Crave has potential but needs some work

So here was our big disappointment with Crave: The duck confit flatbread ($15.95) was supposed to come with arugula, but instead it was topped with a whole heap o’ fresh spinach.

That might not sound like a bad substitution, but it wasn’t a good one, and that becomes clear if you think about the nature of this dish that was listed among the chef’s signatures. The crisp crust was topped with some fig jam and lots of confit duck — both fairly rich, fairly earthy flavors — which would have been nicely balanced by the crisp, peppery spiciness and bitter austerity of arugula. Instead, we got spinach, which was bland and kind of soft and didn’t contribute much of anything to the party, seeming pretty much like an afterthought.

As for the small plate of muhammara ($12.95, and pronounced moo-ham-MRAH) — well, we wondered why they used the name. In the strictest sense, muhammara is a red pepper dip. And while this plate did indeed include a mound of almond and red pepper dip, the flavor was most definitely almond, not red pepper — a good thing, really, because it was delicious spread onto the accompanying crisp lavash triangles and accented with the numerous Marcona almonds on the platter. And things would’ve been great if they’d stopped there, but the promised tapenade was but a dab, and the edamame-cilantro puree was pretty much all edamame, all the time, and not much in the way of cilantro. Don’t get me wrong; I like to pop edamame as much as the next guy, but they don’t have much inherent flavor, and this puree was watery and bland. We’d suggest bumping up the cilantro quotient exponentially.

Crave also has a sushi menu, and the Caterpillar roll ($14.95) was very nice — spicy tuna with cucumber for crunch, mango for a touch of sweetness, and the nuttiness of avocado and smelt roe for some Pop Rocks-style action. With a couple of sauce eyes, it even looked like a caterpillar; this would be a good choice for the sushi-eating kid in your life.

Service throughout was excellent. Our server was friendly and intelligent; she also made an effort, when asked for something, to keep us updated.

We also liked Crave’s atmosphere, for the most part. While it was much more open than we expected, it was decorated in soothing, dark neutrals, with a glass-enclosed wine cellar and an expansive patio.

Crave right now is a good neighborhood restaurant and has the potential to be more. But the kitchen needs a tad more confidence and the sense not to substitute when it’ll be detrimental to a dish.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.