American Craft

Located in Brookline, this upscale yet casual pub has a lot going for it, on paper.  It has a ton of seating room, a fantastic outdoor patio, and is pretty crowded any night of the week.  Their restaurant saying is “Eat good food, drink better beer,” and I found that to be half true.  If you are interested in checking them out online first, you’re unfortunately out of luck since their full website isn’t up yet, and their fall menu has yet to replace their summer one online.

Food

The best thing American Craft has going for it is its impressive list of beers.  As the name suggests they are all American beers, and they have something for everyone’s taste.  No matter what you like; (American-made) Belgians, IPA’s, beers with high alcohol content, you name it, they have it!  If you want to go and try some new beers that you can’t get at most bars, then this restaurant is a great choice.

The seared scallops were prepared beautifully.  They have just enough seasoning that the scallop taste wasn’t overwhelmed, and they were cooked perfectly.  This is a great dish to order for lunch or dinner that you would never expect to be able to get at a pub type restaurant.  I was pleasantly surprised with this dish and would definitely order it again.

As with most bars, many of the options (sandwiches, burgers, etc…) come with an order of fries or a side salad.  I definitely recommend that at least one person at the table order the fries.  The amount of fries they give you on one plate is easily enough for four people, and they are excellent.  Skin on, large cut, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they are delicious.  I suggest adding a bit of salt (they are a bit light with the seasoning) and you are set!

Complaints

I waitressed from the time I was 16 until I was 23, so I know a thing or two about the service industry.  I also can pick up on when a server is having a bad night, and I will typically still give them a good tip because I understand.  However the server I had at American Craft simply didn’t care.  He didn’t smile, didn’t bother asking us how we were doing, and was terribly slow on everything from water refills to asking us how our food was to bringing the check.  I’m willing to cut a lot of slack on servers, but this one made me question whether he was aware that he was working for tips, and it really put a damper on my overall experience.

Aside from the service I was really disappointed with my meal personally.  I had the grilled swordfish, that’s all it was.  It was an extremely dry and flavorless piece of fish.  Considering it was an $18 meal I was pretty unhappy.  Additionally the burger that my co-diner ordered was simply OK.  Considering that 1/6^th of their menu are their burger selections, I had higher expectations.

Rating

2 out of 4 forks

American Craft has great potential with a prime location and an excellent beer selection.  However there is certainly room for improvement.  While perfect for meeting friends or coworkers for a post-work drink and appetizers, I would go somewhere else for a date or a full meal.