212-400-6699
85 Tenth Avenue
At 15th Street
Rating: Almost Addictive
Cuisine: Steak House
Entree Price: $18-$100+
Meals: Open daily for dinner.
Most addictive dish: the mushrooms (side dishes) - all of them: chantrelle, hen of the woods, mmm
Review
Taking "slick" up a notch and brandishing it with plenty of New York City style, is CraftSteak - bigger, livelier and a little less special place than its older sister.
If you've been to Craft, you'll notice that CraftSteak borrows on many of its successes. There's a new menu every day that allows you to build your own meal from first courses, main dishes and sides. The tables look identical to the ones at Craft, and you'll notice the same straight lines in the interior. It's also hard not to love the uber cool slate bar up front. The only issue is that the space isn't as inviting as it could be. The over-the-topness and slightly impersonal air at CraftSteak might be related to the fact that it actually originated in Vegas before it opened in New York. Hmm.
Just to be clear, though, you're not going to have a bad meal at Craft Steak - far from it. The food is outstanding - I think I had the second best mushrooms of my life here. The wagyu filet is off the charts, and the raw bar is deliciously fresh. Also, if you find yourself here and you're not in the mood for steak, there are usually a couple of great pastas on the menu. I had a wild boar papardelle with fontina and butternut squash that sent shivers down my spine.
My first experience at CraftSteak reminded me of listening to U2's Pop album when it was first released. I thought, "ugh, such tremendous talent catering to a crowd that doesn't understand them. Why would they do that?" I had almost the same feelings here - great talent catering to yuppies who are often more interested in the scene than the food. Years later, I changed my tune and recogized the greatness of Pop and that U2 was just ahead of us all. I'm still waiting for that to happen with Craft Steak.