Listicle: Five concepts for Crafted’s new restaurant

by Kelly Fahey

1. The art of the hot dog

Crafted is opening a second restaurant at 600 Battleground Ave. in downtown Greensboro, and the concept is being kept secret until likely December. What if it’s hot dogs? How could they be art, you ask? There’s so many different takes on the hot dog that you could theoretically eat a different one every day for at least a month. Chicago style with hot peppers and a pickle, the classic Coney Island dog or even North Carolina style all the way with coleslaw, chili, mustard and onions are just a few that come to mind. Also, it’s worth noting that hot dogs are a perfect pairing with beer, which would put Preyer Brewing Co. right next door to good use.

2. The art of dim sum

Imagine sitting at a table enjoying local beers with friends when a cart of ready-to-serve dim sum wheels by. You smell the pork dumplings and see the fresh spring rolls and have no choice but to grab some. I’ve been dying for an authentic dim sum restaurant in Greensboro, and if it were anywhere as creative and delicious as the menu of the Art of the Taco, I’d be a fixture at the new Crafted.

3. The art of barbecue

For a city in the South, especially North Carolina, there is an alarmingly thin selection of good barbecue in Greensboro. We really need to step our game up, and here’s a perfect opportunity. “Crafted: The Art of Barbecue” sounds pretty damn good to me. My affinity for slowly cooked and heavily sauced pork hit me pretty much immediately after arriving in Raleigh six years ago, and now I feel a little cheated.

4. The art of hummus

Before you write this one off, let me reassure you that hummus can totally suffice as a meal. Every time I visit my sister in New York we go to a restaurant called the Hummus Place in Greenwich Village where we order a meal consisting of two plates of hummus and two appetizers. We usually go for falafel and stuffed grape leaves. Pair that with the beers of your choice and I bet you’ll be satisfied.

5. Anything but the art of pizza or burgers

I’d really be satisfied with anything deviating from the obvious choices of artisan pizza or hamburgers. While I love consuming beer with these two staples of bar food as much as the next guy, there are already so many places in Greensboro that do this. While I have faith that Kristina Fuller, the owner of Crafted, won’t settle for either of these, I figured I should make my stance very clear on this one. Please, no more pizza or burger joints. She also made the menu at Hops, so I hope she’s not doing a retread.