Craft

My experience here was magnificent. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgable, so I allowed him to choose a cocktail for me. What he brought was a yummy pumpkin pie tasting concotion… it was like drinking heaven! The bartender had forgotten to put a splash of cranberry in my friend’s drink, so a second drink was brought on the house, which was particularly nice.
We had a late lunch, so we nibbled here and had a few cocktails before starting the night. We started with a few of each of the oysters (raw, on a half shell) and ended with the salmon. I must admit that I am picky when it comes to salmon, as I like mild fish, but this salmon was one of the best tasting foods I have ever put in my mouth! I can only wish that one day I can cook something that great.

I’ve been to craft multiple times since moving to dallas. They are always pretty consistent and always put out good quality food. The yukon gold purée is quite nice as are the short ribs however the veg they serve with it could be improved upon. The last time I went they had a very nice tomato basil tortellini appetizer that puts italian restaurants in dallas to shame for not doing their own pasta. Another memorable must have from my last trip was an incredible sweet corn side dish that I couldnt get enough of.
The only con of Craft is the prices which are a bit too high for dallas and they are located in the W hotel. Parking is a nightmare near the W as the valet charges some absurd $ 15+ and until the last review here I had no idea they validated it at Craft.
Its quite sad to hear that craft will no longer be open past sept 2012. The W hotel has kicked them out to remodel the over priced crappy hotel and replace craft with some absurd gastropub. I would love to see craft relocate to a real space of its own and the W hotel and the rest of victory park finally fail and die so it can be reset to be something successful.

I went solo while on a business trip on a Tuesday night. The restaurant is in the W Hotel — swanky and in the middle of downtown Dallas historic district. The ambiance was modern and chic. The service was good — everyone was very attentive. Valet parking with the hotel (validated by the restaurant) was a def plus.
The ginger martini was YUM and the malbec I had with dinner — equally so!
My 1^st course was the pork belly with blackberries (the skin was crispy and the contrast with the blackberries and the little slices of jalapeño on top — hit the spot). My 2^nd course was the braised beef rib — it was tender but a bit under seasoned for my taste while the root vegetables was a little too tart. My risotto side dish 9corn with smoked bacon) tasted good but wasn’t as firm as I thought it should be.
Overall — the taste profile was spot on with some aberrances here and there.
I would go back just to have the pork belly alone…

I enjoyed my lunch at Craft, but it seemed strange that there were basically only two tables of guests during the lunch rush hour. The place was lovely and décor very classy though.
The food was delicious – before the meal, they serve individual risotto balls and family-​style salad. The salad is rather bland, but the risotto is delicious! And because they change up the menu so often, there are only about 6 options – I went for the salmon, which I liked.
Overall, Craft’s food was good but the restaurant lacked the life and it-​crowd scene that you’d hope to find at a W Hotel restaurant.

Four stars for *very* good food. Really could be five, but the fact that the place is empty and a little cold-​feeling precludes that fifth one.
This was my second visit. My first visit was probably a 3-​star affair… the food on this second occasion was decidedly excellent.
I think this is the best «the ingredients are the stars» restaurant I’ve ever been to. Anywhere. Most preparations are very, very simple, but completely delicious. Witness the pork shank, a *huge* Hunk O’ Pork, covered with a simple, subtle mustard seed rub. Falling off the bone… couldn’t have been more delicious.
The menu was a little confusing to me at first, but our waiter explained it and guided us toward a rational ordering strategy: a first course, a main, and a side apiece. We only got one side between us, and we had plenty leftovers.
Another winner was the sweetbreads. Again, very simple: just tasty and tender.
We gobbled down the generous portion of broccolini with gusto.
Service was fine. The way they handle leftovers (you pick them up on your way out) and the muffin they give you for breakfast the next day are great little extras.
As others have said, it would be good for a group, as you’d not so much notice the lack of patrons.

