Craft Los Angeles

06/24/09

One Of The Worst Restaurants Anywhere

by zreviewz at Citysearch

All I can say about the location is: Century City? If you find cold, steel, sterile office buildings romantic, than Craft is the place for you. If you like the sight of overworked attorneys and deserted night time streets that are eerily devoid of any human beings, you will love this place. If you are nouveau riche, trying very hard, and have not dined in that many truly great restaurants, then Craft is your new home away from home.

I was taken to Craft for my birthday and have never had a worse dining experience in my life. We had a reservation but we were forced to wait for almost an hour. After ordering a drink that never came and after receiving a dried up wrinkly prune of a meat appetizer, I asked if I could speak to the manager. He flat out told me that he would do absolutely nothing about the situation. He refused to try to rectify any of the large number of problems that were occurring and said "Why don't you just sit down and enjoy your meal?" What was there to enjoy: Bad service and worse food? This place needs to get over itself.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Horrible Service and Second Rate Food

06/24/09

Great Service; Way Overpriced; Lacking Flavor

by cpprbull at Citysearch

Service was great (about 4-5 severs), but what I and my 3 friends ordered lacked in flavor (salt/pepper even?). Porterhouse, chicken, scallops...great cuts of meat, cooked just right, but NO flavor. Same for the sides (and $29 for 3 scallops??). Overpriced--except for the drinks, especially the Ginger Martini ($8). Would go again for drinks but not dinner.

• Pros: Service
• Cons: Prices, Flavorful Food

03/17/09

ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN L.A.!!

by agalstia at Citysearch

I have been fortunate enough to eat at the majority of the nicest restaurants in L.A. and have to say that Craft is definitely one of the best! The decor is pretty modern, and the service is very professional. From the appetizers to the dessert, all of the dishes we ordered were excellent! There are not that many restaurants out there that you can say the same thing about. For entrees, we ordered the tuna sashimi and the frisee salad which were smaller portions, but still very tasty. For entrees, we got the beef short ribs which was out of this world! Also, we got the suzuki fish, which had an incredibly crispy skin and amazing flavors. As for dessert, we ordered the peanut butter cup, vanilla parfait, as well as the glazed donuts. They were all outrageously delicious! I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are a foodie and truly enjoy high-quality food, service, and ambiance.

• Pros: dinner, dessert, ambiance, service,
• Cons: none

02/24/09

Excellent Service and Wonderful Desserts!

by Rubyred1 at Citysearch

My husband and I went to Craft on Valentine's day and we scored a nice 7:30pm reservation. The restaurant was quite full (but not overflowing)...it was perfect. We did not have to wait at all and from the moment we walked in until the moment we walked out, we were treated like royalty. Throughout the night, they gave us treats.....first the amuse buche (a mini cheese puff), then a dessert amuse buche (a shot of orange ice cream soda), then mini red velvet cupcakes and raspberry shortbread cookies with a bill, and a chocolate chip brioche muffin for the next day. It was great! They constantly changed our plates, silverware, etc after every course....first course we had the hamachi, beet salad, and cheese and onion tart (all excellent). Second course we shared lobster pasta dish, for the main course I had the asian influenced shrimp dish, while my husband had the beef short rib. The only thing was although the food quality was truly excellent, everything was seriously underseasoned! That was a little bit surprising since Tom Collichio (the famed owner) is always stressing the importance of seasoning on the show Top Chef. We ordered the donuts for dessert and caramel gelato....the donuts were full sized, fluffy, fresh, glazed, piping hot and melted in our mouths ...they came with three "dipping sauces"... Truly amazing. I would come for the dessert alone! The service truly was exceptional...it was like a beautifully choreographed dance...and very very pleasant too. Everyone was smiling and fun! The best part is the doggy bag thing....if you don't finish your food, they pack it for you, give you a ticket, and later you walk to the front of the restaurant, hand them you ticket, and pick it up from the maitre d. That way you don't have to carry it around or put it on the chair next to you. Oh yeah, the ambience was sophisticated, sleek, and very modern. It was such a spectacular night, nothing that a little salt couldn't fix.

• Pros: The treats throughout the night!
• Cons: Underseasoned meal (maybe just on Valentine's Day....I'll try it again).

11/14/08

My favorite

by hugefoodie at Citysearch

I went to Craft last night again and had a great meal. Their consistently great and the service staff is professional. The Chestnut Agnolotti was my favorite. Their pastas are handmade, unique and never disappoint. I had the Berkshire Pork for the first time and it was cooked perfectly. Just a little pink & nicely seasoned. I hope that the Peanut Butter Cup stays on the menu forever. I have it every time. Their menu has so much variety that you can go all the time & get something different. Love it.

• Pros: Convenient location, no traffic
• Cons: I wish that I could eat more

09/30/08

Not a great place for a special occasion. Snooty staff. Not the expericence I expected from Tom Colicchio.

