Craftsteak

Our waiter failed on so many levels its too much to describe here. Just a taste--no utensils at dessert, when we inquired about ordering the soufle in advance of getting the dessert menus because we knew of the timing he took that to mean we didn't want a soufle. When we asked to speak to a manager no one came by. I had to get up from my table to get utensils from another table. Good Luck CRAFTSTEAK Pros: the short ribs are amazing Cons: the staff doesn't know the basics of service etiquette more

place of steak.. lots of people visit here because of it great delicacies... i'll never forget this place... Pros: garnish pardise Cons: is it true or not? more

Most people look up to you to be honest in your opinions, allot of you seem to be uppies who expect the world maybe justifiably so but you go a little overboard.\r You don't go to Craftsteak for a glass of wine so don't review wine prices, sure it adds to the ""over all experience"" but lets talk Steak, others seem to think its where God eats, you obviously work there or dined on a Wednesday.\r For an over all experience go to Outback, they have a worldwide reputation to uphold and the price cant be beat or even Ruth Chris since you want to throw around money.\r Craftsteak seems to me that they are famous in town and so they can act accordingly, such as pale service, cold food hey your at Craftsteak Right!\r You want a steak, come to Japan Kobe beef is to me in a tie with black-angus tenderloin as far as perfection and you don't need 4 different sauces to get past the gamy taste your probably going to get at Craftsteak\r Also your evening is going to be decided on the date you choose to go, go on a Saturday night = plan for the best expect the worst, Tuesday night less hassle, better service, better food\r Hey the place is average at best, and didn't seem to think they had to earn my loyalty hence I only went twice, yes Sat and Tues which justifies this across the board rating of Average\r Boomer Sooner Pros: Steak Cons: Steak more

I read some of the reviews here and thought they might have been just exaggerations or picky people - but this place is just a culinary mugging. The prices are expensive even by Manhattan standards and the food is just plain awfull. The steaks – their claim to fame – where TERRIBLE. I could have had better food at Outbacks – and gotten free refills on my Sprite. I went there with two friends and we agreed that this place is all name and no food or service. We regularly flip through our Zagats and choose high end places to enjoy a good meal – so as a baseline I think we know what we are talking about. The steaks were tasteless, the sides arrived cold or all beat up (did someone bump the waiter on his way out of the kitchen?) and the service – well, if you come to be alone with a date this place is for you! You would think with all the reviews saying the service is so bad – managers would replace all the wait staff with mannequins and save on salaries. When you see reviews like ‘yum, yum’ you know that is a poor bus boy at the place that was told during a break to fill out a good review to keep his job. Why is this place still open? How long is their lease? Pros: Space is nice which will distract you from the bad food. Cons: You will not be bothered here - including by the staff. more

Really great place. I've been to alot of fine restaurants in my time and this was quite possibly the best steak of my life. really amazing service, the waiters are always on hand and willing to listen. Beautiful atmosphere and attractive food. Foie Gras was amazing. Order the steak!! the chicken was good but not the best i've ever had. The steak comes with four different sauces that are all really tasty. We got our with garlic confit, which was very tender and flavorful. I'm still dreaming of the meal! Pros: steak!!, service, wine Cons: prices more

First of all, let me say the quality of the food was excellent. The appetizer dish and rolls were out of this world. The steaks were prime and the sauces were great. On food alone, this is one of the top 10 steakhouses i have ever been to. \r \r However when paying $300 for a meal, you are paying for more then food and the poor service left a poor taste in our mouths leaving the restaurant. The servers were very friend and they started off stong, however seemed to disappear after we were served our main course. We were finished eating for about 20 minutes before any server, bus boy, or anyone acknowledged us to clean up our table and move on to desert.\r \r Our server finally brought us our desert menu(after almost 30 min of waiting) and then disappeared again. I finally flagged him down after seeing him at another table 5 minutes later and told him we were ready to order. He said. "" I will be right back to take your desert order"" and then surprisingly, NEVER CAME BACK. That was it, we decided to say screw desert. Finally, 10 mintues later, another person(probably an assistant server) came and asked if we were ready to order desert and i told him to simply bring us the check. \r \r To top it all off, listen to this. After we told the assistant server we wanted our check, we saw him converge with our main server(who kept dissapearing), who had a confused look on his face. I think he got the hint that we were a little sick of waiting forever after he said "" i will be right back"". So, upon receiving our check, they had a bus boy bring over a small plate of mini cookies. This reminded me of the concept of ""brushing it under the rug"". I found it very cowardly and would have much preferred a simple apology and ""Can I offer you a complimentary desert""?\r \r I never thought i would say this, but great food can be overshadowed by poor service. Add great service and i would have given this place 5 stars.\r \r Pros: Quality of food Cons: Service more

