COSME
New York has no shortage of good eats, obviously. Despite the plentiful fare throughout the city, I have always felt a lack of quality Mexican - maybe because I'm a California girl and we have good Mexican around every corner or who knows. Imagine my joy on my recent trip to New York, when I learned that famed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera (of Mexico City's Pujol) has a restaurant in New York as well. Queue Cosme :) :) :)
Although dinner reservations were completely booked up for my few days in New York, they have lunch and brunch as well! We arrived for a late lunch and were seated promptly. The restaurant is quite large and modern, 0utfitted with grey walls, light wood accents, and bursts of green plants. Feeling like we needed an afternoon pick-me-up, we ordered two off the menu mezcal cocktails recommended by the waiter. Both were delicious and had that perfect blend of cozy and refreshing.
The menu is designed to be sharing plates ranging from appetizer bites, to more substantial salads and in-between dishes, to protein based mains. Despite wanting to order everything on the menu, we ended up picking 4 dishes.
To start, the uni tostada, an umami explosion of flavor complemented by avocado, bone marrow salsa, cucumber, and fresh herbs. For the uni lovers out there, this is one not to miss.
Next up was sliced raw fish, served with poblano, finger limes (!!!), black lime, and avocado. I was first introduced to finger limes last year at my local hometown favorite, Californios. Finger limes are essentially tiny bursts of citrus-y goodness that pair really well with Latin flavors - needless to say, I am a huge fan.
To follow our starters, we opted for the Ayocote bean salad with radish and a charred cucumber vinaigrette. The salad was presented beautifully, and when all combined, the flavors were truly unique.
Last up was the Branzino a la talla, served with a side of greens/herbs, pickles, salsa, and homemade flour tortillas to make mini fish tacos. The herby blend of greens coupled with the tartness of the pickles and the earthy heat of the salsa made for a truly incredible fish taco. This was likely my favorite dish of the afternoon.
Would I return to Cosme? Absolutely. I am also looking forward to trying out Enrique Olvera's flagship Pujol in Mexico City come January.
