The original Craftbar is no longer with us, sad to say, at least not in its edifying tiny form. Tom Colicchio and his partners moved their operation to a much bigger space on Broadway just above Union Square. The new space seats 150. There is a large, elevated wine rack, complete with a vaguely treacherous-looking catwalk. There is a bar in front, designed not for the mass consumption of lots of very profitable cocktails. The menu has been enlarged, and those small finger-food dishes, like the meatballs and even the beloved paninis, have been struck. In their place is a more standard progression of seasonal salads, upmarket appetizers, and big, aggressive entrées flavored with obscure ingredients like stinging nettles, pickled ramps, and fennel pollen. Much of the food is good, but the restaurant's intimacy is gone, and with it that certain quality of specialness. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
I went to craftbar last night because it's near my new apartment. Everything was really bad. We ordered the fried oysters appetizer and they were so mushy and not crunchy they grossed me out-and are usually one of my favorite things-not even the dipping sauce was good. My boyfriend had the aged sirloin which was mediocre at best and I had the fish which was so fishy it was inedible-it was served with three nice raviolis which basically ended up being my meal. Tom should pack his knives and go, but either way I am not going back.
Went for lunch/brunch on a Sunday afternoon. They let us wait for 2 hrs before my guest arrived without a single complaint. Our server was very patient and professional.
The food was amazing. Our group had the hanger steak with Greenmarket green beans and escargot (AMAZINGLY tender and perfectly seasoned; tender almost crispy green beans), eggs benedict (better than any other I've had) and the house-cured salmon plate (amazing mixture of flavors; don't forget to eat with the capers and pickled sliced onions).
And the prices were great! The hanger steak was $24 and a fairly large portion (no room for dessert). The others were like $12-14. The table next to ours had 2 children and they seemed very pleased with their meal (and cookies for dessert).
I would definitely go back. It's obvious that the cooks at Craftbar really know what they're doing. Everything was perfectly seasoned and prepared. Carefully plated and served promptly at the perfect temperatures.