H2 Kitchen & Bar (Sunday Supper)

It has been a minute since I've last visited H2 Kitchen & Bar nestled within the Westin Bayshore hotel.  They've gone through a few iterations with the current setup being a casual dining spot with a BBQ focus.  I've had that a few times now and it has been pretty solid, especially for a hotel restaurant (that are usually not known for thinking out-of-the-box).  This time around, we were here for their Sunday Supper Series and to have a few of their other items on the menu.  This is not the first time I've tried their Sunday Supper, as they used to have a family-style menu.  Now they feature a 3-course meal for only $43.00!

For the first course, there is an option of either the Caesar Salad or Chicken Corn Chowder.  We went for the chowder because I've also had that before and it was great!  Topped with a piece of puffed pastry, the large bowl was packed with delicate corn niblets that burst with intense sweetness and tender pulp.  There was a wealth of chicken that was moist and tender.  As for the broth itself, the viscosity was on the thinner side, but fine by us since it wasn't overly heavy.  It was sweet, a bit creamy and spot-on with the salt content.

The featured plate for the Sunday Supper was the Cherry Cola Braised Short Rib with celeriac polenta, pickled gem tomato and charred broccolini.  Compared to some of the past featured mains, this was one of the more appealing offerings.  The large piece of boneless short rib was for tender and succulent.  A bit sweet and full of umami, it really took on the flavours of the braise.  Rich and creamy, the polenta had some aggressive seasoning (which was good).  Broccolini was vibrant with a fresh crunch.

For dessert, we had the Roasted Apple Cheesecake with shortbread crust, roasted apples, oat crumble, vanilla ice cream and brandy snap.  This was a pretty dense cheesecake and we weren't surprised as it was New York style.  Plenty of baked cream cheese flavor with balanced sweetness.  Loved the roasted apple on top as it added a sweet fruitiness.  It was mixed with oat crumble which added texture as well as nuttiness.  The vanilla ice cream wasn't completely necessary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Of course we didn't just have the Sunday Supper and call it a day...  We also had some other dishes including the Firecracker Shrimp.  This was more about the crunchy batter (must've had rice flour) than anything else.  It held up to the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce nicely.  The Buffalo Wings were okay, but really needed more sauce.  The meat was moist and the batter was still crispy, but there was a lack of moisture and flavour to the dish.

With a bevy of legit cheese curds, the Waffle Fries Poutine was pretty good.  First off, the waffle fries were crispy while still maintaining a soft potato texture.  They topped it with a balanced gravy that wasn't too salty, but had enough flavour though.  Just like it should be, the cheese curds weren't completely melted, so we go that squeak.  Not pictured was the side of brisket, that should've been on top of the poutine.  When we added it, there was much more body and layers of meatiness.

From the Happy Hour menu, we selected the Fish Taco as well as the Burnt End Sliders.  The fish taco was pretty solid where the piece of flaky fish was rather large and coated with a crispy batter.  The usual condiments were there.  Really loved the sliders where the meat was tender but had candied bark that was smoky and sweet.  A slice of pickle helped add some acidity while the Hawaiian buns were soft and sweet.

So we couldn't not order something from their BBQ menu right?  I've had their larger combo platters before, but we had to get something smaller since we had so much food already.  Therefore, we settled on the CAB Smoked Brisket with mac & cheese and market vegetables.  This plate was generous with 2 thick slices of brisket.  Although it looked dry at first, the meat was decently moist and completely fork tender.  We chose the O.G. H2 BBQ Sauce and it was smoky, sweet and tangy.  Veggies were still crunchy while cooked through.  Mac was al dente with lots of real cheese, but we would've liked to see more cheese sauce for moisture.

Looking enormous with 2 crispy strips of bacon, the Whiskey BBQ Burger was delicious.  The well-seared beef patty was crispy and smoky on the outside while still being fairly moist on the inside.  The aged cheddar provided some smokiness while the bacon did the same as well as adding some crunch.  A few tempura-battered onion rings provided even more crunch.  This was all sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun.

We ended up with the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich as well since I wanted to reminisce about my fried chicken sandwich IG account (that I no longer update due to bad cholesterol...  LOL).  This was a serviceable version with a generous amount of juicy chicken coated in a crunchy batter.  We found the heat level to be rather mild though.  Bun was soft with crispy surface areas while the slaw was crunchy and fresh.

