A LOOK BACK AT 2015

Since 2015 was our first year open, it really was such a special one for us. We got to watch something we’d dreamed about for decades as a family of chefs finally come to life. It was thrilling, empowering and, to be honest, completely frightening. Having complete autonomy in our dishes and our kitchen is the second-best feeling ever…the best being watching community members walk through CRAFT’s doors every single day. So, before we take the full plunge in 2016, we wanted to round up some of our favorite moments (and plates) of 2015.

(1) The Start of Bottomless Mimosas:

As silly as it is, this is something we dreamed about long before CRAFT was ever open. We knew when we opened a restaurant, we wanted to host weekend events that brought people from across Las Vegas to our kitchen for–what else?–a good time and great drinks. We had a lot of fun playing with creative takes on classic mimosas. One of our favorite combinations was the blood orange mimosa (a close second was our pomegranate mimosa). If you haven’t had a chance to stop in for this weekly event, swing by in 2016–we have bottomless mimosas every Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

(2) Our (Now Famous) Valrhona Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding:

So, when we came up with this one we had no idea the impact it would have on hungry stomachs in Las Vegas. Valrhona chocolate comes from a small village in France and has been in production since 1922. The difference is one that anyone–not just chefs–can taste. Because it’s such a luxurious and decadent ingredient, we wanted to make it a little more accessible, using it in a creative and playful way that the average, everyday grumbling tummy could get behind. Because it was during chilly fall months, we came up with a warm bread pudding served with spiced hot chocolate. The response was so much more than we could have ever expected. We got a number of requests to bring this special back for weekends in a row, and that’s just what we did. We also ended up pre-selling it as a takeout order for Thanksgiving. 

(3) A Collaboration with Colorado River Coffee Roasters:

Supporting all-things local is at the top of our priority list, and we’re so grateful that we’ve had the chance to work with Boulder City-based Colorado River Coffee Roasters to source our organic, brewed-fresh-for-every-cup coffee. It’s such a simple thing, coffee, but it’s been one of the items on our menu customers respond to most. Brewing it fresh for every cup (rather than brewing one large batch at a time) makes such a difference and, we never thought we’d say this, but it has turned us into total coffee snobs. 

(4) Support from Foodies of Las Vegas:

This one gets us emotional–there may or may not be tears on our keyboard right now. The support we’ve received from food-focused community blogs, publications and social media accounts has been overwhelming and so humbling. From Eater Vegas to Yelp to Vegas2LA Magazine, we’ve had such great coverage from local outlets and foodies alike and we could not be more grateful. 

(5) Private Dining Room Events:

We had so much fun hosting a handful of events in our PDR in 2015. From baby showers to meetings to book clubs, we hosted just about every group you can imagine and can’t wait to share our space with even more party people in 2016.

We were especially happy to host our first dinner affair–a corporate event for Bridor France and La Quercia. Since we’re a breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant, it was really fun for us to get to play around with dinner flavors and create a heavier, winter meal for this special group. Events in our PDR really allow us to stray from the menu and craft up something even more creative than our everyday offerings. We love working with groups to create the perfect event for their individual needs. If you’d like to book our PDR in 2016 for your large group, you can do so here or by calling (702) 728.5828.

That’s it, Las Vegas–our roundup of some of our favorite moments and kitchen creations from 2015. We’re ready to take 2016 by storm and can’t wait to come up with more creative dishes for you to try. Thank you, thank you for your endless support and love in 2015!

CRAFTKITCHEN IN THE NEWS

When we started CRAFTkitchen, we knew we wanted to focus on one thing: community. Whether it’s providing a perfect gathering place for community members, making someone’s day a little brighter by providing them a comforting meal or sourcing ingredients from local farms and markets, we work every single day to ensure we’re supporting our community every way we know how. It’s been such a pleasure, then, to see all of the love and support we’ve received from community members and local media. 

These first few months open have been both rewarding and, as is the case with any new business, challenging. Nothing keeps us going, though, like seeing smiling faces of regulars and new diners alike or watching our name pop up in a local article. So, today we wanted to break down some of the great media coverage we’ve gotten as a way to say thank you to all of those writers who took time to dine with us and, most importantly, share their experience with the Las Vegas Valley.

“Perfecting the Craft” by Michael Uzmann (published in Vegas2LA)

This is one of our all-time favorite pieces written about CRAFTkitchen. Uzmann just gets what CRAFT is all about. We love his description of CRAFT as “part passion project” and are humbled by the comparison to one of our downtown favorites, Glutton.

Las Vegas Review Journal

If you’re a Las Vegan, you know there really is one major source of news–the local RJ. We were so excited, then, to see a writeup about CRAFT in the December 9th paper. We love that the writer made a point to call out our mission: “To be here for locals, to be the kind of place where they always feel comfortable…”

“Giving Inspired Eating a Chance” by Aly Wagonseller (published in Zip Code Magazine)

We were named the “Haute Spot” in the Henderson edition of local-favorite Zip Code Magazine. This was such a surprise for us, as we weren’t expecting any coverage from the 89104 magazine at all. We love that, while the piece starts off with an honest and hesitant tone (especially in regards to our slogan: “Local. Inspired. Eats”), our dishes win the writer over by the end.

“Jaret Blinn’s CRAFTkitchen” by Susan Stapleton (published in Eater Las Vegas) 

Ah, is there any better place to be recognized in the food-world than Eater? We like to think not. And we love that Eater has shown us so much love on everywhere from its website to its social media channels. We’re so thankful to Stapleton and all of the folks at Eater LV for helping to spread the word about what CRAFT is all about. 

That’s today’s round-up. We want to thank every one of the publications and writers who got behind the CRAFTkitchen mission and chose to share their experience with the community. Word of mouth and the written word are the most powerful tools we have to help spread our mission and we could not be more grateful to everyone who has helped us do so.

TRUE CRAFTSMANSHIP: A LOOK AT THE ARTIST BEHIND OUR TABLES

As we reflect back on our opening week, we’ve received endless positive feedback from diners and the community in general, and we can’t thank you enough for that. One thing people have really loved (aside from our always-crowd-pleasing Chicken and What? dish) is the interior and overall atmosphere of CRAFTkitchen. We’re so glad to hear this, as we worked so hard on bringing the space the life and making it a warm and welcoming setting for guests. One of our favorite aspects of the interior happens to be our custom-made tables. Today, then, we wanted to share with you a little bit about the CRAFTsman (pun totally intended) behind these beauties. 

We were introduced to Alex Evans, a miracle worker when it comes to all-things wood, through a mutual friend. As soon as we saw Alex’s work, we knew we wanted him to craft our dining tables. He used a mixture of Pine and Douglas Fir (with other similar woods sprinkled in) to create beautiful, unmistakable dark-wood tops for our dining tables and private dining room table, finishing them off with the CRAFTkitchen logo for an added creative touch.

When all was said and done, Alex created 23 table tops and one 12-foot long private dining room table for us. Against the more industrial elements of the restaurant (like our cement flooring and black-and-white color scheme), the dark wood really warms up the space and adds the perfect custom-touch we were looking for.

In the dining room, Alex’s hand-crafted (and massive) table is such a statement piece–and we can’t wait to host families and groups as they celebrate special moments gathered around what truly is such work of art.

There is nothing we love more than supporting and celebrating local artists and their work, and we are so glad we get to come to work everyday knowing that we have created a space that–from the coffee to tables–is for Vegas, by Vegas. You can view more of Alex’s beautiful work on his Instagram Account or email him to request a custom order.