by Katie Miller
One of the signs that my day is coming to an end is eating dinner. Whether cooking at home or enjoying a meal out, I like to try new and different food. Having a leisurely dinner with someone I love is one of my top five favorite things to do.
My boyfriend, Caden, and I, went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary and gave CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar a try, located at 1100 Larsen Park Rd, Sioux City, IA 51106. It has been in the area for eight years after Kaskaid Hospitality announced its opening for November 2017. We have both heard that the restaurant has exceptional food and thought we would give it a try ourselves.
As you walk in the double set of doors you are met with a stunning chandelier with modern decor and furniture with an outdoor patio and a view of the Missouri River. The restaurant has a warm upscale atmosphere with a beautiful wrap around bar.
Caden observed, “This would be a great place to come back to in the summer, sit outside and have drinks on the patio.”
The menu offers a vast selection of cocktails, appetizers and entrees – making it an almost guarantee there is something for everyone. The most enjoyable part of the whole experience for me is trying the appetizers. In my opinion, the appetizers are not only the most enjoyable to eat, but are also what sets the first impression for the rest of the meal.
We started with the Firecracker Shrimp which was crispy shrimp coated in a spicy sriracha sauce served with house slaw. Caden and I both love spice and seafood so it was the perfect mixture of each with a little added crunch to top it off.
The second appetizer we tried was the Truffle Parmesan Fries served with a side of garlic aioli. Both were exceptional, but if we had to pick, our number one would be the Firecracker Shrimp – the flavors combined with the crunch was nearly impossible to top.
“Both appetizers were very good, but the firecracker shrimp takes the gold! The sriracha sauce with the house slaw and crispy coating on the shrimp makes it hard to top,” Caden raved.
Caden had a taste for sushi and ordered the King Kong roll as his entree. The roll included spicy crab, shrimp tempura, avocado, and cucumber inside, garnished with spicy tuna and crispy fried onions. It was topped with a drizzle of a sweet soy glaze that blended each of the flavors together.
“This roll has everything I love in one bite – it is fresh and crunchy, with the perfect amount of spice. I would recommend this entree,” Caden shared.
I opted for the comfort food route and got the Mac and Cheese, which just melted in my mouth. The pasta was creamy and gooey with just the right amount of sharpness from the cheeses. It was finished with a crunchy panko and smoked bacon that added just the perfect amount of saltiness to the dish.
As for the pricing, CRAVE is definitely one of those meals that is more of a “treat yourself” spot. Their appetizers range between $12-$18, and their entrees are between $18-$35. It varies for each meal, but I would consider it to be an affordable to moderately expensive dinner.
Additionally, CRAVE also offers delivery through DoorDash which can be accessed through the DoorDash app, or directly through their website craveamerica.com, allowing for an easy alternative for an at-home date night.
Overall, from service, food, and the setting it is a great place to go for a date night, or even a night out to eat with family. CRAVE is the perfect setting to step away from work, school or a lengthy to-do list and create leisure time while enjoying comfort food. Carve out some time to come to CRAVE with the ones you love.