This is the 3^rd craft that I’ve been to (NY and LA) so was pretty disappointed in the meal although this was brunch and not dinner. The menu was pretty limited. I ordered a cheeseburger and the medium rare came out much too well. The patty itself wasn’t well seasoned and the grind was kinda dense. I like my burger a little more loosely packed and had to be more medium. The fries were good but when the fries are the best part of a cheeseburger then you’re in trouble.
I know complaining about free stuff is in poor taste but here I go. They brought some free dishes, definitely not amuse bouche. The arancini was freezing solid cold in the middle. It’s hard to get past that point but wasn’t a very savory cheesy good rice ball regardless so this was just a bad bad bad ball.
The hotel is close to my office in Dallas so guess we’ll have to find another joint for grub nearby.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dinner so good. Honestly. It was my mom’s birthday and this year she declared we were going to Craft. You know, Tom Coliccio’s restaurant in the W hotel. So off we went.
We arrived and were greeted really nicely. The guys manning the front were great. We were seated, and we began the discussion about what to have. My poor dad can never see the menu. Oh, he’s got glasses on, but unless you’ve got a mag-​light worthy light shining down, he can’t see shit. The waiter scurried away and came back with a fancy lighted magnifying thing for him to use. This toy quickly became THE new item on Doug’s wish list. Thank god he could see to order, or we would have been stuck reading him the menu in its entirety.
If you’ve never been before (we hadn’t), know that it’s family style… every plate you order is brought to the center of the table and everyone shares. What a cool concept. We were given an amuse bouche of a single shucked mussel in a creamy sauce with little diced potatoes. It was creamy, bacon-​y, salty from the mussel. Yum.
For appetizers, we got the roasted fois gras, the pork belly, and the escargots. The fois gras was very… fois. And served with a fantastic little bowl of toasted brioche. The pork belly was also quite tasty. The excargot were also good. After that heavy appetizer order we decided to go light on dinner, heh, not.
For dinner, we had the pork shank (kinda reminded me of haute cuisine version of shake n’ bake), the hangar steak, braised short ribs, and the scallops. Every bit of it was fantastic… but I have to say the scallops were a total afterthought. Don’t get me wrong, they were very, very good… but we really didn’t need them. Too. Much. Foods. For sides we got the creamed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, roasted turnips, and sautéed spinach. Our plates looked like thanksgiving at Tom’s house, I’m sure with all the little bites of fancy vittles.
Next came the pre-​dessert, a plate with caramel popcorn, little chocolate cookies and marzipan cookies. We ordered just a single scoop of ice cream with our coffees and teas, and with that came a little post-​dessert apples and caramel sauce too. We drank, talked, and relaxed, never feeling rushed or pushed. Oh, and we each also got a little gingerbread cake to take home for dessert the next morning.
Now here’s the kicker. That little magnifying light thing? The waiter comes over and says «okay, time to give it back» and took the one my dad had been using… only to present him with a brand new one to take home! What service.

My husband and I went out for our anniversary. It was a surprise, and it’s very safe to say that it was a pleasant one!
We started with cocktails, and I tried the L’Autumne — a seasonal cocktail. HOLY WOW. Just delicious.
We loved the family-​style setting and were seated in one of the romantic booth areas. The whole experience was just awesome.
I took off a star because we tried the red snapper, and it wasn’t that awesome. I really expected to be completely blown away. It was good… but just good.
We were very pleased with the whole experience, though, and I’d love to go back!