We decided to take a friend to Craftsteak for his birthday. As four guys in our late thirties we have collectively eaten in enough steak houses in New York to know a good restaurant. First FOOD: Steaks range from $40 to $60 ? a bit pricey but we expected great food. Steaks are served sliced so that you can share with others in your group. Great concept - poor executiion - the steaks came out cold. Second the steaks are aged to give them flavor. Our steaks had either very little flavor (aged 40 days) or way too gamey (more than it should be) for 56 days. Next SERVICE: It started when we ordered 2 bottles of red wine. The waiter came around and gave us water glasses! Not a big deal when you are ordering a $10 glass of wine at the bar ? it IS a big deal when your drinking $200 bottles. (FYI: Glasses of wine average about $25). One of our fiances wanted to try a wine by the glass and the waiter poured a glass that was a bit small ? when she asked, the waiter responded in a condescending tone: ?That is our standard 4 ounce pour? - nice. We then proceeded through the meal and encountered a variety of food: great vegetables, cold and hard hash browns, etc. There really was no consistency to the food ? some good (not great) others bad (not terrible). The final touch was when the wife of the birthday guest brought a cake for the party. It arrived at the table with two corners ruined. While serving someone stuck something into it - very sloppy! SUMMARY: Service was unsatisfactory and the food was mediocre - at a premium that is not acceptable. Expect to pay about $150 per person for a steak and one side (not including alcohol). We definitely did not receive the food and service to warrant that cost. For the reviews here of ?great food? or ?excellent service? ? these are either placed by the restaurant themselves or ? from folks that simply don?t know any better. Go to Craftsteak if you want to say you ate a trendy restaurant ? but don?t go for the food. Pros: The room and decor are great. Cons: Food and service not acceptable. more

Nice ambience, however, the steaks are average at best and definitely overpriced. The grand seafood platter was also a hype, mostly just 8 oyster and 8 clams with a half lobster and some tar-tar here and there. Definitely not worth the 120$$. The steaks were not that flavorful, and came out room temperature, not sizzling hot as you would find at other steak joints. Also, the worst part, they do not know how to cook a steak! We ordered medium rares, and 1 came out to be almost well-done. Also, the bone marrow served with the steak does nothing more than, try to make the steaks fancy. Also, why serve 4 sauces for the steak, if the steak is supposed to be of high quality and taste. Clearly, this is not one of the better steak houses, although the ambience is nice. I would definetly recommend Ben and Jacks, Benjamins for real, mouth-watering steak. Portions were also on the small side. The sides also were unimpressive. The potato puree is bland, just a lot of butter and a horrible consistency. more

I signed up for this site, just so I could rate Craftsteak. Tom Colicchio is awesome and so is the food here right down to the hot and buttery rolls out of the cast iron pan! For the people who placed a negative review, try it again. It was dining perfection!! Pros: The service, food, drinks & decor more

As a follower of Tom Colicchio and Top Chef, I'd been wanting to try his dishes that centered around ""quality ingredients, simple preparation"". Incidentally, I was at CraftSteak in Vegas last week and being in NY this week, decided to try the NY version (Vegas restaurant was opened by Colicchio first). Even on a Tuesday night, the place was about 3/4 full. Several waitstaff attended to us, one for water, one for drinks and one that brought out the appetizers and entrees. I originally ordered the Wagyu Tartare but was talked out of it by the waiter as I was having a strip steak for the main course. Instead, I got the Peruvian Octopus which was seasoned well and then grilled (large portion which I didn't finish). The 12 oz. strip steak had great flavor and was cut in to five pieces (for sharing, I presume). My friend had a well seasoned and cooked vegetable plate. The Rosti (like crispy hashbrowns) was a bit burned on one side and the rizotto wasn't tasty. Too many ingredients in the rizotto dish and was eerily green in color. No dessert was ordered as it was late. Total bill (including tip) for two was $210. Pros: Quality of food, service Cons: Prices more

