Cosme is one of those spots that’s perpetually popular, and I can tell you why. Dishes arrive in their splendid signature style and tastes to wow one after the other. See more on the dinner supremo we had to celebrate my birthday.
Who To Take: a very special date or a group to celebrate an occasion
Had been dying to have dinner at Cosme since its opening in 2014, and chose it as the finale to my birthday celebration week. Luckily, I have friends with educated taste buds—and fat wallets—and we all ended up being wowed and treated to some sensational dishes.
First off, we were able to snag the corner table, so it almost felt like we were in a private dining room, but could still share the ambiance of the space. The room has nice high ceilings and feels like there is ample room between tables. The noise level is also manageable. Paul and Bob conferred with the sommelier as to which wine would grace our table and the eating began.
We started with raw: a delicate fish with light and fresh topping of lime and avocado, then a roughly chopped steak tartare which was served with colorful lettuce leaves in addition to tortillas. To get our greens in, we ordered the ayocote salad which was a mess of fresh and pretty leaves on top of the beans. Lobster came lovingly dressed in a brown butter and ginger mojo, with shiso leaves. Spectacular. On a previous visit to the bar, I had ordered the cobia fish, and had to have it again, as the pineapple puree and cilantro mix to create a magical flavor combination. The unusual flash fried leaf you see in the photos is kohlrabi, which accompanies scallops in an avocado aioli. Also quite good. We saved the heavier, meatier items till the end. Duck Carnitas arrived in a skillet with a couple of dips and lots of limes. And I think the table favorite (though it was difficult to name just one) were the short ribs, served simply and beautifully with scallions, cipollini and avocado puree. Photos and details below.
The Dinner Blow by Blow
[1] Sliced raw fish, poblano, lime segments, avocado, black lime (seen in the photo at the top of this post)
[2] NY strip tartare, smoked beans, cured egg yolk, habanero
[3] Ayocote bean salad, market greens, charred cucumber vinaigrette
[4] Lobster, shiso, ginger mojo, brown butter
[5] Cobia al pastor, pineapple puree, cilantro
[6] Scallops, avocado aioli, kohlrabi
[7] Duck carnitas, onions, radishes, cilantro (to share)
[8] Short rib, scallions, cipollini, avocado
Cosme, 35 E 21st St (btw Park/Broadway), book in advance
