I had a great time at Cranes! This was my second time there, and it’s the only starred restaurant I have been to. To start, the service was fantastic. The waiter was very nice and knowledgeable, but he never tried to upsell me and never talked too much about what the dishes were (he told us what was in it, but didn’t go on for too long). He also went above and beyond in some instances, including comping me a glass of wine and a dessert. I had the wine pairing, which I thought was really good, but I don’t really know enough about wine to assess it.
Tofu and Cherry Kombucha- This was delicious. I’ve tried kombucha before and did not like it, but this was great- tart, sweet, and flavorful. Soft tofu is a great ingredient, and it really went well with everything here.
Turnip Tartare With Cucumbers and Nori- This was the second best dish of the meal. The turnip was fantastic, and there was enough sesame to add to the dish without just tasting like sesame.
Artichoke Puree with Balsamic, Ramp Jam, and Tapioca Chip- This was the best dish of the meal. The puree was heavy without feeling like it was just butter, and the acidity of the balsamic paired perfectly with the artichoke puree. The ramp jam added a fantastic additional layer.
Noodles in Broth with Bamboo Shoots- I liked this dish, but it was the weakest one they had. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the salt level was also perfect, but I didn’t feel like it went much beyond being just noodles and broth.
Tempura Mushroom with Mushroom Ragu- I don’t remember the sauce on this one, but everything came together really well. There were different textures with the tempura, ragu, sauce, and spicy puree (the green dots).
White Asparagus with Tempura Asparagus and Brown Butter Yuzu Sauce- This dish was very simple, but fantastic. The sauce was mild and had just enough acid to to tie everything together, and the different textures and flavors of the asparagus went really well together.
Heirloom Zucchini with Pine Nuts and Charred Asparagus- I really enjoyed this dish. The pine nut quenelles had another ingredient that I can’t remember, but they tasted very strongly of pine nuts. They paired perfectly with the heirloom zucchini, and the zucchini was cooked exactly the way that I prefer it (soft but with some bite).
Strawberry Sherry Ice Cream with Yuzu Foam and Tapioca- This palate cleanser was fantastic. The ice cream, foam, tapioca, and crumbles on top gave it a lot of textural variety, and it was sweet but not too sweet (perfect for a palate cleanser).
Passionfruit Cheesecake with Passionfruit Ice Cream, Passionfruit, and Meringue- This was really an exploration of passionfruit in different forms, and it hit the mark. It was very acidic, but everything came together really well. I think the green oil was basil oil, which was perfect.
Mignardise (left to right: ginger, caramel, meyer lemon)- Last time I was a bit disappointed with the mignardise, but they were really nice this time. They weren’t anything mindblowing, but each of them tasted great.
Jetsetter (Japanese whisky, sherry, cynar, plum wine)- I really enjoyed this. The bitterness of the cynar was present, but felt very well balanced.
The Old Pond (barley shochu, green apple, yuzu, lemon, orgeat)- I also really enjoyed this! It was nice and acidic with the green apple, and it was also very well balanced.
Recipe- This is a recipe for purple haze, a drink I had last time I was there. I mentioned to the waiter that I was trying to figure out how to make it, and he got the recipe for me! I was pretty close, and I really appreciated him getting it for me.
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I had a great time at Cranes! This was my second time there, and it’s the only starred restaurant I have been to. To start, the service was fantastic. The waiter was very nice and knowledgeable, but he never tried to upsell me and never talked too much about what the dishes were (he told us what was in it, but didn’t go on for too long). He also went above and beyond in some instances, including comping me a glass of wine and a dessert. I had the wine pairing, which I thought was really good, but I don’t really know enough about wine to assess it.
Tofu and Cherry Kombucha- This was delicious. I’ve tried kombucha before and did not like it, but this was great- tart, sweet, and flavorful. Soft tofu is a great ingredient, and it really went well with everything here.
Turnip Tartare With Cucumbers and Nori- This was the second best dish of the meal. The turnip was fantastic, and there was enough sesame to add to the dish without just tasting like sesame.
Artichoke Puree with Balsamic, Ramp Jam, and Tapioca Chip- This was the best dish of the meal. The puree was heavy without feeling like it was just butter, and the acidity of the balsamic paired perfectly with the artichoke puree. The ramp jam added a fantastic additional layer.
Noodles in Broth with Bamboo Shoots- I liked this dish, but it was the weakest one they had. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the salt level was also perfect, but I didn’t feel like it went much beyond being just noodles and broth.
Tempura Mushroom with Mushroom Ragu- I don’t remember the sauce on this one, but everything came together really well. There were different textures with the tempura, ragu, sauce, and spicy puree (the green dots).
White Asparagus with Tempura Asparagus and Brown Butter Yuzu Sauce- This dish was very simple, but fantastic. The sauce was mild and had just enough acid to to tie everything together, and the different textures and flavors of the asparagus went really well together.
Heirloom Zucchini with Pine Nuts and Charred Asparagus- I really enjoyed this dish. The pine nut quenelles had another ingredient that I can’t remember, but they tasted very strongly of pine nuts. They paired perfectly with the heirloom zucchini, and the zucchini was cooked exactly the way that I prefer it (soft but with some bite).
Strawberry Sherry Ice Cream with Yuzu Foam and Tapioca- This palate cleanser was fantastic. The ice cream, foam, tapioca, and crumbles on top gave it a lot of textural variety, and it was sweet but not too sweet (perfect for a palate cleanser).
Passionfruit Cheesecake with Passionfruit Ice Cream, Passionfruit, and Meringue- This was really an exploration of passionfruit in different forms, and it hit the mark. It was very acidic, but everything came together really well. I think the green oil was basil oil, which was perfect.
Mignardise (left to right: ginger, caramel, meyer lemon)- Last time I was a bit disappointed with the mignardise, but they were really nice this time. They weren’t anything mindblowing, but each of them tasted great.
Jetsetter (Japanese whisky, sherry, cynar, plum wine)- I really enjoyed this. The bitterness of the cynar was present, but felt very well balanced.
The Old Pond (barley shochu, green apple, yuzu, lemon, orgeat)- I also really enjoyed this! It was nice and acidic with the green apple, and it was also very well balanced.
Recipe- This is a recipe for purple haze, a drink I had last time I was there. I mentioned to the waiter that I was trying to figure out how to make it, and he got the recipe for me! I was pretty close, and I really appreciated him getting it for me.