We eloped in August and planned to eventually have a nice dinner in Dallas when we returned. We decided to celebrate a month married at Craft on Monday night. I admit, I wasn’t expecting it to be so top-​notch thanks to some of the Unilocal reviews, but wow — we had a hell of an experience. Service was impeccable. We had a couple of different servers — which seems to be the thing of late, or maybe it’s a Dallas thing, whatever it is, it’s new to me. We started with the caesar salad and quail and both were delicious. I asked if our server recommended more than just the salad to start with — he did, but truly, we didn’t need it and was a bit much. The salad for two was more than enough to start with if you’re planning on an entrée, two sides and dessert. For entrees my husband went with the wagyu bavette steak and it was delicious. I went with the short rib which was almost as delicious as the bavette. For sides we picked the sweet corn and bacon risotto which was excellent and for the mushroom, we went with the hen of the woods, also excellent. I was pretty much set on not having dessert by the time we finished entrees. I agreed to look at the menu and well, had to go with the grilled orange and pistachio brioche with apricot and cream cheese with coconut sorbet and cajita. It was incredible. I’m not one that is big on sweets, but this was perfect. My husband had the stone fruit cobbler with sage butter and sweet corn ice cream and it was outstanding. The ONLY single downside, and I hate to even complain about it, because it was complimentary, was the amuse bouche. It did nothing for me as the chilled melon and basil soup tasted a bit like cough syrup. The little shaved ice treat before our desserts arrived was so fun and flavorful and the cookies AFTER our dessert were sweet and tasty. I thought we were done… but no, no, our server chased after us as we were exiting to provide us with our raspberry muffins to go!
What a memorable dinner! I’ve been to quite a few restaurants of celebrity chefs and I must say, this one really, really stands out. It certainly won’t be a place we’ll be back to anytime soon — but will definitely be considered for a special occasion in the future!

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So Craft is another Tom Colicchio’s spot, decent food, high ceiling, well décor, great service. Limited menu, but I love the generous amuse bouche they brought out: Olives, salad, and snacks, sweet!
Decent price and I was regular while I was here!

Please note: This review is from my experience on 3.4.2010 (Thursday before the Stars v. Blues game)
Here is what another Unilocaler wrote and I couldn’t agree more: «Been here a few times and the food is just OK, which is a disappointment after all the hype. The dazzling décor is impressive. Drinks are stratospherically priced. Lots of better options in the Big D.»
I personally had beef cheeks and they were completely uninspiring, boarding on bad. My date had another dish that was not memorable in the least. Although she said she enjoyed it. Personally I felt like I had just been to strip club. I went in with a lot of money and left feeling taken advantage of. I’d give it one star except they did serve us an amuse bouche that was pretty good. Also the service was good. But it should have been, there were more wait staff than patrons.

Several of the best meals of my life have been at Craft. I kid you not. It is expensive and definitely not in the budget for casual everyday dining for me, but it is absolutely my first choice in Dallas for a special occasion restaurant. I have been five or six times and it is perfection every. single. time. The décor is so pretty.
My husband took me for my birthday this year and they treated us wonderfully. He told them how much I love the caramel corn they serve after the meal, and they brought me out a huge bowl of it and boxed it for me to go afterward. They also brought a special chocolate terrine cake with a candle. Nice touch!
I personally love the family style aspect. It is fun to order a bunch of different things and share. I adore the braised short ribs and get them almost every time we go. They are so tender– life changing! The mashed potatoes? OMG. Delish! I’ve had amazing brussels, veggies and salads too. I have never had a bad dish here. The deserts are even amazing– they have a wonderful pastry chef. I’ve also been for breakfast, but I don’t think that is their strength.
Yes, I’m a fan of Top Chef. Tom Colicchio occasionally comes and cooks at the restaurant. I was lucky enough to get a reservation one of those times. He took the time to talk with every guest and was even sweet enough to take several pictures with us. Bravo! If you get a chance, I’d also suggest going for Restaurant Week (if they are included this year). Just be careful, because you might just become addicted!
The one and only downside of Craft is that it is located inside (the beautiful) W hotel downtown. It’s sometimes a pain if there is an event down there at AAC, but they validate parking at the restaurant.

