you'll find me when the opportunity for dinner at Craft presents itself again.

• Pros: Good wine and french fries
• Cons: terrible food otherwise and spotty service

09/28/07

Disappointing

by alex05

I went to Craft with 2 coworkers and a client from Belgium. We all loved the decor, and the service was attentive and very professional. Things looked good. Then we got the food. It was not even close to what we expected. The food was either bland or over-seasoned...or just plain not good. We tried a variety of things, and we weren't impressed with any of our selections. I was so excited about the pumpkin ravioli, and it was probably the worst thing. The pasta shell was way too chewy, the seasoning boring, and the inside was way too sweet. Our waiter raved about the chicken, so two people in our party ordered it. They were both sorely disappointed- it was too chewy and certainly not special.

I'm glad I went to check it out for the decor, but save yourself $500 bucks and just peek in instead. Skip the food.

• Pros: Beautifully decorated, great service
• Cons: Terrible food, Expensive

07/28/07

Best New American restaurant Dallas has to offer by far!!

by layneegirl

THe atmosphere is eclectic and peaceful.... The service is impecible. All of the staff was comletely knowledgable about every item on the menu. The family style dishes are delightful and offer the opportunity to try more than just one thing. Desserts are amazing. Every need was handled effeciently. Honestly, the best meal Dallas has to offer!!

• Pros: FOOD!! Service and atmosphere!!
• Cons: 0

06/15/07

Beautifully Choreographed Dining Expereience

by rubicon13

I didn't expect a lot from this ubertrendy spot to be honest. The hotel in which it is located is full of some of the most vapid people in Dallas; however I was extremely pleased with the service here and the food was quite nice too. The only experience I could compare the service to would be a Ritz Carlton. Anything we requested was brought quickly and with a genuine sense that the personnel took true pride in their work. Recommendations were very good and we love the way they serve everything in the center of the table so that all can share without passing plates around.

I highly recommend the Kobe Flank Steak, the mushrooms, and aparagus. And the Strawberry/Rhubarb pie was hilarious, delicious, and a great trip back to my childhood.

Only complaints would be the location...why this hotel? And the hostesses seem to have more of the hotel attitude than the rest of the restaurant staff. We arrived at 8 pm for a 8:30 reservation planning to grab a drink in the bar. We checked in at the hostess stand just to let them know we were there and were told ungraciously by the hostess that they would be seating us at 8:30...end of comments (note that we didn't expect to be seated early). We had to ask where the bar was? (I guess she assumed we were just going to stand there for 30 minutes) Were told "take a right just past the door to the lobby." When 8:30 rolled around, they did not come get us as we would have expected from an establishment such as this. At about 8:35 we went over to check and were told that they were "waiting for us." I would also comment that they were not crowded during any part of these activities...so "being busy" was not a reason for the rudeness. Luckily the rest of the meal made up for the lack of welcome from those working at the hostess stand.

• Pros: Service, service, service, food, ambience
• Cons: Location, Hostesses, lack of coordination with services at the hotel despite the location

04/25/07

Overrated

by babydoctx

My friend and I went on a Saturday night with reservations. The decor was beautiful, unfortunately, the food wasn't. The foie gras terrine was terrible, the wild boar was tough and flavorless, and the asparagus and garlic risotto was salty. The martini was weak also. Servers took forever to come by and refill our wine glasses. There are much better restaurants in Dallas. Don't waste your time with this one.

04/11/07

The entire dining experience was like a finely choreographed performance, The BEST SERVICE in Dallas by far.

by gregorysawin

As my guest and I entered the restaurant we were greeted with a warm welcome and a bright smile from the Maitre d? followed by one of the Managers, after being escorted to a table we were very impressed by the hospitality, manor, and overall attitudes of the entire staff. I would have to say with the first impression and analysis of the staff and restaurant it was like a thriving, adapting, and progressing team of talented individuals who work at Craft Dallas.

First course: The yellowfin tuna; which was cubed very small and coated in a citrus sauce, which was artistically placed on a small rectangle plate. The yellowfin tuna was a deep ruby red and pink in color. The texture and taste of this dish was delicate but creamy at the same time then the finish flavors were a as acidic citrus which only made the tuna dissolve on you tongue so fast that you wanted to get another bite of yellowfin tuna back to your mouth.

For entree: We ordered the Maine diver scallops, apple wood smoked bacon and mushroom risotto, and the gnocchi. As the entrees went on the table I noticed the scallops right off there were three of them which were a golden brown on top, and were a delightful tasty tidbit from the sea that were spongy to the touch but melted like butter in your mouth. The smoked apple wood bacon and mushroom risotto was thick and creamy in texture with a smoky finish.

For dessert, we ordered a lemon tart and chocolate chip cookies.

We were very impressed and I can say everytime I eat at Craft Dallas the consistency, preparation, appearance, and taste is phenomenal

• Pros: . I would have to say with the first impression and analysis of the staff and restaurant it was like a thriving, adapting, and progressing team of talented individuals who work at Craft Dallas.

04/10/07

NOT happy

by liannedennie

i was very excited to drive into dallas to experience the "craft experience" only to be let down in a waste of time way. i could've saved the time, gas and money to have a wonderful meal here in austin. the front of the house service was great, our waiter so-so, and the food alright. Nothing special. the worst dish was the sea bass. was not flakey, skin was tough and rubbery and a lil fishy. the mushroom assortment was bland yet salty, didn't make sense to me either! :P And worst of all the waiter didn't care if we were unhappy. maybe next time i will travel to nyc, where people tell me it's fab. but i am not so sure.

03/25/07

Great food, great service

by sanfranciscoofthesouth

I went to the Dallas outpost of the original Craft Restaurant in New York City. Tom Colicchio has really worked his magic. The food here is creative, elegant and delicious. The waitstaff was highly attentive. The food is served family style and meant to share. While simple, the dishes were amazing and brought together some of the best flavors from around the world. I dined on Kobe Beef Skirt Steak, Scallops, Heirloom Beans Salad, Heirloom Squash and Roasted Mushrooms. All of the dishes were awesome, save the Heirloom Squash. It wasn't bad, per se, but it just didn't measure up to everything else on the menu. Finally, I finished the night off by sharing a Chocolate Cake with Fermented Berries. Phenomenal.

I highly recommend trying out this restaurant, though don't go with an empty wallet. You'll need some cash, and you could quite possibly leave with empty pockets. My opinion, well worth the experience.

• Pros: Great food and better service
• Cons: The line for Ghostbar is just outside the door to the restaurant, making it somewhat hectic at times

03/13/07

Terrible Brunch

by bt1984

My friends and I go to brunch almost every weekend and we wanted to try something special for a birthday. We heard that Craft did brunch and we were very excited. However, we were extremely dissapointed. My egg sandwich did not have the promised blue cheese, which was the whole reason i ordered it! Then, they charged me when I asked for some. The duck confit hash browns, were packaged, frozen hashbrowns (the kind that are perfectly square and soggy) and the duck confit was two little pieces ontop that didn't even taste like duck. On the up side, the pancakes were huge and fluffy, but you can get the same quality at the Original Pancake House. Overall, the restaurant was beautiful, but the food was dissapointing. The service was okay, but we were one of the only tables. It all seemed like bad hotel breakfast food. Your better off at Breadwinners or Trece.

• Pros: Beautiful Design, Good Music, Okay service
• Cons: Terrible food, overprices, overhyped