We ended up ordering 2 drinks including the Gin in the Garden and the Fig & Strawberry Spritz.  Really enjoyed the first drink as it was refreshing and light with floral notes.  The second was a mocktail and was also floral with some tang.  We added a second dessert in the Banana Pudding Jar.  Despite my reservations about anything banana for dessert, this was actually fantastic.  Much better than the cheesecake.  Purposefully sweet and aromatic custard with fresh bananas.  This was yet another solid meal at H2 Kitchen & Bar where the food is much more casual than fine dining.  As you can probably tell, the dishes are comforting and generous in portion size.  Great for a date but also for the family as well.  The Sunday Supper deal is particularly a great value.

 

*Partial comp on the food and beverages for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Sunday Supper 3-course meal is a great value

- Considering the portion size, it is a good value

- Nice dining space

 

The Bad:

- Wings were so-so

- Cheesecake a little too dense

Rise Woodfire San Mateo

After a delicious meal at Elia the night before, I wanted to treat Cable Car Guy and fam to lunch.  You see, trying to fight for the bill with him can be futile since he uses every trick in the book.  I've been desperate enough to give my credit card to the server before we order so I can have the pleasure of paying!!!   Anyways, upon his suggestion, we traveled across the Bay over to Rise Woodfire in San Mateo.  This location is in addition to the Santa Clara store, both are locally owned.  Entering the place, we were greeted to high ceilings and a spacious dining room.  The menu focuses on wood fire pizza and rotisserie.

As such, we started with the Woodfired Chicken Wings in Chipotle BBQ and Buffalo.  Since these were not fried, the skin was not as rendered.  However, that also meant the wings were not dry nor too crunchy.  With that being said, the skin wasn't flabby either.  A bit vinegary with mild heat, the buffalo wings were best dunked into the side of peppercorn ranch.  As for the chipotle BBQ, they were a bit more saucy being sweet and tangy with a decent amount of spice.  The chicken meat itself was tender and almost juicy.

Continuing on with poultry, we tried their whole Pitman Family Farms Local Chicken.  This slow-roasted rotisserie chicken had a beautifully roasted exterior with rendered and flavorful skin.  The meat itself was on the drier side while lacking seasoning.  As you can see, the chicken was large and wasn't lacking in meat.  In addition to the charred half lemon, we had a choice of sauce where we went for the slightly spicy chipotle BBQ.  It had a nice tangy sweetness.

Included with the whole bird, we had a choice of two sides.  It was without a doubt we'd go for the Mac & Cheese with applewood smoked bacon (+$3.00) and the Parmesan Truffle Fries.  Both were good where the mac & cheese was super saucy and cheesy.  It wasn't really all that salty though but the addition of crispy (and not overly fatty) bacon took care of business.  Noodles were not too soft either.  As for the fries, they were crispy with plenty of creamy potatoness left.  I think there needed to be more parm though, but the truffle was evident.

Of course we would have some pizzas too right?  Instead of getting the usual baseline pie in the Margherita, we opted for the Burrata.  This was pretty much like a Margherita with crushed tomato sauce, sea salt, parmesan, torn basil, EVOO and of course di Stefano burrata.  Although the crust didn't look like it had much charring, it still ate very well.  There was some smoky leoparding on the bottom and the dough was properly salted.  There was a nice chew to it while the exterior was crispy.  Although you might think that there was far too much sauce on top, it worked well due to the robust nature of the crust as well as the limited amount of toppings.  It was a nice contrast to the creamy burrata.

As good as the burrata pizza was, the table favorite happened to be The Brunch pizza.  It was liberally topped with mozzarella, applewood smoked bacon, Yukon potato, organic egg, red onion, thyme, sea salt and parmesan on white panna sauce.  This was a hearty concoction where the breakfast nature of the components really came through.  The salty smokiness of the bacon obviously went well with the tender sliced potatoes as well as the egg.  There was a good amount of mozzarella that was stringy where it melded with the creamy sauce underneath.

Personally, the pizza that was the most impactful was the Calabrese + Honey with crushed tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, fire-roasted jalapeño, parmesan, torn basil and drizzled with Calabrian chili infused honey.  Beyond the crispy chewy crust, the combination of sweet, salty and heat worked our taste buds.  Furthermore, the amount of toppings and sauce made this pizza not-so-dry, which was great in my opinion.  

