Chef Tom Colicchio swaggered in from New York last summer to show laid-back local restaurateurs “how it’s done,” said S. Irene Virbila in the Los Angeles Times. L.A. chefs here have been enamored of California cuisine for so long that some have “almost forgotten there’s some equally compelling cooking on the other coast.” Colicchio—familiar to many TV viewers from the reality show Top Chef—was the first New York celebrity chef to invade the city, though he’s since been joined by Mario Batali and Laurence Tourondel. Only Colicchio, though, has set up shop in the “entertainment industry’s power base, Century City.”
The L.A. outpost of Craft, housed in its a customized, free-standing building surrounded by talent agencies and law offices, has quickly become Los Angeles’ “new power lunch spot.” But though celebrities can be spied taking meetings in Craft’s “sleek cabanas” and “luxuriously roomy booths,” the menu is the real star. It changes daily, but recent dishes—all modern-American, and very East Coast—included a roulade of guinea hen served with radicchio cooked in vinegar; pan-roasted turbot; and a side of “impeccable” potato gratin. A plum tarte Tatin and an angel food cake accompanied by roasted peaches and blueberries were also heavenly. “Once you figure out how to order,” a meal here does not have to be outrageously expensive. Craft’s family-style wooden tables and copper casseroles invite sharing. 10100 Constellation Blvd., Century City, (310) 279-4180
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