Bar Crudo: Check, Please! Bay Area Review

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(upbeat music)
- Alisa grew up in New England eating seafood,
so she knows her fish.
She takes us to a San Francisco place
that showcases the essence of the ocean.
Elevated dishes are paired
with an expertly curated beer list.
Prepare to dive in to Bar Crudo.
(upbeat music)
(people chattering)
- Bar Crudo's, first of all, a neighborhood restaurant.
We cater to the locals.
That's one of the reasons we started happy hour
is to make something casual and approachable
to all our neighborhood people.
And then after happy hours,
it becomes more of a fine dining destination.
My name is Tim Selvera, and this is Bar Crudo.
Well, when I originally got to San Francisco,
I started off in IT, and I was in the first dot com phase.
I was telling everybody I was gonna open up a brewery,
and that was my real passion.
My brother was a chef in the city,
so we decided that we wanted to open up an oyster bar.
No, San Francisco didn't have very many seafood places.
Not in the cuisine that we wanted to do.
We wanted to do a little higher-end raw bar
and then just add some other unique type of dishes to it.
- My name's Melissa Perfit, and I'm the executive chef.
With the hot dishes, I just try to have a selection where,
you know, there's something that's really accessible.
There's a fileted piece of fish
that's the easiest thing to eat.
And then also maybe the harder to eat things,
a crab in the shell and head-on shrimp.
The chowder always stays on, so that'll never go away.
- The basic idea of Crudo is a piece of raw fish
cut sashimi-style, basically sea salt,
olive oils on top just to dress it up.
But we actually start adding different combinations
of local and seasonal ingredients.
I just love being in the restaurant business.
I just love the vibe, I love the people coming in.
I like seeing people happy, you know.
I like seeing them get excited about the food.
I just love our customers.
- All right, Alisa.
Crudo means raw, right?
So this place is all about some delicious raw fish.
- It definitely is.
I've heard it described in a few different ways.
I've heard people call it Italian sushi,
you know, it's raw fish, but it's served
more with Mediterranean flavors and citruses
so I always order the crudo when I go there.
- And what do you typically get when you go?
- I typically over-order.
(laughing)
- Again, a theme, I think, is clear here.
- [Alisa] So I usually try to go with a lot of people.
That's the secret because I wanna have everything,
but I always have the chowder. The chowder is-
- Oh my god, yes.
- My favorite.
It's so good because it's different
than what I grew up with, you know,
growing up in New England, it was always clam chowder.
So when I've had all the, you know,
variations of clam chowder,
but this really has, like, chunks of fish
and squid and mussels and white fish.
It has bacon in it.
There's a little bit of hot sauce.
It's just a very
unique chowder. - Eric's over there
shaking his head going, yes yes yes.
- 'Cause there's also this bit of acidity,
and it's not like gloppy or thick.
It's like the potatoes are separated from this creamy broth.
Yeah, it was really hands-down one of
the best chowders I've had. - It is.
- Ever, ever? - It is.
- It's really delicious.
Not clam chowder, but seafood chowder.
I mean, it was really just phenomenal.
- I started with crudo, and it's a good starter.
Small portions, it sort of sets the tone for the rest
of the meal about, you know, what they do with food there.
And so I got the sampler
which is four different types of crudo.
Our server actually remembered where
all these fish came from too, which I was,
everyone at the table was impressed that she knew
where all these different fish came from.
- [Leslie] It's a well-educated staff, absolutely.
- [Adam] Yes, they really knew their stuff.
And the pairings were interesting.
I think one had some kind of citrus rind,
parsley or some kind of oil,
and then the other one had chili flakes and chorizo oil.
- Chorizo oil on the butter fish.
- And that one was my favorite, that one was outstanding.
Just nice and buttery.
It did taste, I see why they call it butter fish.
That name is not a misnomer, so.
- One of my favorite items is the lobster beet salad,
again because I love beets, but I also love lobster.
And they're both served chilled,
and they're just the right texture.
And, you know, the sweetness of the beets,
but also the chicories that it comes with.
So that kind of balances it out.
Really light vinaigrette, and then
it comes with some almonds on it.
So every time I have it, I love it.
- Yeah, I'm going back, and that's what I'm goinna get.
- It's really, really decadent.
It's really nice.
- I wanted to try that as well.
You're limited 'cause it's more expensive.
- It is.
- You feel limited by what you can get there,
and you don't want to take fish to-go, so.
- Yeah. - Which we had oysters too,
we did have the oysters, which were lovely.
We had a selection of oysters,
and then lovely little mignonettes.
- Absolutely.
And what about the crab?
- The crab?
When they described it,
they described it as a half crab,
and I expected them to actually bring out half a crab.
I was disappointed when they brought it out
because they just brought out the front and back legs,
but they made up for it because
they kept bringing us out bread.
And the crab itself was excellent.
They warned us that it would be messy,
and we spent probably 20 minutes
cracking our way through the crab.
And it was excellent.
I was really glad I got it. - So I need to go back for
lobster salad and crab.
- Lobster salad and crab and beer.
You might have to try some beer.
- Absolutely.
- [Leslie] And what about the whole fish?
- [Alisa] The whole fish is the branzino.
And it's not the easiest thing to eat because,
you know, this one comes with the head on.
They bring it in front of you, and they don't de-bone it.
But they bring it, and I just don't think
they have the capacity there to do that.
Like you said, it's pretty small.
They usually have a few servers and a very small kitchen.
But it's served whole,
and this time it came with an uni sauce.
So it had uni and daikon and mint and--.
- That can't be bad.
- Fantastic.
- [Leslie] It's got a nice decor, doesn't it?
It has a nice ambiance.
- [Eric] It really does.
I was so impressed by what a tight,
small space it was, but it was so cozy.
And there's this little lofty seating
in back above the kitchen.
It's really really cozy.
- I like behind the bar where you can see
they have those shelves with the lobster and the crab
and all the oysters on ice back there.
And you watch them take those down and--
- Screams fresh.
- Yeah, it was really fresh.
I was impressed by it.
- It tasted it too.
- All right, Alisa, this is your spot.
Give us a quick summary.
- I'd say for modern, whimsical take on seafood,
go to Bar Crudo on Divisadero.
They also have an excellent curated list
of craft beer and local wine.
- [Leslie] All right, and Adam.
- Bar Crudo is an excellent place to go if you're looking
for fresh seafood and a place with a flair for presentation.
That's the place to go.
- [Leslie] And Eric.
- Oh, Bar Crudo, amazing happy hour.
Fresh, inventive, flavorful seafood.
- If you would like to try Bar Crudo,
it's located on Divisadero Street between
Grove and Hayes in San Francisco.
The telephone number is (415) 409-0679.
It's open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Reservations are recommended,
and the average dinner tab per person
without drinks is around $45.
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Bar Crudo: Check, Please! Bay Area Review

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