We also ordered a couple of gluten-free crust pizzas including the Pesto Lemon Shrimp with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella, seasoned shrimp, roasted garlic, housemade dried lemon, red chili flakes, chives and parmesan.  Despite all of the components, the flavors were harmonious and focused.  We had an herbaceous cheesiness going on with some acidity and spice.  The briny sweetness of the juicy prawns still stood out.  As for the gluten-free crust, it was thin and almost cracker-like.  Not bad.

The other gluten-free crust pizza was the Prosciutto di Parma + Arugula with crushed tomato sauce, mozzarella, sea salt, parmesan, torn basil, EVOO, topped with freshly sliced prosciutto + fresh organic baby arugula.  Sitting on the same crunchy and well-charred gluten-free crust, the plethora of tangy tomato sauce helped provide moisture.  The saltiness of the prosciutto was tempered by the peppery and bright arugula.  There was a proper amount of cheese to compliment without making the pizza heavy.

Onto dessert, we had the Basque Cheesecake with cherry sauce as well as the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  On appearance alone, the cheesecake looked dense.  In reality, it was actually decently airy and light (typical of this type of cheesecake).  It had a caramel-taste to it due to the aggressively browned top.  As for the chocolate cake, it was like a rich ganache where the sweetness was muted, giving way to an appealing bitter finish.  Overall, the food at Rise Woodfire is quite good and served in large portions.  Great for a group of friends and family alike.

The Good:

- Solid pizzas

- Rotisserie items are great too

- Large portions

The Bad:

- Chicken could be more moist

H2 Kitchen + Bar

I have fond memories of the Westin Bayshore as it was "the" hotel back in the 70's.  It was originally The Bayshore Inn before Westin bought it in 1981.  Everyone knew about Trader Vic's, the Polynesian-themed restaurant located within.  Fast forward to the recent past and the present, Westin is now owned by Marriott and their current flagship restaurant, H2 Kitchen & Bar has gone through a few iterations.  They have been featuring a Southern-style menu for quite some time and also a Sunday Supper Series, which features a 3-course meal for $40.00.  I've been here on many occasions including their wonderful Mother's Day brunch.  But this time, I came back with the fam to try out their current Sunday Supper feature in addition to their Smokehouse favourites.

Before we got to the mains, we decided to start off with a few appies including the Baked Spinach Dip featuring a 4-cheese blend, pimento, pico de gallo and caramelized onion with corn tortillas.  This was pretty typical with a creamy mix of cheese and spinach with tomatoes and onion.  I felt that they was pretty flavourful and full of textures.  Although they were pretty generous with the melted cheese on the top, it was probably a bit too much as it made the dip heavier.  However, what do I know?  A lot of melted cheese and chips?  I'm sure many people would love that!

One of the best items we had was the Bison Tartare served atop smoked bone marrow topped with pickled mustard seed and aioli.  This was accompanied by house made waffle chips.   As for the tartare itself, it was buttery soft (despite being lean) and well-dressed.  The whole mix of ingredients was creamy and slightly tangy.  Combined with the fatty bone marrow, the little bite atop each chip was sinfully delicious and silky.  Loved the crispy chips as they were the perfect textural contrast for the tartare.  I only wished that the chips were slightly larger in size as I wanted more of the tartare on top of each piece!  Lastly, the whole thing was brought to the table underneath a glass cloche with an intoxicating amount of smoke.  Nice presentation and added even more smokiness to the tartare.

Our last starter was the Chicken & Corn Chowder, that was included in the Sunday Supper Series 3-course meal.  This was an enormous portion that ate much more like a chicken pot pie than a chowder, especially with the piece of puff pastry on top.  The viscosity was of the chowder was on point as it coated the spoon without being clumpy.  There was an abundance of natural chicken flavour in the thickened broth as well as being properly seasoned.  There was no absence of tender chicken and soft potatoes (that were still in one piece).

