Crispin's Winter 2017 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Owner and Executive Chef, Crispin Perrudo
"Crispin's is a neighborhood restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. Our concept is to have our beautiful customers come visit us and enjoy our Northern Italian homemade cuisine. We're also proud of our wine collection which includes premium specialties from each country."
-Crispin Perrudo
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
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It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we're glad to know Crispin Perrudo, Executive Chef and Owner along with Roberto Taylor of Crispin's in Hell's Kitchen.
Crispin's was first featured in 2015:
This is our second visit. Though he hails from Mexico, Crispin has chosen to pursue Italian cuisine and he has earned a second feature. We commend the brilliant arrangement of wine in this venue and though we rarely comment on decor in Terrific Takeout, this is much better than his competition. It's nice and neat yet adds great atmosphere.
We began with the Bresaola and Pear salad. Crispin sources his Bresaola from Italy and it joins arugula and parmesean cheese along with a expertly shaved pear punctuating the top of the salad. Less is more and this was a solid start that boasted quality.
Next, we tried the Classic Meatball appetizer. Crispin brilliantly uses Pat LaFrieda to construct the delicious veal/beef combination meatballs. Fragrant and fresh, these are entirely enticing.
We absolutely adore chicken parm and order it as often as possible. Crispin's edition has pecorino romano, mozzarella cheese and olive oil and lounges on a bed of spaghetti. It's a splendidly generous portion and we believe you'll also find it laudable.
Pappardelle bolognese is not to be ignored and this classic will absolutely hit the spot. We like how the right amount of sauce is employed; not too much, not too little. Lesser places over do it and under utilize sauce but this is just right. It's made fresh every day on premises.
Crispin suggested the Crostini and we're glad he asked us to try it. Mozzarella, prosciutto, tomato, cheese and garlic team up with Italian parsley to make satisfying appetizers that are a must even if you are going to just sip wine at the bar.
And we like that they're served on a board that's made in the USA!
Angel Hair Pesto is just wonderful and the color of course reminded us of the rolling green hills of Ireland. Pesto sauce, broccoli and shrimp team up for a wonderful pasta course (Crispin's pasta courses are his strongest) that has perfect flavor.
For our fish entree, we chose the Scottish Salmon which arrived perfectly seared on an oval plate. Resting upon a lovely bed of garlic spinach, this fish was further enhanced by a gorgeous accent of caramelized tomato, making it stand out from every other salmon we've ever had.
Crispin's is again Terrific Takeout and we look forward to seeing what this venue does next.
