Blogging from the bar on an iPhone: at Crave: Fairfield, NJ

Update (July 2007):  Chef LoPinto has left Crave.  Expect dumbing down of the menu.

Beets and duck confit. Excellent dish. A study in balance. Housemade confit.

Update:  Monkfish and white beans. Classic LoPinto. Herbal. Just salty enough. Luscious. Near perfect.

2004 Benziger Merlot at 32 bucks. Sign me up and keep me signed up.

Dessert coming up.

Update:  the bathroom door signs are maddening.  Like taking a tinkle IQ test to pick the correct door.  Particularly confusing if you're a boy who likes to sit when he pees...or so I'm told.

Update:  The bar at Crave is the kind of place where an inordinate amount of people think vodka is interesting.

Update:  What happened, did the Internet go down?  Not one person has read this since I started.  Do you know how difficult it is to type all of this nonsense on an iPhone?  You ungrateful bastards. 

Update:  Chef LoPinto sent out too many desserts (and I paid for them in the interest of disclosure). I've acknowledged before that we know each other, for the record. He has a way with sweets as much as savory.

All done.

Crave Restaurant and Lounge : 168 Passaic Ave : Fairfield, NJ : 973.882.8700

Comments

[karen]

I'm just jealous. You're there and I just finished eating some leftover pasta.

Not fair. :-)

[Rail Paul]

Dee and I were at Crave Wednesday night, and were quite impressed with the place.

It sounds like Anthony is offering multiple menus, as I don't recall monkfish or duck confit on the menu.

[tommy:eats]

Chef LoPinto emailed me a menu before they opened. It's very similar to what I saw last night. The monkfish and beet/duck confit were both on it. Not sure if he just eased into this final menu over the course of the past few weeks, but it's there now.

[Ev]

Interesting...so you ate at the bar, I assume? How was the service from the dining aspect? Some places are great with bar diners, others aren't, and I'm hoping Crave is in the former category!

I'm rather jealous; can't wait to get there and check out a full LoPinto menu, as the night we were there it was (understandably) limited.

And don't diss those of us who drink vodka. Some of us also drink wine! ;-) What does the wine list look like overall? Are there wines by the glass? (GASP) Flights??? Do tell!

[tommy:eats]

for me the bar stools are horrible. they've got lots of square footage, which is nice, but there's no place to put your feet: the cross bars are way too low. additionally, to get out of one is next to impossible. they're heavy and you can't really just push them away from the bar with you sitting in it, so you feel kind of trapped.

i think Anthony put considerable thought into the wine program. lots of bottles on the list right now, and more to come. although, i'd like to see a more dynamic by-the-glass offering. he's big into bio-dynamic and organic wines, so there are more than a few of them. unfortunately you'd never know it, as wine producers don't go out of their way to promote that fact.

the bar service was fine but needs a little refinement. i would think i should have been offered bread, and i'd like to see place mats...i think. silverware was changed out appropriately. the bartenders were both perfectly nice, but the girl, let's face it, was half-naked.

i should say that it was clear that i knew the Chef, and perhaps my treatment became a little more personal after that, but it was fine prior to Anthony saying high, and I didn't notice anyone else getting anything less that acceptable service.

[tommy:eats]

So tonight I'm almost home, had last night's monkfish on the brain, and couldn't for the life of me figure out what I would have for dinner that would come close to last night's. I considered Rocca in Glen Rock, because I recall that they have monkfish, and Chef Levy over there is no slouch. But I was alone and decided against it. Considered going another 30 minutes down to Fairfield to Crave again. Very close to doing that in fact. Decided against it, because that would have seemed silly. It wouldn't have been silly, but would have seemed silly. So I took the duck confit that Chef LoPinto sent me home with last night and made pasta. And it was good.

The moral of the story? None, really. Just trying to eat well.

[Ev]

Could you hold my bow, please? I need to take my tiny violin out of its case...
GRRRRRR.

[Rosie]

Great read Tommy. Please explain about the bathrooms. I didn't have a problem.

Anxious to return to Crave as Anthony Lo Pinto is a fabulous chef.

[Ev]

Now that the orchestra has packed up, I'm now curious to dine at the bar to see if we agree about the chairs...I loved having all of that 'real estate' and the arms on the chairs. I'm guessing that after sitting in one for a while, I won't have the usual "Wow my *ss hurts" comment as I get up, but you're dead-on that the chairs weigh a ton and aren't easy to 'glide' in/out of. Then again, I wasn't sitting in one for more than 20 mins or so, as I chose to let my friends sit. And my legs are pretty long, so I'll be very conscious of my full chair experience the next time I'm there. When I'M having the confit. ;-)

[tommy:eats]

rosie,

the signs on the doors make you (me) think. when i'm 5 seconds away from touching myself, i don't want to have to think too much.