Onto the mains, the featured dish for the Sunday Supper Series was the Smoked Picanha with roasted carrots and broccolini, red skin mashed potatoes, burnt onion jus and chimichurri.  This was one big plate of food where the picanha was medium-rare and sliced thin.  As such, the meat ate fairly tender despite having an inherent chew.  Thick and silky, the onion jus was full of depth and intense smoky sweetness with a bite.  Those roasted veggies were perfect where they retained a fresh crunchiness.  The chimichurri was bright and garlicky, which lightened up the richness of the dish.

Just because he loves burgers, my son ordered the Whiskey BBQ Beef Burger with cheddar, bacon and all the produce on brioche.  This was a well-constructed burger where the Prairie Ranchers beef patty was thick and fairly moist while sporting a nice char outside.  The bacon was supremely crispy and the thick slice of melted cheddar coated the whole patty.  Naturally, the whiskey BBQ sauce took centre stage offering up a smoky sweet tang with the unmistakable bite of whiskey.  Good balance on that.   He subbed the waffle fries with yam fries, which were uniformly crispy served with a spicy chipotle mayo.

For Viv and I, we had to try their Date Night Meat Sweats that included 1/2 lb of CAB Smoked Brisket, 1/2 lb of Smoked Pulled Pork, half a rack of St. Louis Ribs, Cornbread, House Pickles, 2 Sides (Mac & Cheese, Ancho Creamed Corn) and choice of Sauce (OG H2 BBQ Sauce) for $68.00.  Considering the amount of food, we felt this was a very well-priced platter.  Moreover, the components were good too.  The brisket was fatty and buttery soft while the pulled pork was tender.  There was a balanced smokiness to the meats as well.  As for the ribs, they were large and meaty while tender enough.  I liked how the meat still had a chew and wasn't completely melting.  Yes, these were legit smoked ribs (not par-cooked and then BBQ'd).  Loved the BBQ sauce as it was tangy, smoky and sweet.  Oh that cornbread was fantastic as it was moist with a firm texture.  The spiced butter only helped elevate it.  For our sides, we chose the Mac & Cheese and it was excellent being cheesy and creamy with al dente noodles.  The Ancho Creamed Corn was also creamy with a bite.

The Sunday Supper Series also included Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert.  We enjoyed this as the cake itself was soft, fluffy and smoky.  It wasn't overly sweet, but the actual caramel sauce underneath was plenty sweet.  However, we liked how we could regulate how sweet we wanted it by either soaking it in the sauce or not.  It was topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and a crunchy brandy snap.  We also added another dessert in the Apple & Caramel Cheesecake.  This ate more like a crumble with a cheesecake crust.  In that respect, I really enjoyed it as the apples were sweet and tart while the cheesecake was classic New York-style being firm and rich.  Overall, the food was just as good as the previous visits we've had at H2.  The best part is their reasonable pricing given that they are a Downtown hotel restaurant.  You can really eat here and not break the bank.  Something that cannot be said about eating out these days.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Generally well-prepared eats
- Menu is focused
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Maybe less choice for the people who don't like BBQ

Match Public Eatery (Pitmaster BBQ Menu)

Yes, here I am at Match Public Eatery again (specifically at the Delta location in Ladner) for their Pitmaster BBQ Menu.  Honestly, I look forward in coming out to Match and the last few times, it was on my own coin.  They have really good wings (came for their wing night last time) and their burgers are also on point.  This time around I was invited to try their Pitmaster BBQ Menu that features 2 unique wing flavours and also some fried apple pies.

To begin, before we got to the food, we tried 2 of the featured beverages from the Pitmaster BBQ menu.  We had the Tennessee Lemonade as well as the Spicy Rosé.  I really enjoyed the refreshing lemonade that featured Jack Daniels, triple sec, lemon-lime soda and lemon juice.  Even though it was refreshing, that didn't mean the alcohol didn't come through.  It really did!  As for the Spicy Rosé, it consisted of BASK rosé and fresh jalapeño.  This was light and had a bit of spice.  We mashed the jalapeño to get an extra kick.

Onto the food, we started with the Southern BBQ Wings with BBQ sauce, white lightning sauce drizzle, pickled onions, cornbread crumble and cilantro.  Like many times before, the wings were a decent size and fried until the skin was well-rendered and crispy (even with sauce all over it).  We found the sauce to be sweet with a bit of tang.  Not sure why I ate all of the cornbread "croutons" (because they filled my stomach), but I liked them. As for the meat itself, it was still moist.

