Tom Colicchio of TV’s Top Chef—the sexiest bald head on TV since Kojak—obviously knows food. It shows at his hyperseasonal restaurant Craft (part of the Craft chain that includes Craftsteak, Craftbar and ’Wichcraft), which emphasizes fresh ingredients and cooking methods as so many other restaurants do, but does so like no other. Diners build their own meals—an exciting or daunting experience, depending on your sense of adventure and food curiosity. First, select a preparation method (roasting, braising, raw), and then the ingredient (halibut, sweetbreads, oysters) for the table. Servers bring plates for everyone in the group to share. The dayboat diver scallops and braised short ribs are standouts, while the restaurant’s desserts have a deserved cult following. The elegantly industrial dining room emulates the menu’s work-in-progress theme, with dangling filament light bulbs and exposed brick and iron.

Craft Information:

• Contemporary American menu. Dinner.