Restaurant Review: Cosme

After a bit of a lull in date nights, Jeremy and I decided to spend Halloween checking out a new place in Flatiron, Cosme. The vibe is modern, cool and trendy, and I really appreciated the low volume level (a.k.a. great date spot).

We waited at the bar (for at least 20 minutes after our reservation time) and were slightly snubbed by the bartender, though he did make us some excellent cocktails. I went for the Scoville Sour, made with tequila, lemon juice, agave, and garnished with spicy cucumber. This flavor combo was right up my alley. Jeremy went with an Old Fashion made with Bulleit and was very pleased.

Left: Scoville Sour
Right: Bulleit Old Fashion

Once our table was ready, the service for the rest of the night was fantastic. Our waiter took the time to explain the menu, point out his favorites, and answer our several questions. The menu is designed for sharing and there are 3 sections - seafood, vegetables, and warm entree dishes. They suggest 3-5 for 2 people, so we felt safe going with 4.

First they bring out complimentary housemade tostadas served with some kind of spread that is made by cooking tomatoes, onions, and pumpkin seeds until they burn and then mush them up into a paste and add some chiles. It had a unique flavor... just something to pick at while you waited.

For our meal, we started with scallop aguachile with jicama, wasabi, cucumber and lime. It was probably only one scallop in total, but sliced very thin and layered among round jicama slices so it almost blended (until you stuck your fork in it and felt the different textures). The scallop was raw and the jicama was crisp, and I loved the super light and fresh citrus flavor of this dish. However, I would have appreciated a bit more scallop as the dish is made for sharing.

Scallop aguachile

Next we had cobia al pastor served with a pineapple puree. Cobia fish is similar to swordfish in its meatiness, and it was served in small, thickly cut chunks topped with crisp pickled onions and jalapenos. The pineapple puree was the best thing all night. It was the perfect amount of sweetness with the smallest kick from the jalapenos. They served this with tortillas to give you the option to make it into a taco - which we absolutely did. This dish had more substance since more fish was served allowing us to make 2 tacos each. We both spread the sweet pineapple goodness first and then loaded on the fish and onions for crunch. They were SO good. I would go back just to get this again.

Cobia al pastor

Next we went for some veggies. I somehow convinced Jeremy (who hates mushrooms) to let me order the mushroom and squash dish, by recommendation of the waiter. This came with large pieces of high quality mushrooms and chunks of squash in a smokey flavored sauce. I thought the sauce was a really strong, unique flavor that I liked, but the dish itself was nothing super memorable.

Mushroom and squash

Last came the lobster pibil with chorizo and black bean puree. This came with a pretty decent portion of lobster that was perfectly cooked. The bean puree was probably the most elegant version of beans I have ever eaten, however I just don't think the two things go very well together. It is just ingredients from two different worlds, and opposites don't necessarily attract. I still enjoyed the food, I just wouldn't order it again. I also don't recall the chorizo, but maybe it was in there somewhere.

Lobster pibil

Overall I enjoyed my experience here. I appreciated how Chef Enrique Olvera found interesting ways to put a Mexican spin on other culture's dishes. He also gave everything a little kick, but not too much, which was good. Because they opened very recently, I heard that menu will continue to evolve as they figure out what works and what doesn't. I would come back if not only for the cobia al pastor, but to try a few other dishes I was eyeing on the menu and see what else he comes up with.