[L]

Tommy!
Where can I find some good steak tartare? Just a regular bistro, nothing fancy.

Thanks.

[tommy:eats]

L,

I have to say I don't recall many places in northern NJ for steak tartare. If you find one let me know.

If it's French bistro you are looking for I will highly recommend Pourquoi pas in westwood. Great stuff.

[tommy:eats]

So as fate might have it, I opened up my laptop today and was staring at a menu that I had opened up yesterday and I saw steak tartare. I couldn't remember which particular restaurants I was looking into yesterday, but after briefly reviewing the items I knew it had to be Ox in Jersey City.

Ox, by the way, became my favorite restaurant in New Jersey after a single visit. It's really something else. And it received an "Excellent" in today's NY Times, so someone else agrees.

[Ev]

Wow-just read that review; Ox was already on my list, but now it's at the top! You may not remember that you got me hooked on oxtails--at The Jeff, of course...
DO start an Ox thread, please! Now I want to hear all about what you ate on your visit there!

[L]

Thanks, Tommy. I just moved from Manhattan and can't find a good bistro (or steak tartare, my favorite bistro food) anywhere. There's a restaurant space for sale on the corner of E. Ridgewood and Broad Street that would be perfect for an L'Express type place www.lexpressnyc.com or Schiller's/Pastis/Balthazar www.schillersny.com Great. Now I'm hungry.

[L]

BTW, LOVE Rocca and the take out place they have around the corner. Prices are extremely reasonable and food is consistently delicious. The decor could be better (like most places out here), and the waitstaff seems rather young, but whatever.

[tommy:eats]

L, I think I read that the space you're referencing is being eyed up by the people who own the Italian place across the tracks.

In addition to Ox, which isn't a French bistro, Jersey City has some proper french bistros worth a visit, like Madame Claude and Triumph, both of which I've enjoyed.

Up in the Bergen County area, I'm afraid I haven't found many. There's Le Jardin in Edgewater, which is owned by the people who own Regina's Steakhouse in Teaneck (wet-aged) and Felice in Oradell. No steak tartare on their menu though: http://www.lejardinnj.com/

[Ev]

Elysian Cafe in Hoboken certainly qualifies as a French bistro...and iirc, it used to be a favorite of yours, Tommy--is that right? Don't know if they offer steak tartare, though.

[Daniel]

Tommy,

Steak Tartare is easy to make. It just takes a bit of time making sure that the meat has no chunks of fat in it. If you pride yourself on your homemade burgers, then Steak Tartare should be the logical next step.

Try it, you'll like it!

[tommy:eats]

I've made steak tartare. Good stuff, and like you say, pretty easy.

I used, IIRC, a food processor to chop the stuff up. Probably filet mignon, as you don't want any stringy fat in the dish, as you say. Quail egg. A bit of mustard. YUMM-O.

[Daniel]

I use the same technique. And my guess is that you put the meat in the freezer to firm it up?

On a different topic, can you post the Crave menu? Their website is a bit on the light side.

[tommy:eats]

Yup, meat goes in the freezer before being ground or chopped in the food processor.

here are some items that i have from the information that Chef LoPinto sent me a while back. These items, I believe, are available.

Barbeque Glazed Ribs-
Napa Cabbage, Avocado and Jalapeno Slaw

Crab Cake-
Roasted Corn Salsa, Curry Lime Sauce

Pan Fried Mozzarella-
Seasoned Egg Batter, Anchovies, Capers, Garlic and White Wine

Crave Vegetarian Sampler-
Hummus, Falafel, Tabulli, Marinated Olives and Feta, Grilled Pita

Marinated Beet salad-
Oven Roasted Beets, Warm Duck Confit,
Sherry Vinaigrette

Crave Salad-
Baby Spinach, Crispy Goat Cheese, Pears
Walnut Brittle, Red Onion, Balsamic

Primed Aged Rib Steak-
Grilled 18 oz. Black Angus with Potato-Bacon Hash

Honey Maple Double Cut Pork Chop -
Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Fuji Apple Sauce

Grilled Asian Marinated Hanger Steak-
Grilled Black Angus, Whipped Horseradish Potato

Oven Roasted Long Island Duck Breast-
Parsnips, Swiss Chard, Roasted Pear Onion Chutney

Carnaroli Risotto-
Butternut Squash, Toasted Hazelnut, Parmigiano

Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallops-
Wild Mushroom Barley, Pearl Onions, Sweet Potato Sauce

Monkfish-
White Bean, Spinach, Garlic, Tomato Stew

I've had the monkfish twice. It's really super.