by EsmereldaVillalobos at Citysearch

I've wanted to eat at one of Tom Colicchio's restaurants forever. So when my mom had a milestone birthday a few weeks ago, I decided to splurge and take her there with a few guests. When we got there, we were seated rudely. I called days in advance to reserve a nice table, but were given a lousy one. The hostess did not accommodate a request for a table change. I didn't want to make a scene so I dropped it. The bread was great, and so was the amuse bouche . We ordered hamachi with melon as an appetizer and it was unremarkable. A few of us decided to get the porterhouse that is meant to be shared and was $125. It was not a great steak. Not flavorful and far too bloody - not the way we ordered it. which was medium rare. For $125, I expect perfection. We did get a salad that had some very good bacon in it. Everything else was fine but forgettable. Our waiter was arrogant and kept walking away from us mid-sentence, like he didn't feel like wasting his time with us. This especially offended me when desert came. Let me say that before we ordered desert, they brought out a little raspberry soda/vanilla ice cream shot which was very enjoyable. When we ordered dessert, I reminded the waiter that it was my moms birthday. I didn't expect them to sing, but at least a candle or a happy birthday from the waiter. Instead, we got a dessert plopped down in front of my mom by the busboy. The plate had Happy Birthday written on it with chocolate sauce, but that was it. I have to say that it was depressing and the opposite of festive. It broke my heart a little. I wanted to do something nice for my mom and instead I felt like a criminal for wanting to have a celebration at Craft. For dessert we ordered a chocolate souffle that was served in a copper pan. The busboy did not warn us that it was very hot and someone burned his finger. The souffle was amazing though. Before the bill came there were petit fours and and we got muffins to take home which were also fabulous.

07/28/08

Good reason to come back

by MaryBethKY at Citysearch

Just spent time in LA for the first time, and of all of the places I visited, this was the best. My sister and I stopped in on Thursday for a drink before going elsewhere for dinner, and we never made it to the other place. We walked in the door and were immediately greeted by the manager and one of the bar tenders with huge smiles of welcome -- a wonderful experience when you are away from home. All of the food was exquisitely flavored, and while it is a little pricey for everyday, they don't skimp on servings, and it is perfect for a special day/night out. We had several appetizers, ranging from a wonderful Wild Arugula & Parmesan Salad (brushed with just enough olive oil to offset the sharpness of the greens), to Oysters (she loved them, I don't go there) and a really great selection of cheeses served with assorted fruits, sauces, pepper -- yummy. The desserts, a chocolate souffle that made your eyes roll, and a yummy berry crisp, were amazing. The wine that our bartender recommended was perfectly suited to both our foods, and to our individual taste. We liked everything so well we came back the next day for lunch (artichoke & fried lemon risotto [perfection], and Field Mushroom & Fontina [oh my!]). As good as the food was, however, it was the staff and the excellent service they provided that will make this my first stop when I get back out that way again. From Luke & Pete (bartenders -- make a fabulous gimlet) to Helen (fromagier), to the manager, Todd, the service was amazing -- attentive, fun and friendly. Even the staff that was not serving us were kind! Over all -- bar none -- this is now one of my favorite places in the country for a fun, one-of-a-kind experience. Enjoy!

• Pros: Food, service, staff, ambience - love it!
• Cons: I live 1900 miles away : - (

06/09/08

Must try Craft in Los Angeles- No Problems whatsoever, or they have just done a great job of righting the few wrongs

by sunehri at Citysearch

.I am not sure what some of the earlier negative reviews are referring to but my guess is that they have really spent time perfecting their "craft". I dined at Craft last Thursday and loved it so much, my boyfriend and I went back on Saturday. We found the food, service, wine and ambiance well worth the five stars I awarded this fine establishment. Our server had no issue with letting us "taste" some of the by the glass wines and we ended up finding one that we really loved (McCauley 2001 Cabernet). Since the menu can change daily, rely on your server, these people really know their menu. I would HIGHLY recommend the Soft Shell Crab, the Braised Beef Cheeks and the Chocolate Souffle. I think my boyfriend said it best: even a novice would enjoy the Seared Foie Gras with pistachio because its prepared so wonderfully. They offer some fantastic egg and pasta dishes and a cheese selection to satisfy every one from the cheddar eater to the Chabichou fan. The food is pricey but not unreasonable and after all, you are getting fresh quality and a great experience. Most importanlty, yes the owner is a celeb chef, but it is the food that will make you return.

• Pros: Great Wine list, Food, Choice, Selection, service
• Cons: can be expensive

06/05/08

Great service, large portions, good ambience

by i_know_la at Citysearch

Well, let me preface this by saying that I didn't pay for dinner, and have no idea what it cost, but I can guess we spent a fair chunk of change seeing as we ordered four bottles of wine. The wine list was very good and we ended up drinking only the 2005 Regusci, Cabernet Sauvignon, which was fairly priced for a restaurant of this quality ($115) and passing on the 2006 The Prisoner, which isn't nearly as ready as the 2005 of the same name.

Let me also say that we went there as a group so were only able to choose the entree - the first course, sides, and desserts were all picked for us by the chef.

So, as far as the food, it was really good. I ordered the short ribs, as did four other in our group, so it came out in a really big cooking pan and we could pick out how much we wanted. The New York steak (dry not japanese) looked amazing as well - served on a large dish and with plenty of meat. The sides were all very tasty, and just when you think you will explode, desert comes. We had several different plates of deserts: (strawberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, and a really yummy pepper, yes pepper, ice cream), (assorted chocolate treats with honey and peanut butter flavors thrown in) and (a donut plate!! which was amazing! The donuts were firm and glazed). Oh, the deserts started with mini root beer floats.

So, thumbs up to Craft. I really do anticipate going back there again.

04/01/08

Pleasantly surprised

by mzeleanorrigby at Citysearch

Craft was recommended to us by a regular visitor. After reading the review from Feb 11, we almost didn't go. We are glad we did. The room is lovely, the service was very good, and the food was delicious. The braised short ribs were the best I've had anywhere and the chocolate souffle was heavenly. We were surprised to receive carrot muffins to take home with us. We enjoyed them for breakfast the next morning--delicious.