The Celebrity Chef Outpost

Craft
3376 Peachtree Rd.
Atlanta, GA. 30326
http://www.craftrestaurant.com/

By now most of you have seen Bravo! TV’s smash hit Top Chef. For those of you who haven’t, you should. The head judge of the show is celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. Tom’s rise to fame came behind the stoves of New York’s Gramercy Tavern. Since leaving Gramercy in 2006, Tom has founded his own empire of Craft restaurants across the country including; Craft, Craftsteak, Craftbar and Wichcraft. His latest installment, and the subject of my most recent review, is the Atlanta outpost of his flagship Craft.

Located in the chic Lenox district of Buckhead, Craft joins a slew of recent additions to Atlanta’s burgeoning fine dining scene. Upon stepping through the entrance, one is immediately greeted with a floor to ceiling lattice of chopped firewood that sets the stage for the muted earth tones, exposed wood and brick interior. Soft lighting is provided in the main dining room by Edisonesque vintage light bulbs hung overhead. Overall the ambiance creates a warm and comforting environment while remaining subtle enough as not to detract from the food.

After taking an initial look at the menu, it became obvious to me that ordering was going to be a task. With many of my favorites listed, I opted to lean on the server for a guided journey through the evening’s culinary experience. Asking only that our waiter and chef serve the dishes that they felt best signified the mission of the restaurant, I lay my trust in the establishment.

My first dish was a seared pork belly served with jicama, frise, grapes, and peanuts. All were presented in a copper skillet. Paired with the dish, I was served a 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria. The pork was cooked perfectly; the skin toasted to a chewy/crunchy texture, adding a slightly caramelized flavor that gave way to the juicy decadence of the melting fat that was finally enriched by the slightly gamish flavor of the pork. The wine had a juicy dark fruit/chocolate flavor that rounded out lusciously with a hint of vanilla and spice on the finish. The combination of the pork and wine combined to create a wonderfully full and rich experience.

In addition the pork belly, we also started with dishes of veal sweetbreads and rock shrimp risotto. The risotto was the least remarkable of the starters. The flavor of the dish was not bad but certainly not remarkable; as with so many risottos, the texture was a bit runny. The sweetbreads were a different story. An atypical delicacy in their own right, the thymus gland of a calf is not what one would typically think of as an edible dish, however; some of you may notice these specialties popping up on more and more menus across the country. I will venture to bet though that you do not see them prepared in the same manner as they were at Craft. Cooked to an impossibly tender consistency and served in Kumquat marmalade, Craft sets off the animalistic savory flavor of the sweetbread with the zesty/sweet flavor of the Kumquat; the end result proves that opposite really do attract.

For the main course, I was served the Whole Roasted Squab served with English peas and trompette mushrooms. Again presented in a copper skillet, the dish immediately conjured up images of old country gentlemen in classic Orvis style hunting garb trudging through the fields, shotguns broken and slung over the shoulder, the days catch swinging from their belt. On the rare side of medium rare, the squab had a striking resemblance to duck. With a layer of fat between the skin and meat, the bird was rich, but not overly so. The peas, cooked to a perfect al dente, provided a crisp texture to the fleshy squab while the mushrooms accentuated the field and game notes in the fowl. Paired with a 2006 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, the experience of the dish was one of simplistic pleasure and attention to inherent flavors without over complication and coaxing.

My tablemates chose the Colorado Lamb Loin & Braised Shoulder, as well as the braised Heritage Pork Shank & Castelluccio Lentils. Never the biggest fan of braised foods, I thought the pork fell victim, as so many braised meats due, to an extended trip in the oven. Braising undoubtedly produces some of the tenderest meats of any cooking technique, but too often is executed short of the perfection it demands. In this case, the meat fell of the bone at the slightest whisper, but fell short of remarkable once it hit the mouth. The braised portion of the lamb suffered from a similar fate. However, the loin was indeed memorable. With a slight hint of rosemary, the meat retained a level of gaminess that perked the taste buds and sparked a brief moment of unexpected perplexion as I struggled to place it. After investigating the dish a little further, I could see that a thin layer of fat had been left on the flesh and provided this wonderful flavor. Though not enough to save the dish as a whole, the pork loin was definitely a well executed and pleasing experience.

Paired with our main dishes, we had sides of Mexican Banana Squash, Jerusalem Artichokes, and Mushroom Assortment. The banana squash was kin to butternut squash and reminded me of the soups my mother made as I was growing up. Lacking any kind of extensive experience with Jerusalem Artichoke, I had no expectations or anticipation of what I might get. I was pleasantly educated. Cooked in the oven, the artichoke had a starchy consistency and flavor but was the skin was caramelized and chewy in texture. This will definitely get more face time when I see it next on a menu. The mushrooms were done well, with their natural flavors allowed to dominate and provide a forest fresh accompaniment to our mains.

All in all my meal experience was definitely a pleasant one. While the braised dishes fell short in my mind, I think the savvy diner would expect this possibility and could easily navigate a more pleasurable path through the menu. Even with its ups and downs, I would definitely recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a meal of approachable dishes, simple flavors, and attention to detail. If you do find yourself at Craft and have a difficult time deciding, put your trust in the wait staff; their choice of dishes and wine pairings was definitely the highlight of my experience and I'm sure will be of yours too.