We had a great experience at Crawford & Son. The food, drink, and service were all excellent. This is one of the best restaurants we've been to in the Triangle. The cuisine is New American.
Reservations are recommended. There were barely any left when we looked for a Saturday reservation about two weeks out. Crawford & Son is open for dinner only. Every seat in the dining room and at the bar were taken at one point during our visit. I saw walk-ins get turned away. You can book reservations through Crawford & Son's website via Tock: http://crawfordandsonrestaurant.com/ Sorry, no OpenTable points here.
This restaurant has been around since November 2016. It's located in downtown Raleigh's Historic Oakwood neighborhood, in the same strip as Oakwood Pizza Box. There's no dedicated parking. Free street parking is available in the residential area around the block (e.g., Pace St, N Bloodworth St). Read the signs for parking restrictions.
This isn't a big restaurant, but it's not tiny either. The dining room and bar share the same space. There are some tables in the front and then a long banquette that runs the length of the bar and more. The layout is similar to Jolie French bistro, Crawford & Son's sister restaurant next door (opened August 2019). Unlike Jolie, Crawford & Son doesn't have nearly as much outdoor patio seating (only a couple two-tops) nor rooftop seating (none). Chef-owner Scott Crawford opened a third restaurant, Crawford Cookshop in Clayton, in December 2021.
The ambiance here is elevated, but not pretentious. The restaurant definitely has a hip vibe, but it's not overdone either. It's comfortable.
The menu was fairly simple and straightforward. To give you an idea of the number of selections, our party of four tried one of every cocktail (4) and one of every entree (4). Below is a list of what we ordered. It'll also give you an idea of what kind of food and drink to expect, along with pricing.
Cocktails
* Komodo ($16) - gin, blood orange, shiso, Montenegro
* Dungeon Dragon ($16) - tequila, grapefruit, lemon verbena, campari
* Spiritual Gangster ($16) - Mezcal, mulled wine, falernum, cynar
* BB King ($16) - bourbon, brown butter, PX sherry, bitters
Appetizers
* Little Gem Caesar ($17) - truffle pecorino, cured duck egg, fried garlic
* Grilled Clam Toast ($16) - focaccia, nduja, chimichurri, pickled onion
Raw
* Yellowfin Tuna Crudo ($18) - garum vinaigrette, winter radish, ginger ice
Entrees
* Lion's Mane Mushroom Schnitzel ($28) - caper cream, cauliflower, lemon confit
* Pan Roasted Sea Trout ($36) - blood orange beurre blanc, trout roe, root vegetables
* Duck Breast ($45) - Sarladaises potato, glazed pearl onion, black currant sauce
* Beef Short Rib ($37) - crispy shallot salad, hakurei turnip, sweet, sour, and savory glaze
Save Room / Desserts
* Vanilla Tapioca Pudding ($12) - creme fraiche, honeycrisp apple granita
* Parsnip Spice Cake ($13) - ginger ice cream, maple carrot, walnuts
After Dinner Drinks
* Big Mac dessert drink ($16) - Macvin, hazelnut, egg cream
* Special "Banana Flip" (not on menu, $17) - banana liqueur, egg cream
Everything was outstanding. The presentation was absolutely beautiful. Visually stunning. The plating was some of the best I've seen in the Triangle. Probably top five in that regard (just take a look at my pictures). Thought and care was evident in each dish and cocktail. They looked like works of art. Everything was creative, well executed, and tasted as good as it looked.
My wife, who's especially picky with cocktails, said the Komodo was one of the best cocktails she's had anywhere. The flavors were balanced and smooth. The color was unexpectedly clear despite being made with blood orange. That's because they filtered the cocktail using curdled milk. The Dungeon Dragon was memorable because instead of just a salt rim, citric acid was added too, to give two flavors: salty and sour.
The Grilled Clam Toast popped with colors, textures, and flavors. It was savory and unique. The Yellowfin Tuna Crudo was fresh and citrusy. Both the Sea Trout and Duck Breast were perfectly cooked and delicious. The trout was the best I've had in recent memory. I love mushrooms and was impressed with the hearty and satisfying Mushroom Schnitzel. Little things like the way they cut the cauliflower and lemon - the latter into thin edible slices - really showed the kitchen staff's attention to detail. The Vanilla Tapioca Pudding was phenomenal. The consistencies were terrific with creamy and appetizingly chewy tapioca topped with delicately flaky granita.
Service was fantastic. Our server was Sydney. She was kind, knowledgeable, and attentive. Everyone else we interacted with was great too, from the hostesses/managers to our food runner. One of the hostesses/managers noticed me trying to Shazam a song. She brought over an iPad and let me take a picture of the song on the restaurant's playlist. Very thoughtful of her. That kind of service is above and beyond. read more