Spare menu descriptions and family style dining are elevated to haute cuisine at Tom Colicchio’s flagship restaurant. And, really, who’s to say that’s not the way it’s supposed to be? The New American menu here is ingredient-based, with little adornment required when the ingredients are of such superb, artisanal quality. The menu is divided into first courses, second courses and side dishes, each category further subdivided...

Spare menu descriptions and family style dining are elevated to haute cuisine at Tom Colicchio’s flagship restaurant. And, really, who’s to say that’s not the way it’s supposed to be? The New American menu here is ingredient-based, with little adornment required when the ingredients are of such superb, artisanal quality. The menu is divided into first courses, second courses and side dishes, each category further subdivided into main ingredient, with preparation methods described as succinctly as “sautéed” or “roasted.”

The idea is to order several courses to share with the table “family-style”(indeed, no tasting menus are available) so an evening could start with bites of escargot and chicken egg, crispy fresh bacon and yogurt, and foie gras and peach to start; continue with quail and 50-year balsamic, Wagyu sirloin and short ribs; and end with a selection of cheeses, chocolate souffle and ricotta fritters. The selection of vegetarian starters and sides (a variety of mushrooms, polenta, risotto, buckwheat pastas) compensates for the dearth of vegetarian mains; the informed vegetarian diner knows that off-menu options are always available as well.

Tucked away on a side street near Union Square, Craft is simultaneously airy and intimate; chic and rustic; buzzy and low-key. Just around the corner is the more casual craft bar on Broadway, and one of several wichcrafts on East 17th Street. Colicchio’s newest venture, Craft Steak, is in the meatpacking district.