Craftbar
Today I had lunch at Craftbar which is owned by the famous Tom Colicchio (also the owner of Craft and Craftsteak). I was interested in having dinner at Pipa instead, but they didn't serve dinner till later and I was pressed for time. This restaurant is basically the low-brow version of Craft, as it serves essentially the same style of food, but in a more casual setting. But Craftbar is by no means casual. The restaurant itself has a classy/modern feel to it, but isn't really anything special. Upon arrival, there is no "WOW" factor (Craftbar looks a lot nicer in photos). It just looks like what you expect, a decent looking restaurant. The food is no better however as its mediocre at best. I ordered the short ribs, and while the meat was moist and tender, the dish would have done better in a brunch menu rather than in a dinner menu. It was a piece of beef short-ribs, grits, a variety of peppers (which my body isn't digesting too well), and a fried egg. The flavor wasn't anything complicated nor was it anything I haven't seen or tasted before. It was okay, but not worth the money I spent on it ($24). On the positive side, the service is good, but then again, at a restaurant of this caliber and price range it should be good. All and all, there are much better (and cheaper) options than Craftbar, so if you just happen to walk right past it on sight, you really wouldn't have missed anything spectacular. Final consensus: Go to Craftsteak instead.
