It's witch'Craft

I've cancelled more than one reservation at Craft since the Los Angeles location opened last year. However, my favorite shopping soror-buddy wanted to have an early dinner this past holiday weekend, so although I was still salty about Top Chef, I decided I really wanted to go. So, I did...AND IT WAS FREAKIN' GREAT! Craft has totally bewitched me. Craft is a little on the expensive side, even for me. But, I really didn't mind. Everything was so delicious and the wait staff was so attentive...even before I took out my little book to take notes (which I FINALLY remembered to bring). I'm so glad I remembered that little book. If I didn't, I would leave out so much. I still think I'm going to leave stuff out.
So, let me get on with it!

The amuse consisted of a little crostini with tomatoes and house made ricotta (another friend noted that it was goat cheese-but I found it too mild for goat cheese). I'm going to make an assumption that the tomatoes were heirlooms. Also, I could taste oregano. My initial comment was that it tasted like pizza. It was the perfect, yummy first bite.

1st course-Japanese hamachi and Tuscan melon and Veal Sweetbreads. I LOVE yellowtail. Seriously, it's my standard sushi/sashimi order. It took a minute for me to find it on the expansive menu. But, once I did, I knew I had to have it. The fish was fresh, sliced nicely, and seasoned with a bit of olive oil and salt. The melon was presented in the form of nice cubes and thin slices (resembling pickled ginger). I'm a huge fan of salty sweet. I frequently sprinkle a bit of salt on melon. So, that flavor was very familiar. There was also a little cranberry and sliced ginger to round out the dish. It was an interesting combination, especially with the cranberry. However, it was a light and harmonious start to the meal. My soror ordered the veal sweetbreads, and I had to have a taste. They were also very delicious. Initially, I was resistant to sweetbreads. Once again, I remembered that my parents are from the South. Over the years, I've had various types of offals before I even knew what they were, so I went for it. I'm so glad I did. While, the sweetbreads were nicely cooked, they were able to shine with the addition of a nice onion marmalade and kumquat. Mmmm.

Entree-The black cod and ramp. The cod was wrapped in prosciutto. Double yum. I rarely eat bacon/ham, but I get downright giddy when something is COOKED with bacon/ham. I am especially fond of prosciutto and pancetta. Alone, it does nothing for me. But, in the right dish, it provides such great flavor. The cod was nestled atop a bit of ramp puree and beluga lentils. The fish, which was a little under seasoned otherwise, really benefitted from the prosciutto. But, the texture of the fish was really nice. I was extremely pleased to see the lentils. They were a nice addition to the dish. While the ramp puree provided great color, it didn’t add much to the dish. But, all in all, it was a really great dish.

Side dish- roasted Jerusalem artichokes (or sunchokes).After ordering the artichokes, the server asked if I was familiar with them. I knew that they were not your standard green artichoke. Jerusalem artichokes (or sunchokes) are a root veggie. Not a very attractive thing at all. But, it is QUITE tasty. The site wiseGEEK gave a great description as "a cross between a rutabaga, potato, sunflower seed, and water chestnut." They were lightly seasoned and had the right amount of oil. I literally could not stop eating them. They were that delicious. My only complaint was that I wished they were a little tenderer. Just a tad.

Dessert amuse-Yogurt panna cotta, tangerine sorbet, and sauterne gelee. I was very excited when I saw the little dish. I love panna cotta and this was nice. I didn't LOVE the texture of the panna cotta. It was not as firm as I would have liked. However, I think it was not meant to be. The sauterne gelee was really nice.

Dessert-Peanut Butter Cup with peanut brittle, caramel gelee and caramel gelato. I had a hard time deciding on a dessert. Everything looked wonderful. I was actually leaning towards the many interesting gelatos and sorbets. In the end, I recalled the many great reviews of the peanut butter cup, and ordered it. It was quite literally a peanut butter cup…the largest one I’ve ever seen. It had a chocolate cookie crust (that I wished was a little sweeter) and a layer of delicious salty peanut butter topped with chocolate. It was good, but not as sweet as I anticipated. It was a little too much on the salty side for me. However, as I continued to pair it with the ice cream, I liked it a little better. The ice cream was very good. Perfectly, smooth and creamy. Nice color and subtle caramel flavor. Still, in retrospect, it was good. However, I don’t think I would order it again.

Post-dessert treat- For our post-dessert treat we were presented with a raspberry macaroon. It was very similar to the one I had at MILK, however, the temperature was right. It consisted of two raspberry macaroons with raspberry gelee or jam in the middle. I'm not a huge raspberry fan, so it was just ok. I kept dreaming I had the MILK macaroon at the correct temperature. Oh, and this brings me to the only thing I really disliked all night...the citrus petit four (that was actually similar to a jelly candy). I made the mistake of popping the entire thing in my mouth. WHY?!? It was soooo tart and intense. I quickly ate it and drank a few sips of water. NOT A FAN. But, after paying the check, it was quickly forgotten. Why you ask? TO GO TREAT! We were given a little banana walnut muffin packaged in a cute little bag secured with a Craft sticker. Since my soror is allergic to nuts, I got TWO muffins. I ate them the next day (one for breakfast and the other for dessert after dinner), and I have to say they were delicious! They were moist. I could see and taste the banana. The density of the cake was just perfect. The nuts were numerous and crunchy. It was one of the best muffins I've ever had. Seriously, that was a good muffin.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Craft. I can't wait to go back and try other items. Now I finally know why Chef Tom is the bees knees!