As many people in the Hudson Valley know, CREW ran into a little bit of an issue with the owner not feeling that taxes were necessary and avoiding them for a little while. Once big brother figured out they were missing a few hundred thousand dollars, CREW got shut down and is now under new ownership. Assumingly, the new owner is more willing to hand over 8+ % on every dollar gained in order to stay in business.
Now that CREW is under new ownership, it can be assumed that a new menu will accompany that. The menu that joined the reopening was almost as disappointing as realizing uncle Sam would like his back owed money.
A "fusion" of Japanese, American, and Italian has caused more destruction to a once good-quality menu than a tornado on a trailer park. When it comes down to it not everything needs soy sauce, every dish cannot be "Tuscan" and no one is impressed with Angus beef now that McDonalds has it.
The food and service was quite good once you were finally able to settle on a menu item (emphasis on "settle"). I enjoyed the Rib eye Steak (Grilled 14oz Rib eye steak with potato puree, seasonal vegetables & a brandy - peppercorn cream sauce$23.50). The vegetables were like the vegetables you would expect from your basic family dining restaurant. They were far from seasonal but cooked perfectly. The steak was the medium I had ordered it to be and very tender. For 23.50 I was able to be entirely full and even have a meal for the next day.
Dessert, which is my favorite part of any meal, was not ordered due to the dessert menu lacking anything original or worth the price. Seasonal berry crisp being served in a month that berries are not in season is something that would only perturb someone who knows something about food. More creative options would have greatly improved the dessert menu. Some of the options, such as a brownie sundae is something you would see on a diner menu and shouldn't be included on a fine dining menu. In this area, I was hardly impressed.
The close proximity of the tables made our conversation also our neighbor’s conversation. The many tables in such a small area paired with the open kitchen makes for a quite loud dining experience. The opportunity for nice dinner conversation was only possible through screaming or sign language.
Once the bill had been paid and I was on the way home a feeling of dissatisfaction overwhelmed me. The amount paid for the meal, service, and ambiance was what I would expect to pay for a much better experience. The experience was no better than a TGI Fridays for a price that was comparable to The Melting Pot. This will not be a destination I will return to. It might be new , but "improved" is a hell of a stretch.
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