Wow, if you are in Raleigh you definitely have to check out Crawford & Son. When you arrive parking…read moreis pretty difficult as the restaurant is located on person street. You'll want to park on a side street and walk up to the restaurant.
When you walk into the restaurant you'll be transported to a dark, warm, intimate, and buzzy neighborhood vibe. I'd definitely recommend booking a reservation to ensure you are able to get a table.
Once we were seated I started by ordering the Long Time Listener Cocktail (Bourbon, Blackberry, Mint, Fernet-Branca) which was excellent and probably my favorite drink of the evening. For my other drink I tried the Structured Settlement (coconut washed tequila, peach, popcorn orgeat, and lime). This drink was also good, but not as good as the long time listener.
For food, we started with the Manchego-Herb Biscuits which were flaky, soft, and didn't need any butter. After that we tried the Heirloom Tomato Salad (provencal granola, mozzarella ice cream, and peaches) which was perfect. The large tomato with the crunchy granola, olive oil, and mozzarella and peaches were the perfect blend of flavors. I couldn't stop eating this dish.
Next, we tried the Half Smoke Sausage (roasted peppers, garlic aioli, balsamic onion jus) which surprised me. The sausage had a bit of a spicy flavor, the roasted peppers were prepared perfectly, and overall the flavors paired perfectly together. We also ordered the Bucatini (sea urchin, gulf prawn, spicy tomato sauce) which was good with the pasta and all of the flavors mixed together. The last appetizer we ordered was the yellowfin tuna crudo (honeydew, Fresno chili, shiso, tom yum ice) which was perfect. The sliced honeydew with the raw yellowfin was so good!!
For the entree we split the Grilled Bavette Steak (potato rosti, shishito pepper, and sauce choron). The steak cut like butter and was cooked perfectly.
For dessert we ordered the blueberry upside down cake (popcorn streusel, sweet corn ice cream) which had fresh blueberries and I couldn't stop eating this dish.
I'll have to add Crawford & Son to my regular Raleigh restaurant rotation as this meal was excellent. Looking forward to my next visit.