DC Restaurant Week · First Visit to Cranes for Kaiseki Cuisine

This time I tried the restaurant week lunch for $35 💰 🍅 The Gazpacho appetizer was a delightful discovery with its refreshing flavor. The ikura was plump and full of seafood essence, complemented by the seaweed and crispy quinoa added for texture. I’m not usually a fan of sashimi, but the Crudo on the menu, which means raw fish, had a tomato and rich flavor that I found acceptable. 🍱 I thought the idea of a bento box for the lunch menu was great, but the taste was just okay. 🍄 Shiitake Yakitori was a mushroom skewer primarily in an Okonomiyaki sauce. This dish was where I started to notice the chef’s obsession with crispy quinoa (it’s in every dish, lol). 🎃 The pumpkin blossom dish with lamb rillette, a combination of lamb pâté and pumpkin, was quite rich to me. The clever part was the use of red shiso instead of perilla, a lighter leaf. 🦐 I really think the Camarones dish with lemon, potato puree, and escabone (pickle) was a miss 🥹. The flavors were all over the place and too acidic, though the prawns were delicious. 🌽🐓 The corn salad and chicken katsu were pretty standard. 🍒🍦 The dessert was really good. I usually hate anything cherry-flavored, but this cherry sorbet surprised me with its tartness when I first thought it was chocolate ice cream. Paired with cherry caramel sauce, crispy rice paper, and chocolate balls, followed by a rich white chocolate crèmeux, it was incredibly satisfying 😌. The service was great, though I’ve heard some people had bad experiences. I felt a bit sneaky filming videos while looking at the menu, but it was a wonderful experience and a great try. I wouldn’t recommend coming just for this menu as I don’t think it showcases the restaurant’s best features and quality. #DateNightRestaurant #AtmosphericRestaurant #HiddenGemRestaurant #RestaurantRecommendations #MichelinRestaurantExploration #GlobalEatingSquad #dmv #TravelUSA #dc #RestaurantWeek