Engagement dinner celebration..a trip back to Craft!!

Holy cow (pun intended) is the food @ Craft delicious.
B took me here for a surprise engagement celebration dinner last week and we had a wonderful evening despite the snowy conditions and overall depressingly gross weather.
I know that Tom C. lost his Michelin star a few years ago, but thanks to a neat article in the New Yorker about their system, I’m going to assume that this has more to do with their stuffy emphasis on classic French cooking than the food at Craft.

B and I ate at Craft a year or so ago. During dinner we tried to remember the occasion. I thought perhaps it was for Valentine’s Day, he says it was for our anniversary. Either way, the last time we visited the restaurant we tried the tasting menu and left very happy, very full, and feeling a tiny bit poor.

This time around we had a gift certificate (thanks to B’s mom & dad!) and felt like it was the perfect occasion to go hog wild (yep, pun intended yet again).
We shared the field greens and an octopus appetizer. The field greens were very tasty, but the octopus was outstanding. Perfectly cooked—not chewy or gummy—but firm and tasty, with a great, slightly spicy sauce on the side that made dipping each piece fun. We fought over the last few bites it was so tasty!

Then on to the steak (B) and the veal cheeks (me). Normally I try to avoid veal because it seems kind of cruel, but Craft has information on their menus about getting all of their meat from local purveyors and farms. Since their meat is thus all locally produced, free-range, etc. I’m (hoping/assuming) that this extends to the treatment of the slightly younger cows that may have eventually ended up as part of my meal.

Humane treatment aside/assumed, the veal cheeks were amaaaazing. Tender and delicious and very filling despite a seemingly small portion. We also shared garlic risotto on the side and a dish of sautéed kale (or perhaps another green? can’t remember). Both the sides were very tasty, although I almost enjoyed the greens more than the risotto.

For dessert I tried a new tactic and ordered the brioche with crème fresh ice cream instead of something super sweet as per my usual tactic. B ordered his usual sorbet and some blood orange segments on the side. I think he almost enjoyed his little bowl of blood orange segments more than anything else—he’s funny like that. My brioche dish, which was similar to French toast but without an egg-y tasting batter was delicious. I slathered it with the slightly tangy ice cream and polished it all off very happily.

Overall, seemed like the perfect way to celebrate our engagement!