Craft Review - Century City - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Some restaurants are just cool. They always look good (but also like they didn’t try), they’re playing the new Kendrick Lamar song before you even knew it existed, and they put anchovies, figs, and yogurt on the same plate and somehow make it taste good. Craft is not one of those places. It’s the Reese Witherspoon of restaurants - definitely trying really hard, not particularly cool, but also extremely good at what it does. Which is exactly why we love it. Chances are, if you’re not an agent or a lawyer or a frequent visitor to Candy Spelling’s penthouse, you’ve never been to Craft. It’s in Century City, and voluntarily going to Century City for dinner is probably not something you make a point of. It’s also the LA location of a Tom Colicchio restaurant in NYC - a series of words that usually only appeals to Top Chef superfans. And it involves things like an amuse bouche, a pre-dessert, and extremely good soundproofing. So yeah, Craft sounds pretty boring. And maybe it is, but only in the way that Oscar winners who managed to make you love Tracy Flick are boring. Because it’s essentially impossible to have a bad time at Craft. Even if you’re not the head of WME, you’ll be treated like you are. Your wine glass will never be empty, and they even send you home with little baked goods that will put you in a good mood the next morning. There’s more of a vibe than you’d expect - the bar up front is always filled with office dwellers swapping war stories, and the dining room has tables spaced so you can do your business deal in peace. And then there’s the food. You might look at the menu and think “meh”- but you’ll get over that feeling quickly. All the business dinner hits are present - expensive scallops, pieces of fish, salads, and very large $100 steaks - and they’re some of the best versions around. Not all restaurants need to be playing Beastie Boys deep cuts or putting grapefruit slices on everything, and metaphorically shrugging their shoulders while doing it. Craft is a type A restaurant, which means it’s not the coolest - but it makes for an excellent eating experience. We suspect Reese would probably agree." - Jess Basser Sanders