CRAFTy.

Last night my lovely friend LAB and I had a WONDERFUL dinner at craftbar. Some restaurants coast for years on the momentum of their previously-established reputations or on the fame of their chef, but the several-years-old craftbar offered nothing but top of the line service from the moment I entered the door.

It's hard to describe good restaurant service without sounding trite (e.g. "The hostess opened the door for me") but my time at craftbar was composed of many of these shining moments that added up to a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.

Here's LAB enjoying her summer squash puree soup. Everything we ate was so excellent.

I indulged in Tom's (as in Colicchio) famous veal meatballs and added orecchiette to round out the the meal. I truly enjoyed each and every bite. It was so much food that I could only eat half of my serving and wrapped up the remainder, planning on having an excellent lunch of leftovers today.

Three-and-a-half hours flew by while dining with the delightful LAB; I always have such a great time with her. Following our meal, we strolled to her apartment and then I took a long walk home, thinking all the while about how I couldn't wait to eat the meatballs the next day. Right before I turned onto my street I was approached by two homeless people who kindly asked if I would give them my leftovers. I am a sucker for such things and handed over the goods. (Maybe this builds up my account in the karma bank and keeps muggers away?)

Anyway, I woke up this morning still craving Tom Colicchio's epicurean magic. After very little arm-twisting I was able to get my co-worker to accompany me to 'wichcraft. Behold the magic:

That sly, come hither stare....it's 'wichcraft!

Next on my list: craft and craftsteak.
Thanks to our friend The Recession, there's extra incentive to visit the latter: "Halfsteak"!
Here's the description from UrbanDaddy: "From the goodness of his beef-loving heart, Tom Colicchio is transforming the front room of Craftsteak into "Halfsteak," serving the same gorgeous steak at half the price. As sweeteners, they've got Fried Oysters and a $15 ceiling for the menu."

Yes, please!
Happy Dining,
Cxx.