CRAFTkitchen
Coffee
Blueberry and Lemon Cream Cruffin with Pink Lemonade Blueberries
Fresh Apricot PopTart
Vegan Almond Joy Scone
Gluten Free Peach Muffin with Oat Crumble
CK Monkey Bread
Biscuits & Gravy – Housemade White Cheddar Rosemary Biscuit, CK Pork Sausage Gravy, Scrambled Eggs
Pork Carnitas Benedict – House Carnitas, Spicy Tomatillo Salsa, Poached Eggs, Smashed Avocado, English Muffin, Cilantro, Chipotle Hollandaise
Roasted Peach and Burrata Salad – Roasted Peaches, Burrata Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Spring Greens, Balsamic Reduction, Stone Fruit Vinaigrette
CK House Burger – Medium-Rare Grass-Fed Burger, Havarti Cheese, Tomato-Onion Jam, Crispy Applewood Smoked Bacon
Peach Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast – Fresh Peaches, Vanilla Bean Sugar, Sweet Cream Cheese Filling
White Chocolate Strawberry Macaron
Hazelnut Brownie
Carrot Cake
With Hockey season finally winding down and a brief lull in his family’s busy schedule it was Saturday morning that Chef Blinn had a few minutes to step away from the stove to say hello, week 129 of the Weekly Brunch Menu in full swing and not a single seat open at CRAFTkitchen in Henderson.
Always a personal favorite and showing no signs of slowing, the service if anything more well-polished than ever despite a jammed pack interior and patio also crowded despite climbing Summer temperatures, it was seated in a coveted window booth that two guests quickly saw Coffee filled and kept that way for two hours, a collection of new items coursed out slowly in addition to one surprisingly never tasted across over a dozen meals.
Still something of a unicorn in terms of concept, nearly everything including Bread made on-site and quality seasonal Produce forming the backbone of a menu people will go out of their way for even though no shortage of Breakfast spots exist in the 702, it was with four all-new Pastries that the morning got underway, Chefs Blinn and Ryan-Small once again outperforming most nationally-famous Bakeries regardless of dietary preferences with the PopTart and Gluten Free Peach Muffin both noteworthy and a Croissant-Muffin hybrid packed by super-sweet Blueberries in Lemon Cream all standouts.
Always happy to partake in Jaret’s city-best Monkey Bread, a sharable portion soaked in molten Frosting that itself justifies an hour-long round trip from home, it was taking a break from sweeter things that weekly special Biscuits and Gravy were presented in thick Pork Sausage Gravy, the stick-to-your-ribs classic featuring a 2×8 inch fluffy base tinged in Rosemary and White Cheddar as good as any in town with a choice of two Eggs in any style on top.
Staying savory for another round, house English Muffins served beneath housemade Carnitas in lightly heated Salsa just one of CRAFTkitchen’s many delicious Bennies, it was on the recommendation of a local encountered at work that the CK House Burger was tasted next, that man’s assertion of “best Burger in the city” potentially accurate thanks to a fluffy Potato Bun that holds up to a meaty grind topped in buttery Cheese which balances nicely against Tomato-Onion Jam and crisp strips of Bacon.
Returning to #everchangingbrunch specials to finish, the fact that Stone Fruits with Cheese had shocked many seemingly educated co-workers not so long ago still a surprise as CRAFTkitchen presented their own delicious combination of Peaches and Burrata atop seasonal Greens with vibrant Vinaigrette, it was perhaps even more surprising that Chef Blinn managed to surpass previously high expectations with a plate of French Toast sandwiching Cheesecake Filling between slices of Texas Toast, the interior turning to Custard-consistency on a new flat-top and all the better with sliced Peaches tossed in Vanilla Sugar…though not quite good enough to forgo a slice of Carrot Cake or previously untasted Brownies and Macarons.
FIVE STARS: Still setting a high bar by paring skill, sourcing and service CRAFTkitchen remains a true “destination” Breakfast in a city where such a thing never existed prior and even those waiting half-an-hour for a table should consider themselves lucky to do so because even in New York or Chicago this place would still stand-out and likely lead to lines much longer.
RECOMMENDED: CK Monkey Bread, Blueberry and Lemon Cream Cruffin, Gluten Free Peach Muffin with Oat Crumble, Biscuits and Gravy, Peach Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast, CK House Burger, Carrot Cake.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Per Chef Blinn the recently installed larger cooking surface should allow for shorter waits and more creativity than ever before.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.craftkitchenlv.com
