Crudo - real deal or overhyped like funk 45s?
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
I am talking about, what, to me, just seems like a fancy Italian way to describe sashimi but presumably, it's not the same thing. What's really real with crudo?
Comments
Are you talking bout fancy restaurants like this?
It seems that a couple of restaurants simply try to jump on the
As with most things in the culinary game, it's mainly due to marketing. I haven't had the opportunity to dine there so I can't judge his crudo tasting, but I'm sure it is stellar. I had a superb progressive tasting of raw fluke (5 variations) at Le Bernardin last year, which I'm sure fits into the ethos of crudo.
At the end of the day, what matters is if it tastes good. I've heard glowing reviews of Esca's interpretation if that accounts for anything.
I ate at Esca about a year ago and raved about their crudo tasting on these pages. It was incredible, and I'm not about to front on their hustle and marketing, considering how well it tasted.
From there, it does seem to be everywhere, but food like much art, can be an imitators medium. If done right, it is great. If done poorly? Walk away, son.
to answer your question, crudo is an italian term borrowed by american restaurants to signify that the particular item (or section) of the menu is raw or uncooked. the term is most often associated with seafood, and altough the presence of crudo on the menu is most often seen in fine dining restaurants, it doesn't necessarily signify anything of particular quality or any particular preparation.
to me, sashimi is a much more narrow term. in my mind it means something very specific that is by it's nature japanese.
crudo as it is used in this context is a much looser term. it's a more romantic and appealing way of saying raw, and i think a lot of it's current popularity comes from that aspect. especially if clearly what your trying to do is not japanese sashimi.
but i do believe that in a certain region of italy along the adriatic coast they have historically included raw seafood as a part of their culinary tradition. and that's the really real. i forget how i know this. i think they produce a wine called verdicchio in the same region. maybe worth tracking down for the next time you order the crudo plate.