The word «Craft» makes me think of 2 things– in this order.
1)
She’s crafty — she’s gets around
She’s crafty — she’s always down
She’s crafty — she’s got a gripe
She’s crafty — and she’s just my type
She’s crafty
Not the Beastie Boy’s most famous song– but a classic none the less.
2) Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
These are both favorable connotations to the word in my book. So Craft the restaurant. I can only assume that it refers to the art of cooking– the science of spices– the chemistry of baking– the brilliance of the chef. Probably that is the case, because apparently the chef here is a famous chef, whom appears on TV shows. What’s his name? I dunno– I can only name Bobby Flay and Emeril La.ga.something.
So as you can tell, it was not my idea to go to Craft. But that’ s a good thing, I like to try new things. So I went with some friends on a sunny Saturday and enjoyed some brunch.
They brought out a wooden cutting board with 4 extremely small but cute pastries. We split them all into thirds, and enjoyed the tastes tremendously. They included: an herb scone (sage?), an apple muffin, a flaky pastry with a fruit filling, and… I can’t remember the other one. But they were all amazing!
I opted for the 3 egg omelet with asparagus, goat cheese, and red peppers. (Look at me blending in with the foodies!) It was fantastic. It had that gourmet look to it– where it’s served on a plate all by itself. It looked a little lonely (what about some complimentary home fries with that, yo?). However, it was a good serving size, and I was not in need of any more food afterward.
Delicious. Glad to have tried this place out!

Being a giant fan of Top Chef, I have been waiting to try Tom Colicchio’s Dallas restaurant for a long while. Let me make this brief.
The meal started with an amuse-​bouche of Fennel Soup. The Soup had a subtle and delicate flavor; however, it was not much to look at and could have been presented better. The salads were good but not standouts, we tried both the Beet & Roquefort Blue Cheese and the Baby Spinach & Applewood Bacon Salads.
The sides were by far my favorite aspect of the dinner. Hand down, the Pumpkin Agnolotti was the best thing I have eaten in a long time. It was smooth, rich, creamy, and drizzled in a brown butter sage sauce that made you want to go to culinary school. The finely chopped candied walnuts added to the perfect texture and taste of what was already a dazzling dish. The Stoneground Polenta with Aged White Cheddar was another favorite; it made me a polenta fan for life. The cheese was of the highest quality, and I soon found my self scraping the serving bowl desperately searching for more.
I went big for the main course and tried the Wagyu 16oz. steak since it is so rarely served in Texas restaurants. For $ 100.00, I have to say the portion size was very generous. In fact, the steak was too big! Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious and was served in a rustic serving tray topped with fresh herbs and a wonderfully warm and complex bourbon sauce hiding underneath. You could definitely taste why this type of beef carries such a premium price tag. Again, a smaller portion for less would have been ideal.
We tried two desserts and loved them both. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was my personal favorite, while my girlfriend preferred the Dark Chocolate Terrine. All to say, it was definitely time to unbutton the pants after this meal.
My only complaint is that everything here is served family style in separate serving dishes. This means you have to transfer the salad from the tray to your plate, same with the sides, and even the same with my $ 100 steak. Perhaps it is a personal preference, but at a place this nice I was expecting to see the food plated individually and to see examples of the head Chef’s presentation skills. Tom C., you may pack your knives and go … that is … go to Dallas and open more restaurants. I really had a wonderful dining experience here to celebrate my beautiful girlfriend’s birthday. Thanks for making it so special. Great job!

