Crizia

Crizia is a modern, minimalist restaurant in Palermo Viejo that also serves fresh, raw, shucked oysters at the oyster bar or at your table. Despite this rather "raw" element, the restaurant is otherwise quite elegant and the menu items clearly within a "nouvelle cuisine" definition. The restaurant is dimly lit with spotlights from high in the vaulted ceiling, providing each table with a delicate flood of light. Crizia just oozes "sexy".

But the trendy, minimalist ambiance isn't all there is to Crizia. The food is quite good as well. On my last visit to Crizia I ordered a grilled prawn appetizer. A simple dish, but delicious.

The main course was a half-rack of lamb, grilled, and served with roasted potatoes and a grilled onion. The lamb had been cut into individual pieces prior to grilling. They were well seasoned, and two of the four ribs were cooked perfectly, but two were slightly overcooked. This was the only flaw in execution in the entire meal. The onion was sweet and succulent. It was the star of the dish in my opinion.

For dessert I ordered Crizia's version of the classic Creme Brulee. It was delicious. Prepared in the traditional way. I would have like to have seen an interesting variation ... but now I'm getting greedy.

There is description of the items on the menu on the restaurant’s website, but no prices are indicated. And there is no way of making reservations on the website. It only lists a phone number for making reservations. However, reservations can apparently be made online through the Restorando reservation system. The slightly lower score for Logistics reflects these indicated deficiencies.

Crizia fared well in all other categories. It was scored-down slightly for the minor failure of overcooking a portion of my main dish and I felt the creativity wasn't quite on par with many other gourmet dining options in the city. But even with minor lapses, Crizia still earn a spot in our list of the best upscale casual dining options in the city.