To begin, I chose Crafted for a special occasion and noted such on my reservation & mentioned it several times, for which was not acknowledged. 2nd, whilst the restaurant interior is lovely and reminiscent of a Chicago fine dining establishment, there were a couple of (easy to ammend) issues. The outside dining offered, unacceptably hot, a couple of portable a/c units would have made an enormous difference. Fortunately, the lovely hostess was able to accommodate our party of 4 inside, as the place was quite empty for a Friday evening. Further, the live music, whilst talented, was entirely too loud for fine dining- we came to celebrate and converse, hopefully over a nice meal. There isn't much to help absorb sound in the bare brick establishment, the suggestion would be for staff to walk the dining area to ascertain if this would be viable and if not, simply ask the musicians to wind it back a notch or two. Finally, and further to the meal itself- anyone who A/ Cannot cook a filet to order the 1st time AND has to cut into it on 2nd attempt is not a Chef, they are a Cook, full stop. Further, when asked to speak to said "Chef", he appears tableside dressed as if heading back in to clean the floors and already braced in nasty attitude in a "fine dining" restaurant- again, this is not a "Chef" but a "Cook", with at best a greasy spoon experience on his true CV. Dinner was well over $400, which was expected, but the experience was more worthy of a franchise cattle call of a place. The GM was pleasant and did try to diffuse the upset down in the "Speakeasy", when the Cook appeared in same attitude and inviting further confrontation, by asking him to leave. Would I try Crafted again- absolutely, with aforementioned issues resolved, as I view the potential this place may have as a much needed answer to Clermont's need for a true fine dining establishment. Otherwise, if left as it is, we will sadly see it go, as so many before at...
Read moreFirst off, our service was top-notch. James is an experienced server with exceptional timing for plating, cleaning, refills, and making sure we were satisfied with every course and in between without interfering. We were quite fortunate to have him for our date night with friends.
Our food was so delicious. Our table ordered: REPOSADO TEQUILA SHRIMP COCKTAIL head on, slightly overcooked but still delicious. CRAB COCKTAIL is excellent with a healthy amount of shelled crab. PRIME STEAK TARTAR w/o egg was soooo goood. I'm grateful for the SOURDOUGH BREAD because the sliver of puff pastry was a bite compared to the generous portion of tartar. It definitely needed the extra bread. OYSTERS ON THE HALFSHELL the nice surprise was having a choice of the type of oyster presented. LOBSTER BISQUE is excellent with a nice serving of lobster beautifully plated before the presentation of soup was added. MONTROSE WEDGE delicious despite not really caring for the vinegarette, but overall satisfied with the choice. BERBER SPICED LAMB RACK was cooked perfectly and loved but not with the sauce. BRUSSEL SPROUTS good ($10?) PRIME NY STRIP had the perfect char and seasoning. OCTOPUS appetizer was something unexpected with it being chilled. I loved every bit of it.
We had a few glasses of $10 special wine and a dirty martini. All of which were enjoyed.
Overall, our date was fantastic, and we would recommend trying it. We all would probably order something different next time.
There are no pictures since everything ordered is already documented somewhere in...
Read moreReally had high expectations of this updated location. But Unfortunately left very disappointed. As a "fine dine " steakhouse there is one thing that you have to get right EVERY time. STEAKS! $54 for a 8oz Filet demands perfection! MY steak was way overcooked and honestly not that good. Ordered the brussel sprouts and fingerling potatoes, both lacked flavor and were covered with coarse salt that made them extremely salty. The Ceviche was good, but served on these "faux" shells that made it difficult to eat. I would highly recommend a more traditional presentation of ceviche. Stick to steaks The crab legs were tough. You could tell that these were "previously frozen" and then prepared. Service was good. Atmosphere was relaxing, but the food a bit underwhelming. No higher end beer options either. This is Clermont ....at least have a good bottled beer selection. We wandered downstairs to the "club" and were met with a terrible odor that caused us to leave immediately. Something is not right downstairs. Staff knew there was an issue as they were walking around with a bottle of air freshener. it was a stench that could not be covered. You should have just closed the area. We will...
Read more