THE CROSBY
ENTER
Our Story
The Crosby was the second act of the downtown revival and literally turned the place around when it kicked off. New local businesses were floundering a bit, the economy was starting to slow down and Santa Ana was being slightly less than cooperative. Then, voila, along comes The Crosby, breathing new life into the Artists Village. The biggest thing that struck me when they opened was the amount of new faces from distant locales that were making their way down. ID’s from Long Beach, Pasadena, Los Angeles and San Diego were suddenly being pulled from wallets at the local bars and a whole new set became exposed to downtown.
—Dave Mau, Dinner with Dave, Memphis Restaurants
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Dante Parel
General Manager
Dante Parel, born and raised in Southern California has held positions at various acclaimed restaurants within the locale. Owning and operating an establishment of his own has always been an ambition of his from the beginning. He jumped at the opportunity to be involved with unique individuals who parallel the same enthusiasm as he does. Driven to create an atmosphere that provides both quality cuisine and distinct service inside an intimate and casual environment, all while staying true to who they are. He also runs The Crosby’s bar program, focusing on handcrafted drinks which vary from original cocktails to variations of classics. Dante values every day at The Crosby because it allows him to work with a staff that are inspiring and passionate in what they do. The ability to have a team that is self motivated, creative and always hungry for more, is what keeps The Crosby exciting.
“The Crosby is by us and foremost, for us. We do this because this is what we enjoy. We love what we do and we have a good time doing it. The Crosby is something we greatly appreciate and want to share with anyone who is willing to have some fun with us.”
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Aron Habiger
Executive Chef
Aron Habiger discovered his passion for food at an early age cooking for friends and family. At age fourteen, he really started to pay more attention to chefs, cooking shows and reading culinary books, but it wasn’t till the age of 27 he decided that cooking could be a career and not just a hobby. He enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, Ca. After graduating he found himself an intern position at a Cafe 207 in San Clemente.
After his internship, Aron Habiger took the position as Sous Chef at Cafe 207. For two years he worked at Cafe 207 all while working on opening a restaurant in downtown Santa Ana with some friends called "The Crosby." Since opening in 2008, Chef Habiger has been pushing his creativity and his unique take on food to new boundaries. Habiger has received several awards for his achievements in the Orange County food scene and has been mentioned in many of Southern California's more contemporary food publications. Never settling for what was good last month, week or year, Habiger and his culinary team are constantly pushing the boundaries and breaking down stereotypes within the food culture. He encourages people to maintain an open mind and have fun while eating.
"People run fast but they run faster when you chase them with a knife."
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Phil Nisco
Owner/Operator
Phil Niscos very diverse employment history and creative past have been his biggest asset to the creation and continual growth of The Crosby. Aside from owning, booking and marketing The Crosby, he continuously fills the rest of his waking hours with touring as a musician, making films, music production, freelance graphic and web design, writing, and whatever else he can reasonably (or unreasonably) handle. Family and friends are not only his most venerated endowment, but they will forever remain the greatest source of inspiration to all of his endeavors. -
Chris Alfaro
Owner/Operator
Owner, Chris Alfaro’s role as full time organizer of late night entertainment, at The Crosby, goes hand in hand with his career as a full time musician/ DJ. Part local DJ, part international recording artist, his records and live show has earned him the title of best Hip Hop artist OC Weekly (2007), Best DJ (2009/2010), and best electronic artist (2012) for the OC Music Awards. In the neighboring, Los Angeles, his name is a staple in the LA beat scene, made famous by the Low End Theory. When abroad, he spends his time playing packed houses in the worlds finest venues from Paris to Tokyo, under his moniker Free the Robots.
Having been a DJ, promoter, and musician for over a decade, his experience and network has helped build The Crosby as one of the unique, forward thinking venues in the world. Growing up with an open mind, constantly up on the next has kept him heavily involved in different independent/progressive music scenes. Today Chris and partner Phil Nisco have maintained a mutual respect with todays top DJ's, artists, bands in the world. Still actively recording and touring the world, Chris considers The Crosby to be home base; the spot where he can come home inspired to share his ideas and talents with the local community of Orange County.
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Marc Yamaoka
Owner/Operator
Aside from work at The Crosby. Marc is currently working as an independent contractor doing mens cut and sew fashion design and graphic design. Marc draws inspiration from various mediums; family, friends, music, cinema, camping/hiking, etc. all of which play a vital role in his life.
Food
A Look Inside the Kitchen
Although we do try to keep our most popular items available year-round, The Crosby’s entire menu is seasonal and ever changing. This is not only in the interest of presenting you with the freshest of ingredients, but also to allow our chefs to be constantly creating quality food, by mean of their own personal inspiration and culinary exploration.
Due to concern for allergies, The Crosby kitchen is a completely nut-free environment.
Modifications to certain items may be kindly declined in order to keep the integrity of the dish.
Dinner & Rotating Chef’s Menu 5PM - 11PM
Late Night Menu available 11PM - 1:30AM
Past Dishes
Night Life
By night, The Crosby turns the lights down and the music up, setting the tone for the late night entertainment. The Crosby offers nightly entertainment ranging from live local bands to world renowned DJs. The ambiance can change drastically from one night to the next due to our strong affinity towards many various genres of music.
Please follow The Crosby’s Facebook profile for nightlife updates.
Late Night Menu 11PM - 1:30AM
Good Night Crosby Tumblr
Contact
Hours
MONDAY - SATURDAY 5PM - 2AM
SUNDAYS - CLOSED
Driving Directions
HEADING NORTH
From the 5 freeway, exit 4TH STREET and head WEST into Downtown Santa Ana.
Continue down 4TH STREET for 1.5 miles until you get to BROADWAY.
COMING SOUTH
From the 5 freeway, exit BROADWAY and head SOUTH into Downtown Santa Ana.
Continue down BROADWAY for 1.5 miles until you get to 4TH STREET.
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