Crafted — Restaurant in Yakima

This is an update review of this very fine restaurant in Yakima. We took our friends from the East Coast to Crafted and once again, took the tasting menu. All members of our parties rave about the quality and quantity of the courses... One of our friends was here last year and his view is that the flavor profiles for each dish is even better than what he recalled from the last time. Truly a gem and a great tasting menu pricing... Just superb, superb! Also, the wait staff is tremendous - kind, knowledgeable and super polite.

Hands down one of the best restaurants anywhere. All three of us had the tasting menu with wine matching. Each course progressively moved us to a different zen space of deliciousness. Each course was presented beautifully and the portion was huge. We actually had to ask for boxes to take home some of the dishes. For the last course - desert - a sublime campfire s'mores & macaroons put the experience over the top! Also, almost forgot - the price is so reasonable ($80/person) that we thought it was a mistake given the quality and quantity for each of the courses..

This is an update review of our experience on Nov 25th. We took our daughter from San Diego to Crafted - again! This was the fourth time in five months. We drove 78 miles to get here (one way). As usual, we took the tasting menu and were not disappointed. Great wait staff, amazing food - each course was sublime. As usual, to start - wonderful oyster - this time with a chimichurri sauce, followed by a cured salmon with in season cosmic crisp apple, then a gorgeously plated sweet potatoes with beautiful toppings (a perfectly seasoned spiced) then a wonderful home made pasta, followed by a farm-raised sturgeon (sublime.... zero fishy smell. Firm meat...) and then a HUGE beef... Then they indulged us with two deserts... We ended rolling out of Crafted in our bellies and 4 boxes of left-overs. Pro-tip - don't finish everything served in each course... as the portion is huge... It just got better in each course. ...

Upon entering, one immediately understands the concept of this place. It is aesthetically and conceptually well thought out, delivering a unique experience. While it is not fine dining, it is designed for enjoying a good time with the people who matter most, sharing both the experience and the dishes.

Every detail is meticulously curated, from the furniture to the water bottles, napkins, plates, and candles. The menu is incredibly creative, and the food we enjoyed was exceptional.

The customer service was outstanding. The staff checked in with us at just the right intervals and noticed that our appetizers were taking longer to arrive than they deemed acceptable. Without us even needing to mention it, they graciously brought us an asparagus plate on the house.They even repacked the remaining food for us without us having to ask. The food itself is very high-quality, local, and seasonal.

I really want to give this a perfect 10, but I had to rate it a three instead. The reason is the chipped plates. This is unacceptable for any restaurant, especially one of this caliber. It’s not just about the appearance; the chips and cracks can create crevices where food particles and bacteria accumulate. This makes them difficult to clean and can potentially harbor harmful microorganisms. Another thing is that restaurants are supposed to provide a scoop when serving ice, as outlined in food safety guidelines. This is crucial for maintaining hygiene and preventing contamination. Unfortunately, this was not done, and I had to use my hands instead. Additionally, I recommend serving gin and Chartreuse chilled. The otherwise perfectly crafted cocktail I enjoyed was slightly warm.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone; it is phenomenal. Before that is done, I hope the management improves their sanitary standards as soon...

Chef Koommoo, Molly, Kelly and team should get an extra star for their ability to be this good on every level, yet remain unpretentious and make it look easy.

Crafted is solid! Kind people flowing together and cranking out crazy good locally sourced food and drink.

The menu no doubt changes regularly but we loved the tartare, chanterelles, tagliatelle (that cashew cream with the beet pasta 🤌), and the sturgeon poke. All were perfection.

The crafted team makes the local ingredients and creativity work without a hint of coming off as disjointed, fanatical or pretentious, which is hard to do when executing what they do, and it’s not hard to find locavore restaurants that fail at this anywhere you go!

We recommend sitting at the bar by the kitchen, it’s a show. Beyond food prep, it’s also fun to watch how well the team flows and knocks their tasks out without being too harried. At one point ≈10 orders of oysters came in and we watched Chef Dan team up with his people and methodically crank out the shaved ice, freshly shucked/arranged kusshis, and mignonette in just a few smooth minutes.

Noise level and drinks are dialed. The Bartender’s a gent and a pleasure. Didn’t have dessert but they looked fabulous. The modest and straightforward flatware, tongs and dishes are actually artful in how they fit into the mix.

If we had one suggestion it would be to either offer two sizes of the sturgeon or reduce the portion just slightly. Even though it’s a shareable like everything else, it’s SO good and SO rich that it’s overwhelming - but turns out it’s amazing on eggs the next day, too.

Thanks Crafted team for showing how it’s done. Can’t wait...