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!