We also had the other wings on the menu in the Nashville Hot Spiced Wings featuring a Nashville rub, sweet honey toast, coleslaw and sour dill pickles.  As much as the BBQ wings were good, these were really good!  First of all, since it was a dry rub, the skin was super crispy.  As for the rub, it was impactful with lots of spice.  It was smoky, tangy and sweet.  I would so have these again if they had them on the regular menu (on wing Thursday of course!).

Off to the main event, the BBQ Pitmaster Platter, it sported roasted half chicken with white lightning sauce, half-rack BBQ back ribs, farmhouse sausage, mac & cheese, pitmaster baked beans, coleslaw, jalapeño cornbread and pickles.  I thought the ribs were quite good being tender and moist with lots of BBQ sauce cooked right into them.  The sausages were meaty and well-seared.  The dark meat for the roasted chicken was quite good but the breast was predictably a bit dry.  Sides were quite good where the cornbread was fairly moist and that spiced butter was delicious.  Mac & cheese was not overcooked while bathed in a creamy cheese sauce.  Beans were tender with some bite left while being deeply sweet.  Fresh and crunchy, the coleslaw was a nice break from the heaviness.

Just for kicks, I added the BBQ Ranch Hand Burger (on my own coin) for good measure since I love their burgers (and it is featured on that menu too).   This did not disappoint with a well-charred burger patty that was still moist inside.  With the addition of cheddar, coleslaw, onion ring, pulled pork and spicy BBQ sauce, this was full-flavoured and robust.  The pulled pork was tender and nicely sauced (not sure why they didn't include it in the platter, it would've been good!) and provided a real jolt of flavour and texture.  The pretzel bun was firm enough to keep everything together without actually being too dense.  As for the fresh-cut fries, they were crispy and hot.  Really good.

Onto dessert, we were served the Crispy Apple-Cinnamon Hand Pies with vanilla bean ice cream and Kentucky bourbon caramel.  Oh man, this was absolutely the bomb!  It may of looked heavy, but the puff pastry was super light and crispy.  Inside, the apple filling was delicate, just sweet enough and equally tangy.  Yes, the creamy ice cream complimented this well and I could've eaten another order of this!  Overall, the Pitmaster BBQ Menu sports some pretty tasty eats.  I would've added the pulled pork into the platter since it was so good.  I think maybe just having BBQ chicken legs would've been more consistent in texture.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Dry rub wings were money (their wings are usually quite good in general)
- OMG those pies!
- Burgers are typically really good

The Bad:
- Chicken breast was dry

Texas Smoke BBQ

My first experience with Texas Smoke BBQ was back in September 2021.  I had decided to drive deep into Langley after work one day to check the place out.  I ended up ordering everything they had and truly enjoyed the food.  One caveat though, I had to trek all the way back home before digging into the smoked goodies.  Thankfully, I was invited to a tasting several months later with a group of other foodies.  We were able to have the food slightly warmer (although it was winter).  Since then, I've returned on my own half a dozen of times and let me tell you, the brisket is amazing right after it has been sliced.   Fast forward to the present and they have opened up a second location in the parking lot of Milner Feed & Pet Supply.  Jacqueline and I were invited to check the place out and we gladly made the drive out across the Port Mann.

Let's cut the suspense and get right to the meats.  We were served a platter with Pulled Pork, Tex Mex (Barbacoa), Beef "Dyno" Rib (Short Rib), Pork Sausages and Beef Brisket.  As you can clearly see, there is quite the bark on the brisket and short rib.  Impactfully smoky without going overboard, the bark is also flavourful from the rub.  Tender and moist, the brisket is the meat to have here, but the short rib is a close second where it is fatty and fall-apart succulent.  Shredded and sauced, both the pulled pork and barbacoa are meaty while tender.  Lastly, the sausages have a wonderful snap from the casing giving way to a juicy and meaty filling.

So doing a deeper dive into that short rib, I can say it is subjective that the brisket is better.  In some sense, the short rib is the choice of meat here.  Jacqueline seemed to think so.  As you can see in the closeup, the meat is fatty, gelatinous and moist.  Combine it with a flavourful bark and this might be the first meat to go if you are sharing.  At $31.99 each, this is a lot of meat for the price.

