crafted the art of the taco

not quite great. i'd really like to give crafted a nice recommendation. they do some things well and their ideas are generally good, but their food doesn't quite hit the mark for me. here's what i can recommend at crafted: the fixie -- a beef brisket taco topped with grilled pineapple, sweet chili sauce, and coconut aioli. generally a bit drippy, but still a tasty combination. also, i like their guacamole, which is chunky and has a nice balance of cilantro and zingy bite. i'd suggest ordering it as your side for the extra $1 if you decide to try it. otherwise, i can also recommend their sweet potato chips, which are nice and thin, which keep them airy and crisp.

however, there are several things about crafted that keep me from being a regular here. one major flaw are their tortillas, which always seem about as fresh as ones i'd buy at a local supermarket. they make their chips from these (both flour or corn are available, so whichever you prefer), and i personally dislike the thick, oil soaked chips these become. other issues are usually a matter of mediocrity or lack of harmony in a dish. for instance, my experience with the fedora (a taco with blacked tuna, seared rare, kim chee, garlic aioli, and scallions) was pretty underwhelming. it sounded good, but the tuna ended up dwarfed by its toppings, and being such a delicate flavor, was lost underneath what were supposed to be its compliments. even after taking part of the toppings off, it was a bland, unexciting dish. in fact, the kim chee was just red cabbage. it was not even close to the spicy, fermented korean kraut that is so distinctive. other dishes i've tried there have been equally unimpressive, such as the oxford (fried chicken, spaghetti squash slaw, and spicy asian mustard) and the po' boy (cajun fried shrimp, lettuce, pico de gallo, cajun remoulade, and spicy pickles).

overall, i just think crafted needs to hone itself. some better ingredients (the tortillas would go a long way) and some time spent harmonizing their taco combinations would make thisplacereally worth it. crafted has good potential, but they've not reached it yet.

still a lot of potential, but.......... well, i finally made it back here for lunch with a friend who had not eaten here before & was anxious to try out the food. we started with the mason of bacon ($7.95), and it wasn't quite what i'd hoped. i guess i was expecting the bacon to be more coated in caramel, but it was very lightly covered., and the dipping sauce was ok, but rather thin.

i tried 2 tacos ($8.95 with a side) - the beer battered fish and a braised beef - both the "mercanized" versions. the fish taco was solid, nice fish flavor, but there is no real zip to the taco, and i was surprised to find that there no longer is hot sauce on the tables. the braised beef was just ok, suffering from the same lack of a real taste explosion. the salsa & chips side was also just ok - not a big fan of the thicker chip, and don't care for cold salsa.

my friend had the big truck tacos ($8.95) with ffs. he found the tacos much as i did, ok but not particularly exciting to the taste buds. the ffs as always were exceptional - i love the hint of cumin, along with the salt & pepper.

the service was exceptional, friendly, efficient, & knowledgeable. thisplaceremains very popular - when we left about 12:30, there were probably 12 to 15 people waiting for tables. my personal sense of thisplaceremains pretty much the same as after my first visit - the food is ok, just misses being exceptional, the flavors more muted than exciting. the atmosphere is not particularly relaxing to me, in the comfort of the seating, and in the noise level. i'll probably return here from time to time, but a regular stop isn't likely. others will likely have a different view.

everything about theplacewas artistic and rustic. i loved the lighting, which set a mood that made it feel spacious and comfortable. the art in the dining room also made it upbeat, combined with the conversations - everything was very alive.

my favorite taco joint!. the food is always amazing. the chorizo is delicious especially in the stuffed avocado. love thisplaceand the owner is super nice! love taking my friends and family here when they are in town :)

great food. trendy and new thisplaceis awesome! great tacos with a twist.

hipsters & suits & foodies...all say yum!. as of 2013, a relative newcomer to downtown dining, crafted supplies friendly and speedy service, intimate seating and tasty tacos! proudly not a mexican restaurant, crafted declares their image proudly, with tattoos, pbr on draft, water in mason jars and an artfully chosen menu. lunch on a friday presented an eclectic mixture of diners and everyone seemed quite happy. - -

the tacos speak for themselves and anyone able to visit more than once will want to try them all. i enjoyed a fish taco and bbq beef (with spicy sauce), plus sweet potato chips and aioli. their six taps reflect southern quality, which (at the time) included terrapin, lonerider and foothills. - -

eat here to feel cool, leave full (but not overstuffed or heavy) and not break the bank. relatively smallplacewith a see-through kitchen up front and the menu is just a front/back, but even still it can be hard to pick just one option. best tacos in greensboro? i don’t live here, so can’t speak with authority, but i left here grinning ear to ear! if i was local, this would easily be a regular spot for lunch or dinner.

fresh tacos and no heavy feeling. four of us ate at crafted during our lunch hour this week. three of us ordered the taco specialities and one in our party ordered a burger. we ordered the stuffed avacado for our table to share. all of the tacos were delicious! you get a very fresh taste in the taco (their tacos are not sitting around waiting to be stuffed!). my co-worker ordered the "one and only burger" and said it was delicious as well. beautiful decor inside the restaurant and wonderful staff. definitely a "go-to"placefor greensboro. will go back for sure! so glad to have such a restaurant in greensboro.

new favorite place. my husband and i went to crafted last friday night, which also happened to be first friday. theplacewas packed but we only had to wait about 20 minutes. which was fine because we were able to sit on wine and watch the dudes in the kitchen. i loved the decor. the life music was awesome. we felt like we were sitting in the east village, not greensboro. the food was killer. we ordered the stuffed avocado which i highly recommend, so good. i had a tuna taco, the tuna was cooked perfectly. great date nightplaceor a fun night out with friends.

food was great. it's awesome to find aplacewhere you can get great mexican with vegitarian options. the kids loved the black bean and corn tacos. we will be back next time we eat downtown. there are also non-vegitarian options too like pulled pork. prices are very reasonable. my two tacos were 5.95 at dinner.

falafels ftw!!!!. i said i would go back and give thisplaceanother shot and i did. my fiancé really wanted to try it out and i must say that this time around i loved what i ordered! the special for today were the falafel tacos and theywere delicious! i really hope they make it to the full menu, because they were worth it. they were the perfect consistency with a nice crunch on the outside! my fiancé had some with chorizo (which i tried last time) and they were just ok. i also highly recommend the stuffed avocado appetizer.


-----30 nov, 2012-----

ehhh just ok. maybe i had high expectations, but everything was just so-so. actually, now that i think about it, everything was slightly off. the flavor character of all the dishes were too unbalanced. for example, the house made ketchup tasted like pure vinegar, the veggie soup was so salty, the taquitos appetizer were drenched in a creamy banana-ish sauce that was way too heavy and the side of beans were grainy and bland. i wanted to love crafted, and honestly, i'll probably give them another shot, maybe it was just an "off" day. the display was fantastic, though. everything looked great, unfortunately the flavors weren't quite there yet.