Crave Lounge

Hands down best sushi around. Great food, great upscale atmosphere, great service.  What more could you ask for?  Try the watermelon Napoleon, gem roll or an emerald roll.   All delicious!

My hubby was in the dog house this week. Like, major doghouse. I It's not often this happens. So I was pleasantly surprised, yet terrified when he told me he had planned a date night out to try to make up for making me so angry. You see, as the resident "foodie" in our house, and the calendar manager, when we go out to eat, I pick the place about 99% of the time. Since I am a frequent yelper, I often have a list of the hot new places I want to try, or local classics that I just love to go to. So, when hubby told me we were going to Crave, I must admit - I was a little nervous.

I had been here once before - just on a Saturday afternoon for a drink before a wedding - so I had no experience with their food, or really their dining atmosphere or service. I know they used to have a "club" associated with the restaurant which I never went to (though I heard their annual White parties were quite fun). Naturally, when he told me the plan, I jumped on yelp and started to read reviews and scour the menu. The reviews were mixed. The more recent reviews I read were not the best, so I was even more nervous that hubby's once in a lifetime chance at impressing me with a  restaurant choice was going to fall short.

He had made 8:30 reservations. We were greeted by an unenthusiastic hostess, but then regreeted by someone else who had a much better attitude. I was instantly impressed with the space - great décor. The place was not packed- but almost every table was full of people - good sign, I thought!

I wanted to start the night with a good martini - and they provided. I opted for the strawberry shortcake martini which came complete with a graham cracker rim - nice touch. Hubby's gin and tonic was strong. Off to a good start, and I was slowly forgiving the man!

We began to look over the menu. I, of course, had pretty much already decided I would order sushi. I don't EVER get to go out for sushi - which was another point for the hubby since he picked a place that served it. He doesn't eat seafood, so I was worried he would have a hard time finding something that he really enjoyed, but they offered filet - so no problem there.

We started with edamame - which was honestly great. It's hard to screw up steamed and salted soy bean pods - but I have been to plenty of places that can't get it right. These were bursting with flavor, very plump beans and the perfect amount of sea salt. Each of us got the house salad which for me, was only OK. The ingredients were all VERY fresh - but truth be told - I am a fan of the traditional Japanese dressing - not the vinaigrette they served here. Still, it was presented with elegance and I enjoyed it.

On to the main course. I got the Tuna Crunch roll and the caterpillar roll. There were many interesting options, but I am allergic to shrimp, and many of their special rolls included shrimp. Both were AWESOME. The tuna crunch roll was a little on the small side - but seriously BEAUTIFUL - some of the best looking sushi I've ever had. Hubby got the filet - again - so impressed with the presentation, but even more so with the flavor! It one of the more perfectly cooked cuts of meat I can remember ordering in a long time.

Another element of surprise - to really hit the night out of the ballpark - my husband TRIED SUSHI!! And (drumroll please) HE LIKED IT! He even said he would order it again! We each had another drink and debated over dessert (they had a triple flavor creme brulee which sounded great) but we passed. I was amazed, stuffed, kind of drunk and husband was forgiven. I'd call it a successful night.

We had no plans to eat here, we just stumbled in, and I am glad we did.  Everything was great: nice décor, friendly service, nice menu, great sushi.  We got there around 6PM and we were able to get happy hour specials on a variety of sushi rolls, salads and small plates.  Some interesting menu items that stood out are the hot and hour miso soup and the mango salad.  The only downside was that some of the sushi rolls were tinier than we expected and the bathroom was disgusting.  I will definitely come back if I am in the area.