Of course we cannot forget about the Burnt Ends that also included some twice-smoked sausages as well.   The burnt ends here are a bit different than some other versions I've had (here and in Texas).  These ones are much more meatier and tender as opposed to the fattier and harder ones.  Furthermore, the sauce is a lot lighter and not as thick.  You can definitely eat more of these as a result.

Off to the sides, we have Smoked Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese, Corn Bread and also a Brioche Bun (that is used for their sandwiches).  I love how they char the mac & cheese to give it a smoky flavour as well as adding crunch (the extra panko helps too).  Baked beans are sweet and smoky while the cornbread is buttery and moist.  It can be had in jalapeno form too.

The last available side is the Southern Slaw where I noticed that it is different (in a good way).  Unlike in the past, there is much more dressing and the tanginess really comes through.  Fresh cabbage also ensures that the bright crunch is there too.  As you can tell, I love Texas Smoke.  I wouldn't spend so much money on the place if I didn't.  Also I wouldn't drive out there if it wasn't worth it.  I think that you should do the same.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:

- Properly smoked meats

- Reasonable pricing

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Well, both locations are in Langley.  Worth the trek in my opinion.

- Maybe a thicker sauce for the burnt ends?

Craft by Smoke & Fire

After our first day at Dinseyland, we were somewhat tired and sunburnt, but okay otherwise.  It helped that we arrived for rope drop, but left just before lunch.  That meant we avoided the most busiest time in the part as well as the hottest temperatures.  Before we made it back to the park for the evening, we made the short drive out to Craft by Smoke & Fire at the Center Street Promenade.  Place was hopping and super busy, but luckily, I had made a rez.

Even with that, it took a bit to be seated and even longer to put in our order.  Now I'm not placing the blame on our server because she was super sweet and was truly doing her best.  Seeing that everything was taking so long, she treated us to the Prime Short Rib Quesadilla.  Oh this was money as the smoked short rib was super tender, fatty and flavorful.  The whole thing was loaded with meat, Oaxacan cheese, comeback sauce, cilantro and onions.  This is best shared or eaten as a main for one person.  Even at that, it ate heavy with all that rich meat and cheese.  Still freakin' delicious though.

Our meal didn't get any lighter as the Brisket Queso Fundido hit the table next.  This was a considerable amount of melted cheese and chopped smoked brisket with blue corn tortilla chips.  Not sure why they only supplied only a smattering of chips, so we asked for more.  Extremely cheesy with a nice crust on the edges, this was aromatic and meaty.  Good smoked essence as well as the natural saltiness of the cheese.  Chips were crunchy and held up to the cheese.

If you thought the 2 dishes we had so far were large, try the Brisket Tacos on for size.  They didn't skimp on the smoked brisket which was fatty and moist.  Possibly a bit too fatty, but I just pulled those pieces out.  It was nicely sauced which kept things from drying out and offered up some sweet smokiness.  A good amount of curtido slaw made for some tangy crunch to go with the splash of creamy comeback sauce.  As for a side, I went for the Street Corn Named Desire with a good amount of fried onions on top.  The corn underneath was creamy and sweet with a hint of spice.

For Viv, she also had brisket in the form of The Madison featuring prime smoked pastrami brisket, bread & butter pickles, curtido slaw, comeback sauce and American cheese on Texas toast.  We found this sammie to be decent with enough pastrami so that it was meaty and filling.  The slaw was crunchy and tangy while the pickles added even more crunch.  The toast was a touch dense, but nicely seared on the flattop.  She selected the Red Skin Potato Salad which was passable but the potatoes were a bit underdone.  Furthermore, the mayo was not seasoned enough.

My daughter had probably the less interesting item in the Brisket Grilled Cheese.  Once again, the brisket was tender and fatty, but not as abundant as the other dishes.  Since they melted the cheese with the brisket right on the flattop, it was pretty crispy.  However, there was a disconnect between the toast and the ingredients.  They were literally not connected.  Hence, it didn't eat as cohesive as a grilled cheese should be.  Her side of Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes was pretty thick and dense.  Flavor was good, but could've been lighter.  Overall, we found the food at Craft to be decent and well-priced.  Service was super-friendly, but the kitchen was slow.  It could've been due to the full house and also the challenges of staffing by businesses these days.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Large portions

- Some good dishes

The Bad:

- Some dishes were clunky

- Food was slow coming out