crafted the art of the taco

id come back. i had an overall great experience for lunch at crafted today. firsttimeand the servers were really helpful and attentive (might have helped that i was fairly early). i like that you can mix and match the tacos because i wanted to try 2 different types. i chose the members only (duck confit) and the wayfarer (pulled pork) with a side of chips and salsa. the duck confit was excellent. i would order it again, really excellent flavor. the pulled pork was good, but not great. id try other flavors next time. i really enjoyed the salsa and the waitress warned me it was mild and was happy to bring me hot sauce to liven it up a bit. good flavor, you could tell it was made fresh. i wasnt "full" but i think most americans have a skewed idea of what "full" should be. i wasnt hungry, so while its not "cheap" its what i would expect to pay for high-er end food.

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 sometimespent harmonizing their taco combinations would make this place really 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. this place remains very popular - when we left about 12:30, there were probably 12 to 15 people waiting for tables. my personal sense of this place remains 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 fromtimeto time, but a regular stop isn't likely. others will likely have a different view.

delicious!. i went to crafted for the firsttimetoday and am blown away by the layers upon layers of flavors that were in my taco. i went for the falafel taco (which i highly recommend it is very crunchy and hearty in size) and subbed in vegan cilantro lime aioli for the house sauce.
wow! that is all i can say it was just so good that i am glad no one was with me. i just wanted to focus on eating and not worry about conversation.
the staff is very pleasant and helpful. i can't wait for my next visit...i suppose thistimei will bring a friend.

falafel!. i've always had a hardtimefinding good falafel in greensboro, but crafted nailed it! i've tried a couple other dishes there as well, which were equally on point.

they also have a super friendly staff and you can tell everyone that works there gets along just as well out of the kitchen as they do within.

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

allergen friendly!. i am gluten and dairy intolerant, so eating tacos for the past three years has been impossible. crafted uses corn tortillas on all their tacos and most everything can be made gf and even vegan! they are very accommodating and don't charge extra for vegan cheese, house made corn chips, or for subbing in chofu (tofu chorizo). i have had a great experience everytimei'm here because i know i will be getting something suited to my dietary needs. very friendly wait staff and very knowledgeable as well! they also have gf beer!

falafels ftw!!!!. i said i would go back and give this place another shot and i did. my fiancé really wanted to try it out and i must say that thistimearound 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.