Craft

Last night, I ate at Craft in celebration of Jordan's 25th birthday. Having just finished my first season of Top Chef, I wanted to see whether Mr. Colliccio deserves to be head judge on said show. The Verdict? Its concept - simple preparation and presentation- is refreshing. It's also playing it a little safe. I'm not the best cook, but even I have a hard time screwing up roasted vegetables. And much of what was on the menu was just that... some damn fine roasted vegetables.

The stand-out for me was a salad with some sort of field greens, pear, pecans, and truffle oil. Now if someone slathered a baby animal in truffle oil, I probably wouldn't notice until I got a few good bites in. That said, the other components of the salad worked well to complement an otherwise overpowering flavor. Pecans + truffle oil = love.

The decor was warm and modern: Jordan particularly liked the fleet of low-wattage exposed-filament bulbs hanging, glowing slightly, from the ceiling. The elongated butcher-block tables kept the two of us far apart enough to notice the distance between us. We soon realized that since the meal is served family-style, the extra square-footage is necessary. Service was impeccable, but not "hovering" as Jordan put it.

The one warning I received was that things are "oversalted" at Craft. This is, unfortunately, true. The swiss chard was a sodium fiesta. It was like sucking on a green, garlic-studded boullion cube.