Craftsteaks' "Halfsteak"...is Half-Great.

So, I recently checked out the newly opened "Halfsteak", the recession-friendly front lounge/bar area of Craftsteak. Now, this isn't the same menu as Craftsteak, since everything here is $15 or less, and in order to achieve that they needed to create a new menu instead of serving you 1/10 of the food on there restaurant menu. Consider this menu more of a "tapas style" comfort food menu. The front lounge area offers a lively casual scene, and the bar is well stocked- with both liquor and cougars ;) The hostesses were genuinely friendly, unlike those found at most high-priced steakhouses. This is important, since Halfsteak doesn't take reservations. However, the bar area is large, so the wait can be made with a cocktail and without uncomfortably close proximity to other groups of expectant diners.

The menu offers snacks, leafy salads, small plates, sandwiches and "one pots". The theme of "half" things are illustrated throughout the menu with prices ranging from $3 1/2 to $14 1/2, even the drinks are cheaper and the beers are offered in 'half' pints at cost of $3 1/2. While the recession pricing is a welcome dynamic, the dogmatic obsession with the "half" gimmick is, dare I say, too clever by half!

My fellow foodie friends and I started the meal with the fried mac & cheese w/ tomato marmalade, sliders w/ blasamic onions and truffled pecorino, and the meatball, gnocchi and smoked mozzarella "half pot" (read: casserole). The fried mac & cheeese came as one large fried ball, good for two to share assuming you're having more to eat, and was warm and comforting as fried mac & cheese can be. If I had the option (and, more importantly, a personal trainer), I could have eaten many many more of those. We then delved into the sliders, which are an absolute must try. The balsamic onions and truffled pecorino make the burger savory and delicious, and the meat was moist and perfect. The onion/pecorino combo was so equisite that we found the side of ketchup truly bizaare. Whatever you do, don't ruin these delights with the boring taste of ketchup! The meatball gnocchi dish came then came out, which was more of a meatball dish topped with some tomato sauce, gnocchi and mozzerella. It was good, but nothing special. You could make this one at home...take a pass.

None of us left upset with our main dishes, but some stood out more than others. The actual "Halfsteak" is a small cut of steak with fries, for $14 1/2. It's not a large portion of steak, but the fries are plentiful. The steak was good, though nothing special. It was worth the $14 1/2 , but one wonders if the larger steak from the same kitchen is worth Craftsteak's $50 pricetag. I had the chicken & lobster pot pie, which should be really called the chicken pot pie, as the lobster is sparsely intermingled in the chicken and veggies. It had a nice puff pastry crust, and a smooth, rich creamy filling in a cast iron pot. The taste was rich and great, but was missing the chunks of veggies that I usually love in a true pot pie. The highlights of the main course were the two dishes ordered by the other two members of my party, the brisket, sauerkraut & provolone reuben and the Merguez sausage w/ feta, romaine, & grapefruit. The sandwich was hardly a reuben is the classic sense, but in this case experimentation is a very good thing. The brisket was lean but moist, and the light application of Russian dressing allowed the provolone flavor to shine through to mingle with the flavorful brisket. The rye bread was decadently toasted to a crispy sheen, though the entire concoction was best enjoyed without contemplating the amount of butter or fat that was surely required to impart such a crunch! The sausage exploded with spices and some serious heat, which was nicely complimented by the feta. The dish appeared rather small at presentation, but my friend reports that it was surprisingly filling.

This place is a great find for a nice dinner out with reasonable prices. The food is generally very good, with some standouts and some less memorable dishes. Just remember these are mostly small portions, so order generously or leave hungry.