Crudo

Crudo, which recently opened in Del Mar, was one of San Diego’s most highly anticipated restaurants this fall. Executive Chef Pascal Lorange has worked in several Michelin-starred kitchens and finally opened his own restaurant in San Diego – Crudo, a fusion of Mediterranean cuisine with Japanese flavors. I was quite fortunate to be invited for a tasting!

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The first thing that I noticed when I walked in was the absolutely gorgeous decor. Everything was clean, simple, and modern. I loved the marble counters, and the sleek glass and steel shelves atop the bar.

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Jardin de Vie [$12]

The Crudo [$12]

My dining companion and I started out with a couple of cocktails, recommended by Laurent, one of the restaurant’s managers. The “Jardin de Vie” had cucumber vodka, bittersweet vermouth, St. Germain, lime, and muddled grapes with arugula. The drink was quite refreshing and definitely felt vibrant, fitting for its name which means “Garden of Life”. The other drink is the restaurant’s signature, The Crudo – white rum, plum wine, Calpico, muddled kumquat, lime juice, simple syrup, and garnished with shiso. I really enjoyed this one as well – the flavors were quite well-balanced, and I especially loved the hint of Calpico, hehe.

Bread & Condiments

Bread was served in a lovely glass, garnished with rosemary, garlic, and shallots. Our waitress also brought two condiment dishes that represented the Chef’s take on the traditional Japanese wasabi and soy sauce. Here, we were presented with yuzu soy sauce and a house-made horseradish sauce and chili paste, and our waitress encouraged us to try it with the bread to test the flavor. I liked the horseradish sauce a lot – it’s quite different from wasabi but had a nice kick.

Crudo Tasting [$19]

Since the restaurant is named “Crudo”, we knew that we had to try their crudos – but before we even had a chance to order, Laurent had this beautiful Crudo Tasting platter brought out to us! The fish from left to right are: branzino with seaweed tapenade, yellowfin tuna with heirloom tomato marmalade, and salmon with blood orange and lemon confit. Our favorite was the branzino with the seaweed tapenade, lemon, and Tuscan olive oil – the seaweed added a rich savoriness that we loved. The salmon was my least favorite, the citrus flavors overpowered the salmon a bit. However, all three featured excellent quality fish.