Crafty Pint lets customers have a say on menu items
The Crafty Pint has been rolling with the changes since it opened five years ago in Linworth.
If something’s good, it’s improved. If something good is discovered, it is added to the menu, said Jason Lusk, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Michelle.
“We found the dishes they want,” he said of his customers. “We found the prices that they want.”
One is the flatbread ($12) with goat cheese and a blackberry Dijon mustard for sweet-and-tangy counterpoints, with some creaminess from mozzarella and freshness from micro arugula.
“It’s a great dish,” said Lusk, noting that it’s been tweaked along the way. “That’s been on our menu since day one. It’s one of those dishes people remember us by.”
For a break from the norm, a bison burger ($10) gets a spread of maple-bacon aioli and crowning of ghostpepper cheese on a pretzel bun.
“It’s one of our top sellers,” Lusk said. “It’s got that spice. A lot of people want to taste the flavor of the bison, but a lot of people want to taste the heat of that (cheese).”
Located in a former Hoggy’s storefront, Lusk said he kept the smoker, which is put to use for various preparations, such as the The bison burger pulled-pork sandwich ($11), topped with a Granny Smith apple slaw and fried onion straws, and smokedpork nachos ($11), piled high with beer cheese, corn salsa, jalapenos, a cheese blend and tomatoes.
Wings ($10), which Lusk considers some of the best in town, are rubbed with spices, brined, smoked and finished on the chargrill, and served with Buffalo or barbecue sauce.
For those who want a big chicken experience, Lusk recommends the fried honey-bourbon half chicken ($15), roasted and lightly fried and slathered with barbecue sauce, with a side of fries.
“It’s a great dish, (a) great value, and I’ve never seen anyone walk out without a to-go box,” he said.
A flank steak ($16) is marinated before it’s thrown on the charbroiler to caramelize the exterior. The dish gets a side of whitecheddar macaroni and cheese and micro greens with lemon zest.
“A lot of people underestimate flank steak,” he said.
Brunch is offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Those with larger appetites might opt for the smoked short rib hash ($9) with potatoes, bell peppers, onions, egg, cheddar cheese and parsley.
Lusk said the Crafty Pint is looking for customers to speak up regarding the menu.
“We’re always up for suggestions,” he said. “That’s kind of the way we roll.”