Crispo or Gusto Ristorante?

[delish317]

I am going to dinner this Friday with my boyfriend. Need help deciding on a good place in the west village. I am open to other options too but would love some feedback.

Thanks!

[Katherine H]

I will echo all the praise for Crispo--I ate there for the first time on Friday and had a wonderful experience. We had a sampling of antipasti, salumi, and salad, and our favorites were the risotto balls, the tomato and parmigiano crostini, and the beet and goat cheese salad. If the weather is nice, their back garden is a lovely spot.

[yankeefan]

I have only been to Crispo and would have to say it was fantastic. Cant go wrong with that choice.

make sure to get the mozzarella frita

[captkenjeroo]

Haven't been to Gusto either, but the service at Crispo was very gracious. I did try two dishes that get written about a lot re: Crispo (at least, I think they have) - the bone marrow appetizer and the spaghetti carbonara. They were both good - but didn't blow me away as it apparently did NYMag in 2003 (http://nymag.com/urban/guides/bestofn...) However, their fish - I believe it was dorade that night - was fantastic. And I thought I read somewhere that they weren't known for their seafood.
Crispo has a nice dark ambience, but it is super loud, so be prepared to speak up to be heard!

[adi]

I have been to both and much preferred the food and service at Crispo

[Lucia]

I really like Crispo. I haven't been to Gusto because I haven't heard anything that would make me rush to go there.