I am a huge fan of Chef Colicchio's approach to food, so I was excited to check out CraftSteak. The location is perfect--steak in the Meatpacking District. The restaurant looks amazing, the decor is superb, the layout, the bar, everything has a WOW effect from the moment you walk in. Unfortunately, the rest is a huge letdown. Theoretically, the idea of arranging steaks by feed and aging is very promising, but the grass-fed tbone was barely chewable. My appetizer--pork belly with vegetables--came with a perfectly cooked pork belly and practically raw, undercooked and unseasoned everything else. The sides had no flavor to speak of. The wine list doesn't have enough to choose from for under 150 a bottle--surely there must be a Barolo or two for under 500 dollars one could order? The desserts were messy and very forgettable. \r \r This is not to say that I didn't try my hardest to like the place. The service was impeccable--the right mixture of personal attitude, humor, and efficiency. My husband's steak--the cornfed 48 day aged steak, was very good, if not great. Again, the decor and the location are breathtaking. But the steaks, for a steak house and especially for their price, are really not worth it. Pros: Great Service, Wonderful Decor, Good Views Cons: Mediocre, overpriced steaks, below average rest of the food. more

I work on Wall Street so I get to eat at alot of NYC's ""premier"" restaurants - many of which are steak houses. Craft in my opinion is one of the worst. The steaks were way overpriced, of marginal quality and were served undercooked and cold. Maybe on the menu they should offer corn fed beef from ""A HOT OVEN"" rather than one from Nebraska or Idaho or Whocaresville. The servers were smug and inattentive, and obviously do not know anything about the food they serve. The only saving grace is the space itself. The main dining room is open and big, and the bar is great. That, however, is not enough; I could have spent the $500 getting ruined at the bar and then stopping by McDonalds and been happier. Oh, and dont even ask about the wine list.......IF YOU WANT A GOOD STEAK AVOID THIS PLACE! more

Went here for dinner for my boyfriend's birthday. The food was phenomenal, wine was great, selection endless, and the waiter was extremely helpful. It is hard to decide what to get with all the choices available, but our server did a great job explaining things and helping to make a decision. The dinner ended up being $350 for 2 of us, which is definately on the pricey side, but well worth it. Definately reccommended more

The Wagyu steaks lived up to their reputation on taste and texture, albeit arrived at our table somewhat cold, as was the service. Salads are just okay, and sides dishes below average. The biggest disappointment was dessert. We ordered the gingerbread souffle and while its appearance was good, the first bite revealed it was utterly raw in the middle: not eddible. We did complain and they waited decided to argue with us with a ""that is how souffle is normally served"". We have had many soufles in many fine restaurants, and have never had one cooked (or not cooked) this way , nor had such a negative experience. Lastly, what happened to the view that the customer is always right? We will not return to this restaurant. more

I dined at Craftsteak and had a fantastic meal. I enjoyed the freshest oysters of my life,Widows Holes. They are from Long Island and are the true essence of the ocean. As a second course I had sweetbreads and trotter terraine, brussel sprouts and hen of the woods mushrooms. The sweetbreads were the best I ever ate, braised apples and apple compote brought out the best of this fine offal dish. The trotter terraine was a work of edible art. Accompained by a duck egg and lentils, this was seasonal cooking at its finest. At this point I was so full I could eat no more. I have ate at Craftsteak before and have enjoyed the steaks, but tonights meal was so next level I had to through my two cents in. Oh yeah, if you love shrooms Craftsteak is the place of your dreams. On top of the food, the service was gracious and informed. The only negative is price. Except to spend oner $70 a head. Pros: Great food, gracious service Cons: prices more

The design and style of Craftsteak are a great blend of modern lines, traditional colors, and a touch of Asian influence. From the high ceilings to an amazing glass wall separating the bar from the rest of the restaurant, I would definiltey give the interior designer and architect five-stars for their amazing work. \r \r The service was also very good - very courteous, prompt and attentive. Five-stars here as well. \r \r If the design/decor and commitment to great service were all I was looking when going to restaurants, Craftsteak would be deserving of a five-star rating. However, the quality of the food is more important to me than anything else and this is where Craftsteak fails. Appetizers were small and unimaginative, with the exception of the onion rings which were the best part of the meal. Mushrooms were bland - $16 for a small portion of bland roasted mushrooms? Tuna was worse than ordering tuna sashimi at a below average sushi bar. Crab fondue and dirty rice risotto were okay, but you can find appetizers of this quality (flavor, preparation and creativity) at one of thousands of restaurants in NY. The ribeye steak was equally as dissatisfying as the appetizers. I ordered medium but the steak was cooked medium rare. When I cut into a good steak, I like to see the juices and flavor setlle on the plate. For some reason, they pre-slice the steak into about five pieces which would've been okay had there been some of the juices still in the pan/plate. My steak was completely without flavor and the sauces they provided were terrible. The best parts of the meal were the oysters, onion rings and salad. Worst parts were everything else. One-star for the overall food experience. more