I take it all back, Craft! Your shortcomings last time I visited must have been because of restaurant week.
Went to Craft last night before the Mavs game (tip: valet at the W and then eat at Craft before the game and they will validate your parking!).
We had a 6pm reservation and were the first table in the place which was kinda nice actually.
Our server was great — a little slow, but I blame that on the lady 2 tables over that was dining by herself which apparently meant she should monopolize the waiter as her conversation buddy because he didn’t have any other tables or anything.
They had my favorite wine by the glass which makes me happy and I also tried a sparkling lemonade which was pretty tasty.
Here’s what we ate:
Amuse bouche: Venison and Apple. Was little pez sized squares of venison sausage and apple. Different.
Bread: Standard operating procedure. White or a very healthy tasty darker colored bread. The butter was room temperature and spreadable (yay!)
Salad — We didn’t order a salad but one of our entrees takes a while to cook so our server brought this out just because. It was mixed greens with some very thin radish (and maybe diakon) slices. Was good in a simple way. Dressed well but not too much dressing.
Chicken — OH MY GOD. To die for. Seriously. I can’t remember the last time I had chicken that tasted this good. Everything about it is fabulous and I would order this next time I go.
Short rib — Very tender and tasty but the chicken was the star of the entrees at our table.
Caramelized onion risotto — Pretty tasty but wasn’t the star of the sides. I could live with out this next time.
Gnocchi — Ahhhhhmazing. Little potato-​ey clouds of fabulousness. I loved them.
Baby broccoli — Delicious! Had maybe Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper as a garnish. Simple and fantastic.
Pre-​dessert: 2 shooter glasses with some kind of custard and fruit (I missed the details because I was in a food coma from all the deliciousness of the main course)
Crème Brulee with red currants and pine nut cookies — Was OK, but not amazing.
Devils food cake with vanilla malt ice cream — FANTASTIC. The warm moist cake with the chocolate ganache and crunchy sugar bites was the perfect contrast with the cool creamy vanilla malt ice cream. Seriously so amazing. Every bite of this was heaven.
Post Dessert: Homemade carmel corn (YUM!!), 1 bite brownies (yum!!), and lavender cookies (I’m not a lavender person).
and then they sent muffins home with us for the morning! SO cute!
I was really impressed by the food and the service and can’t wait to go have another piece of that devil’s food cake (seriously… SO GOOD!!!)

Damn this was a kick in the gut. My friend and I have been on this Dallas breakfast quest. Can someone please help us find a place with an innovative and delicious breakfast that’s in the 214 or the 972?
D magazine’s trying to help? Craft has two items on the top breakfast list in the city? Sweet… let’s go.
Building this up for the couple of months it took to get down to the W was probably my fault, but this breakfast was a big fat waste… Average across the board. The shishito pepper and short rib hash looked phenomenal. It felt phenomenal in the mouth. It was nice to my fork. But, hmmm. What am I forgetting? Oh yeah FLAVOR. Can I have some flavor… any flavor? Apparently not.
French toast was nicely prepared and sweet. ‘Bout it.
Eggs Benedict had a ham shank on top that looked like a roof. I’m not complaining except that it would have been texturally better had it been sliced a little thinner. Average flavor. Kind of like what I have had at Original Pancake House.
Cappuccino was my favorite part
(oh and making my friend start to get sick while pushing her around on the swinging chairs out by the valet parker… you’re a light weight!!!).
Couple of notes: they were out of the crab meat which may have been an improvement on the eggs benedict. We were there for the breakfast before the weekend brunch started… would try the brunch if I ever go back. Also, make sure to use the valet and validate it at the restaurant. The spot is beautiful and the W Hotel makes the trip worthwhile.
D Magazine, the D must stand for Disappointment.

We went on the 4^th of July — who would have thought that the only restaurants open on the 4^th were those in the hotels?! The unintended consequence of the holiday slowdown was that service suffered (I assume). The waitstaff appeared to be uncoordinated and forgetful.
We were at Craft to celebrate the marriage of my son and his new wife. We had pre-​ordered a sparkling wine (anyone would do) to arrive after we sat at the table. I had to remind them after they asked us for our drink orders.
I like the food set up — family style serving — as it allowed each of us to try all of the other selections. We started with Foix gras and a couple of salads. The foix gras was good with the meat being cooked to perfection. But the treatment of berries was a little sweet. Salads were good and the waiter provided us with blue cheese when we asked.
We selected the Waygu beef, scallops, red snapper and a host of sides including artichoke risotto and one of the mushroom side dishes. All were very good with the beef being the standout — as I’d expect at $ 86. The mushrooms were wonderful but the risotto was too soupy.
The wine list was good with wine prices ranging from 2x to 3x retail, not bad for a high end restaurant. We selected a Orin Swift Saldo, a recent release that had just been well rated by Wine Spectator.
I’d return but this place wouldn’t be my first choice if other restaurants were open. ;o)