[Daniel]

Thanks. We'll probably go on Saturday. Or, if I am unlucky we'll go to 9North in Wayne.

[tommy:eats]

I would say if you're *very* unlucky you'll go to 9 North in Wayne. Never been there, but it just can't be good.

I'm assuming you won't be dining at the bar? If you are do, I would suggest going early. Much is being made of the "lounge" aspect of this place. I really couldn't care less who is around me or if the bartender's ass crack is showing. As long as the food is good. If that type of thing bothers you, however, you're probably not going to appreciate Crave. I will concede that it can be a bit distracting, but everyone I've met there, from the owners to their wives to the servers to other patrons, have all been very nice. They're just people, after all. Granted, people who show their boobs and have an odd love of vodka, but people at the end of the day.

[DHL]

Tommy,
EVOO and YUMM-O? Who are you R.R.?

[tommy:eats]

I could think of worse people to be.

9North, Daniel, doesn't look all that horrible. At least by looking at the website: http://www.9northrestaurant.com/

[Ev]

That vegetarian sampler was the tastiest of the apps I tried the night I was at Crave...now I've got to get back for the beet/duck confit salad! Thanks for sharing more of the menu, T.

[Daniel]

I enjoy eating at the bar, but we will be with another couple, so it might make it more difficult to chat. But if I get to look at (hopefully nice) boobs and drink vodka? What's the downside? Especially if the food is good.

As for 9North? It looks fine, but nothing to get excited about.

[Ev]

Daniel, I suppose the boobs are nice, but some of us have our own, so WE'D like to see some MALE eye candy behind the bar at Crave. Just sayin'. ;-)

[Daniel]

And I am sure they are lovely ;-)

People watching is one of the fun things about eating at the bar, so I hope that Crave soon finds an appropriately handsome gentleman who can also make drinks!

[adegiulio]

Wait a second...breasts? Half naked female bartenders? Sexy women? I can learn to like vodka...

But, I'd still prefer gin. And vermouth. And a dash of orange bitters (but I won't hold my breath).

I suppose I should make my way over there. Great website they have.

[tommy:eats]

yeah, i don't suspect you'll find Fee Brothers or Regan's orange bitters behind that bar.

the boobs were surprisingly covered on my last visit (Rare was a different story). ass cracks are generally, however, visible. i guess all the kids are showing their coin slots these days. i'm getting old.

[adegiulio]

You'd be surprised how difficult it is to find Fee's and Regan's anywhere, including retail shops. Despite the fact that they make Fee's right here in the wonderful state of New York, I still had to buy it over the internet (from kegworks.com if anyone is interested). But, what a difference it makes.

I guess its better to see a coin slot than a change purse...

[Daniel]

No one at 9North was displaying anything, and the food suffered for it. We should have gone to Crave, but I was overruled. Next time I am going to hold my breath and stamp my feet until I get my way.

[tommy:eats]

I gotta admit I expected a better review of 9North. Looks like a chef-driven restaurant. And having monkfish on the menu is a good sign.

Crave is closed for the time being (03/10/08), a victim of this weekend's storms. So call before you head down. They don't expect to be open until Wednesday (03/12/08) at the earliest.

[tommy:eats]

i see that you actually wrote something up on your blog about North9,

and yes, i'm surprised it wasn't as good as i thought it might be!

[tommy:eats]

Crave is open again, after that small mishap with storm and power and whatnot.

[adegiulio]

Someone on a different board, who also posts here under a different name, posted a link to an interesting review of Crave. And here is it...
click me.

[tommy:eats]

From a purely selfish perspective, I would love it if Chef LoPinto got himself some backing, and opened his own chef-driven restaurant. Not much unlike what Earth was for the short time it was around. Thinking about what we missed out by Earth not having a chance to blossom bums me out.

That's not to say this is what LoPinto wants, but it's what I want. Crave is an interesting place, and the food is quite good. But it's not an ideal place to my mind.

[adegiulio]

I'm shocked that there has been no mention of Lopinto's departure from Crave here. While a number of people whose opinion I respect deeply think he is a great chef, my experience with three of his restaurants had been spotty. I hope he someday finds the opportunity to shine under his own restaurant, with no snafus and no excuses.

[tommy:eats]

sorry to shock you adegiulio! just haven't gotten around to it, and i have nothing to add as I haven't spoken to Chef LoPinto at any length.

I will soon update this post to reflect the fact that he has left Crave.