Cranes

Cranes is a one-star Michelin restaurant offering Spanish-Japanese Kaiseki from Chef Pepe Moncayo. Offering seasonal tapas, desserts and bento omakase menu, we went for Winter Restaurant Week. Closest Metro is Gallery Place.

For $55 we got five courses and added on the beverage pairing for another $35 per person. the first course was Scallop in burnt citrus ponzu with apple.  It was an interesting sweet and tangy combination and was paired with a glass of cava.

Next, we enjoyed the Poached Chicken in duck consommé with a chicken liver pate tostada.  The broth was also very tangy and sweet and delectable.  I loved the chicken liver toast.  The texture on the chicken was a little too fleshy for my liking, but it was cooked through.

Truly blending Spanish and Japanese was the Fideua - crispy noodles mixed with brussel sprouts and topped with katsuoboshi bonito flakes.  Paired with a glass of Joto "Green Bottle" Junmai sake, this dish was fun and tasty.

Keith enjoyed the Wagyu Cheek with watercress, rutabaga, and veal jus.  This dish had lots of savory notes and was paired with a glass of Spanish red blend.  I had a substitution of King Salmon for my protein and it was cooked perfectly. 

Lastly for dessert, we enjoyed the Chocolate de Cabra - goat milk chocolate cremeaux with a caramel center.  It was thick and luscious and a nice way to end our meal. 

Overall we had a wonderful meal at Cranes.  The umami bombs were strong in each dish and the blend of Spanish and Japanese was clear and executed expertly.  

Total Rating: 4.6

Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5