City: El Paso, TX

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (915) 351-3677

Address: 300 Cincinnati Ave.

Description: Crave is a yuppie foodie’s delight, with a trendy menu that offers new takes on old homey favorites and a cozy, bright atmosphere. The restaurant is tiny but often packed and the service is always reliably good. Inside, the decor is sleek with bright colors, large windows, and a huge mirror, all of which go a long way to disguising the comparatively small dining area. The casually dressed staff offset the general air of upscale about Crave, which boasts prices to match.The menu concept at Crave takes old favorites, like your mother’s mac and cheese, southern fried chicken, and turkey sandwiches—all the stuff you enjoyed as a kid—and turns them into a hodgepodge of delicious upscale mains that include tasty sandwiches like Turkey, Brie and Bacon, or their BLTA, which adds avocado to the traditional lineup of bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Buttermilk Fried Chicken, a grilled ribeye steak with an ancho-espresso rub, and Newcastle Fish and Chips served with salt and vinegar kettle chips are among the unique offerings at Crave.Inside, the menu is scrawled across a huge chalkboard along the back wall, and leather stools at the bar counter are shaped to fit your seat for a comfy dining experience. Alternately, you can sit at one of the high tables with a larger party, or enjoy an intimate dinner at a traditional table for two under the exposed brick wall. Warm track lighting and a teeny but well-stocked bar add to the cozy atmosphere here. While this isn’t the restaurant to head to if you’re in a hurry, Crave would make for a great long lunch or a cozy dinner treat.