Had dinner at Craftsteak last night. I was definitely 'wowed' by the service, menu and look of the restaurant. Quite magnificent, this place. As i mentioned, the service was outstanding. Started off at the bar, which had a great, unique drink menu. I ordered a Grape Rye (Rye w/ homemade grape soda). Fantastic. The dinner menu features lots of 'gastro' foods for appetizers like fois gras, pig trotter, pork belly and more. I'll tell you what - the apps we ordered were excellent - fois gras w/ maple syrup and the pork belly (first time). Both were delicious. They also brought us some chicken liver mousse, compliments of the chef (great) and some unbelievable parker house rolls (mmm). The ceasar salads were just ok - too much anchovy flavor (i prefer anchovy paste in the dressing vs. actual anchovies). We ordered 10 oysters - half were amazing, the other half had grit. Then came the steaks.....and we were all a bit disappointed. The 18 oz. corn-fed Ribeye's sounded much better than they were - a bit rubbery and too fatty (too much so). The NY Strip was better. The star of the night - Onion Rings. The Best I've ever had (and i've had lots). Delicate, crispy, flavorful...Perfect. Get them, no matter what. Scalloped potatoes were good, not great. 'Hen of Woods' mushrooms were a bit on the salty side, but nice. For dessert - the apple pie rocked. All and all - a nice (3-hour) dinner, but disappointed in the steaks, which is what we all went for in the first place. Get the pork belly! Pros: Appetizers, Service, Desserts Cons: Steaks.. more

Just had dinner at Craftsteak and I must say the food was just average at best. The ribeye I ordered was tasteless and extremely fatty. I tried a bit of my wife's ribeye which wasn't fatty, but still just as tasteless. Also, tried the sirloin - just as tasteless and the texture was somewhat chalky. The last person in our group had the filet which was way undercooked. For a restaurant supposedly known for steak, the overall taste and quality was subpar compared to chain steakhouses such as Morton's, Ruths Chris, etc. \r \r The appetizers were just fair at best. We had the tuna and hamachi appetizers - quality of the fish was good, but overall no better than your average sushi restaurant. The dirty rice risotto was well done, but only relative to the other sides and entrees. The other appetizers and sides we had were again... average. The best parts dinner were dessert - highly suggest the donut holes and chocolate hazelnut tart - and the great service. Also liked the decor and ambiance of the restaurant. \r \r I enjoy a good meal... actually, I eat out a lot and really appreciate food that is well-prepared, but for $600 for a group of four, the overall experience has to be at least a little better than dinner at a chain steakhouse. If you want good wine and nice ambiance, this place might be for you. If you're looking for great food, I suggest you go somewhere else. \r Pros: service and desserts Cons: steak and appetizers more

It seems as though the users who recommended this place have never been to any other steakhouse in New York. It was a beautiful place to walk into. The host was pleasant and we waited at the bar for our table. The bar staff were very friendly and cool. It was a great start. We were seated after finishing one round at the bar and were excited as we looked through the menu even though the prices were a little steep. We thought... ""It'll be worth it."" No one came to our table to greet us or ask if we'd like drinks for almost 10 minutes. We had decided what we were going to order during this time. Eventually, we flagged down a busboy to ask if we could see a waiter. He decide to take the order. We got some oysters which were pretty good. Still excited about our steaks as the couple next to us groped each other shamelessly. Our steaks arrived and were extremely rare even though we both requested medium. Not wanting to cause a fuss... we ate our food when a waiter came over and told us to enjoy our meal. This was the first time seeing him. What a dissappointment. The steaks were so grizzly and not hot at all. We decided to get the hell out. We were disgusted. Chef/Owner Tom Colichio? has a lot of nerve judging the contestants on Top Chef when the garbage coming out of his own kitchen is less than par. You know... it might be real tacky inside but there ain't no steak like Peter Luger!!!! Pros: Pretty Cons: Food... so what's important here? more

We dined in the private dining room for a work event. The service was excellent and the appetizers and entrees were very good. Our food was chosen ahead of time, so we were able to sample a variety of salads and entrees. The setting is nice and I will go back to the restaurant again. more