Tom Colicchio has created the perfect place! Craft has made menu surfing exciting again. The menus are changed and updated EVERY DAY. The ambiance could not be any more whimsical and romantic with the idea of simplicity in mind. The food has opened my eyes to a world of true fine dinning I have not experienced anywhere else. I believe their brunch on the weekend is by far the best place to go when you want to be treated to the perfect mimosa paired with a fantastic open-​faced short rib sandwich with arugula and Meyer lemon.
The staff are always aware of you and your needs. This has been my experience over and over again. I can’t wait to bring everyone I know here!
PLUS — COMPED VALET PARKING W/​THE W DALLAS VICTORY HOTEL

If you’ve read my reviews, you know that 1) I’m always on the lookout for the best bacon cheeseburger in Dallas; 2) If a place has been reviewed a lot, I tend to be brief in my review of the space itself.
I have a new favorite Bacon Cheeseburger… oh, and fries too.
Space: Read the rest of the reviews. Short answer is modern & beautiful
Food: Sproing! The fries are hand cut, crisp on the outside, light as a feather on the inside. They are seasoned with roasted garlic, salt, and some greenish stuff (hopefully not soylent green). I’m not sure if the roasted pepper aioli comes automagically with the burger, but if not – ask for it. It’s the shit.
Burger – Large patty, well formed, well seasoned. SLIGHTLY overcooked (I’d asked for medium rare, but got medium), but by no means did it distract from my enjoyment of the burger. The bun was outstanding and had a nice crisp ring around it from being toasted on the griddle. Awesome & crunchy applewood smoked bacon. Sigh.
My coworkers split the roasted turkey sandwich & housemade chips (and it really was large enough for two to enjoy) and another had the cavatelli with veal ricotta meatballs (looked delicious and she said it was really good and lightly touched with nutmeg & star anise).
Service was impeccable, however there were only five other tables there for lunch today.
If you can’t spring for dinner, definitely hit it up at lunch. It wasn’t cheap, but I had a fabulous lunch for $ 23 (including tip).

Oh Craft. How sad you make me. I told everyone you were the best place in Dallas. Why you gotta make me look bad?
I was leaning towards 2 stars, but I’m giving this place a little pass… maybe RW is not their finest hour.
The food was good. Not spectacular.
Service was meh. Waiter kind’a had a little ‘tude goin on.
Wine was superb.
I’m not gonna go into great detail, cause I think my 3 stars says it enough. However I will say that I really like how often their menu changes. It was completely different than the last time I was here, but the whole family style serving is still intact.
The 1^st course was ground pork and a salad with cheese and toasted almonds (ok? real exciting here) and a tomato salad. Note: I do not heat any pig products (bacon, pork, ham, sausage… etc), and I don’t like tomatoes *gasp*. So I had the lettuce with shredded cheese… oh and the almonds for course 1. K.
The only thing you actually picked was your main course. I chose scallops. The dish looked nekkid. It came on a white plate with just the scallops. No sauce. Nuthin. They were good, but I mean… sear it and serve. Side dishes were good. The mushrooms were outstanding. About 4 different kinds… filled my plate. Potatoes… garnished with bacon. Alas, I pick around it. Fine.
They have a new pastry chef. She’s fantastic. I actually thought the dessert was the best part of the meal. 3 dif flavs of Sorbet, Panne cotta (WHICH WAS AMAZING… face cream worthy) and then a little lemon tart.
At the end of the night, after what seemed like 30 minutes to split our bill up, they turned the lights up. I felt like I should’ve gotten out my lighter for an encore. But I thought against it.
I have no idea what happened, but I can tell you that the last time I was here… I thought it was one of the best meals of my life. Now, I can tell you how sad I am about this… really Tom. *sigh*