You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but stalwart chef/restaurateur Scott Crawford agonizes over what many people consider the minutiae. Whether it’s choosing the type of vessel for serving a dish or zhuzhing up a private dining room, attention to detail is always paramount.
Virtually every place he has opened in the Triangle has been wildly successful — from his popular downtown Raleigh mainstays Crawford and Son and Jolie to newer establishments like Brodeto and RDU Airport–situated Crawford’s Genuine. Most recently, he was named by the prestigious James Beard Foundation as a 2025 semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur awards category. Nonetheless, the chef fretted over how people would respond to his newest upscale dining concept, a modern American steakhouse that opened at Cary’s Fenton development just before Christmas 2024.
Back in late 2018, Scott had announced plans for a restaurant in Cary, but the pandemic and other unforeseen circumstances stymied the project’s momentum. Once the opening date was finally set, to suggest locals were eager would be an understatement. Within the first 15 minutes of online reservations going live, an astounding 3,000 bookings poured in.
“It’s like an enormous weight was lifted off me,” the winsome Scott confessed on a recent Friday afternoon. “The process of designing and building a restaurant is tedious and requires courage. But when I saw the reaction from the community, it gave me confidence that things would be okay. Crawford Brothers is a story of nostalgia, relentless pursuit, and a flawed but miraculous American dream.”
With seating for six guests, the semi-private dining space known as the Gangster Room is situated behind the restaurant’s dry-aging area.
The 4,500-square-foot destination eatery showcases carefully dry-aged beef, seafood as fresh as you’ll find at the coast, and side items that are showstoppers rather than afterthoughts. Never mind the extensive wine and cocktail program and posh interior.
Maintaining his customary practice, Scott nods to family in branding the new restaurant. This time, he pays homage to his brother, Steve, with whom he has cherished special-occasion steak dinners.
Scott partnered with Raleigh-based firm Mauer Architecture to design the steakhouse. The collaboration results in a purposefully exposed space that puts everything on display.
Among the most striking features are a floor-to-ceiling glass “curtain,” which makes the inside visible to outdoor passersby, and a customized cooking suite that provides guests in the 24-seat private dining room a clear view into the kitchen. Walnut and black wood tones accented with ambient lighting deliver a classic-meets-contemporary vibe.
“We put a lot of thought behind the design and the memorable experiences we’re trying to create with our guests,” Scott says. “The atmosphere is refined but relaxed. You can wear whatever you want to wear. What matters most is how people feel when they are here.”
When it comes to the cuisine, appetizers like duck meatballs suffused with truffle pecorino and roasted bone marrow raise the gastronomic bar, and the deftly composed lump Maine blue crab cake earns must-try status.
“We set out to create a crab cake with as little binder and breading as possible,” Scott explains. “The remoulade sauce includes capers, lemon, fresh herbs, and smoked paprika, and it’s mixed into the crab cake itself.”
Even common salads receive innovative interpretations.
“For the Caesar, instead of large-format croutons, we make crumbs with sourdough cooked in garlic oil,” Scott shares. “With each bite, you get a nice crunch.”
Amid the raw and chilled selections such as the signature cilantro-tinged Hamachi crudo and Siberian caviar with crème fraîche and brioche toast, the colossal seafood tower reigns supreme.
“The tower includes some of our favorite things, like shrimp cocktail, snow crab claws, a traditional tuna tartare, and oysters from both the East Coast and West Coast,” Scott says. “There’s a straightforward focus on the freshness of the seafood.”
Non-beef house specialties range from Australian lamb chops and Long Island duck with foie gras emulsion to a Dover sole fish that’s fileted tableside.
A showstopping seafood tower provides plenty of options for everyone at the table to enjoy.
As for steaks, the chef wisely employs a dry-aging method.
“We wanted to offer dry-aged beef because of the flavor and tenderness,” he explains. “We decided to age in-house so our guests could see the process on display.”
All the proper black Angus cuts are well represented. Wagyu beef also gets top billing. Order the extravagant Japanese A5 strip loin, known for its subtle umami and buttery texture due to the marbling of the meat.
Steaks are broiled at 1,200 degrees, which produces a tried-and-true crust while preserving the integrity of the protein.
The jaw-dropping 40-ounce prime porterhouse, served in a cast-iron skillet, is brushed with rendered beef fat mixed with brown butter and sprinkled liberally with Maldon sea salt. We highly recommend you share it with at least one dinner companion.
“I like New York strip, and my wife likes tenderloin filet,” Scott reveals. “The porterhouse features both cuts cooked on the bone, which gives it more flavor.”
But don’t just take his word for it. Consider this input from Fuquay-Varina native and beef enthusiast Andy Johnson, who shared a 24-ounce ribeye with his wife, Hannah: “The steak was perfectly cooked, loaded with flavor, and not overpowered with seasoning. It was a special treat.”
Choose from more than a dozen tantalizing toppings for steaks, including black truffle butter, mushroom ragout, king crab Oscar, and smoked shoyu sauce.
Standout à la carte sides (referred to on the menu as “accompaniments”) involve sweet potato puree with maple goat butter, garlic-imbued creamed spinach, and a transcendent mushroom bread pudding. The citrus-glazed roasted carrots are also on point. And we challenge you to eat just one of the habit-forming yeast rolls served with whipped butter, a variation of the bread Scott developed at home prior to opening Crawford and Son in 2016.
Enhance your visit by availing yourself of the restaurant’s robust beverage program, including its nearly 700 selections of wine.
Whether your delight originates in Sonoma County, the Loire Valley, or in a rare one-off bottle of Jacques Selosse Champagne, the encyclopedic sommelier’s library is sure to exceed expectations.
“We place a big focus on French and domestic West Coast wine,” says Jordan Joseph, Crawford Hospitality’s beverage director. “These particular regions suit the cuisine perfectly.”
Craft cocktails are also available for your enjoyment. Try a timeless martini made with boutique gin, Spanish vermouth, pepperoncini, and olive oil, or a Vieux Carré NOLA classic using Michter’s single-barrel rye and aged Madeira wine. Even everyday standards — margarita, anyone? — are given a special touch.
The private dining room provides a clear view into the fully customized kitchen.
“We’re really trying to drive quality and let what’s happening in the glass do the talking,” says Jordan, who also adds that the restaurant’s 22-seat horseshoe cocktail bar allows guests to interact with staff and “have a look under the hood” of the bar’s organization and cleanliness.
If you manage to save room for dessert, pastry chef Suzanne Downs has curated tempting options like ginger meringue cheesecake, baked Alaska, and a rich chocolate cake. A decadent soft-serve sundae offers a twist of vanilla and Videri-infused chocolate ice cream crowned with toffee peanuts, caramelized cocoa nibs, and salted caramel.
“We have a Carpigiani machine that creates an unbelievable texture,” Scott says, adding that soft-serve ice cream is nostalgic for him because his parents ran a Tastee-Freez for a short time during his childhood. “Our culinary director Conor Delaney introduced me to the machine and took the lead on making the bases for the ice cream.”
Full disclosure: One person among our Cary Magazine crew relished the sundae so much, he never put down his spoon between bites.
“I eat one sundae each night … because sometimes it falls over,” Scott says with a wry smile.
To borrow from television writer, producer, and travel documentary star Phil Rosenthal (whose projects include Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil): We should all put as much love, care, and detail into everything we do.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what Scott Crawford strives to achieve each day.
crawfordbrotherssteakhouse.com
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