Photo Credit: Craig’s

Ask around Hollywood as to the most popular restaurant in terms of catering to celebrities and the Hollywood elite – and Craig’s an American Restaurant will often be the name you hear.

Craig’s feels like a New York neighborhood hangout – with its exposed brick interior and dark wood & leather accents – yet it still the unpretentious home to the glitterati.  On any given night, owner Craig Susser will be making his way around the restaurant, greeting regulars with warm hugs and sharing pictures of his adorable 2-year old twins.  While outside, flashbulbs from waiting paparazzi will be illuminating the front doorway – capturing regulars like Larry King, Elton John, Jackie Collins and Ryan Phillippe.

Chef Kursten Kizer has created a delicious menu of Italian favorites along with some American comfort-food staples.  Craig’s also caters to the Los Angeles health-conscious vegan crowd with several dishes.  Nightly specials are seasonal and documented daily on social media. A recent jewel was a refreshing summertime hors d’oeuvre Watermelon Carpaccio with Pernod candied fennel, goat cheese, mint oil and aged balsamic.

Your Craig’s experience inevitably will start at the large, polished, mahogany bar, where Craig’s knowledgeable and friendly bartenders greet the regulars by name (and with their usual cocktail).  Delicious wines by the glass (the Santa Cristina “Le Maestrelle” is a fave) and expertly prepared cocktails in chilled glasses grace the mahogany.

Upon being seated, you are greeted with a basket of freshly baked bread – a rosemary focaccia topped with sea salt and a delicious thin, yet chewy garlic pizza bread with a hint of sweetness.  If you’re not planning on kissing anyone later in the evening, there is a delicious “off-menu” cheesy garlic bread – loaded with fresh garlic slices, melted butter and topped with a perfectly browned mozzarella that stretches when you pull it apart.

The salads are delicious – there is a $15 Caesar (enough to be split between two people) with crispy, fresh croutons and a tangy, garlicky dressing – never over (or under) dressed and topped with fresh Parmesan shavings, but no pesky anchovies!  The newest addition to the salad menu is a traditional Wedge Salad ($14) – with tomatoes, creamy blue cheese dressing and of course, a crumbling of fresh & crispy bacon – they’ll even offer to chop it for you!

Pizzas are one of the most popular dishes ($17-20) – the crust is not-too-thin and not-too-thick – crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside.  My favorite is the Italian Sausage ($18) – with a tangy San Marzano tomato sauce and just the right amount of mozzarella.  Upon a recent trip, we noticed there is a new pizza on the menu – “The Three P’s” – with pepperoni, pepperoncini peppers and Parmesan – definitely a must-try on our next visit.

Last night, I brought a couple of vegetarian friends with me to try some dishes – because I’m admittedly a carnivore, but Craig’s definitely has many options for all of us.  We started with a $13 Steamed Artichoke – which was cooked perfectly – not like so many restaurants who overcook the vegetable to where you can’t even tear off the leaf!  It was served with a delicious horseradish aioli which had the perfect amount of bite.  We also had the Fried Calamari appetizer ($15) which the table all agreed was the best fried calamari we have ever had.  The breading was savory and crisp, not soggy like most and breaded just enough where you could still taste the (non-chewy) calamari.   Dipped in a marinara sauce with just a hint of spicy, as well as that aromatic horseradish aioli, we devoured the whole bowl in mere minutes.

Next up for the vegetarians was the popular Warm Quinoa Salad off the Vegan menu ($25).  Chef Kursten has made this delectable dish of varying tastes & textures — black rice, sautéed spinach, white beans, squash, hummus, cashews and cranberry — appealing to even my hardened meat-loving tastes.

Full from all our vegetarian choices – a bonus for Craig’s because there’s something for everyone – I opted to get a half order of Chef Kursten’s popular Spaghetti Marinara & Meatballs.  The pasta, as always, was cooked wonderfully al dente and topped with a hearty amount of an herbaceous tomato sauce that is packed with flavor.  The meatballs were moist & savory and a wonderful compliment to a simple, yet tasty favorite.

There are so many delicious entrees on Craig’s menu – but here are some of my personal picks.  The Chicken Parmigiana ($29) is a massive pounded chicken breast that takes up an entire large plate (we often joke it’s as big as your head!) and makes you feel like you’re in Little Italy.  Again, Chef Kursten has mastered the art of savory, crispy breading without it getting soggy — as it’s coated in that same, wonderful tomato sauce and oodles of golden mozzarella.

The BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($28) have such a delicious smoky rub on them that you don’t even need the irresistible bbq sauce that they come with!  The tender & juicy pork just slips right off the bone, and they’re served with handcut fries (with a hint of skin) that are never oily and a tangy coleslaw for that perfect punch of Americana.  One of Craig’s most signature dishes is an 8 oz Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese Ravioli & Demi Glace ($50).  The filet is beautifully prepared with a seared outside and perfectly pink inside, and the homemade blue cheese ravioli is a delectable sharp bite in a silky beef gravy.  The steak is artfully topped with a magnificently sharp blue cheese crust.

Save room for dessert!  Most notably Craig’s famous “Chocolate Pizza” another secret menu item!  It’s just as it sounds, a large pizza made of all things ooey gooey chocolate.  Their famous crust is served hot & topped with 3 different kinds of melty chocolate chips, cookie crumbles for that extra textural crunchy bite and a large scoop of cool & creamy vanilla ice cream.  But, if you’re too full, no worries, if they haven’t run out – you’ll get your car back from the friendly valets with a special bag of “to-go” freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in your car.  The perfect surprise ending (spoiler alert) to a decadent, yet homey meal.

Make sure you make reservations, because Craig’s is still a hot spot with no signs of cooling off anytime soon. Dinner served nightly from 5-11pm, lunch orders to-go between 11:oo am – 3:00 pm and event catering available.

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