Not keeping up with the original restaurant of Enrique Olvera: Restaurant Cosme (16. June 2019)

I had such high expectations for the second restaurant of Enrique Olvera (he is also the owner of Pujol in Mexico City which I loved when I visited it last in 2012) and I must say, I was partially disappointed. When you arrive, they make sure you’re brought to your table relatively swiftly. But then the waiting begins. It was as if no one was really responsible for our table so it took ages for them to arrive, to bring the menu, to take up the beverage order, to explain the menu, to take up the order of the menu. Which is, really, just annoying. Especially in the beginning until you have something to nibble on.

In any case, once we had the drinks ordered, things got a bit better. I went for the “Scoville Sour Habanero” (19.00 USD) asking if it was ‘Mexican spicy’ or ‘American spicy’ and they had stated it wasn’t really spicy and they were right with that. What they did not mention was the fact that the habanero put onto the cucumber was actually damn spicy!

As a little ‘nibble’ we got “tostadas con salsa macha” which were amazing. Especially the salsa macha. Now, what wasn’t so amazing was the fact that we received that about 3 minutes after the people who were seated right next to us and arrived about 10 minutes after us. I mean, huh? That doesn’t make any sense! And they had also ordered drinks as we did!

After the menu was explained and we had picked our dishes, the pleasure part, generally speaking, started. The first dish of the evening was “fluke tostada, blue corn aioli” (25.00 USD) which was interesting as it was intense in flavor but frankly – and that’s pretty much true for all dishes on the menu – on the pricier side for what you get in terms of amount.

The “crab infladita, morita, avocado” (32.00 USD) was something which appealed to me a lot as I have actually never tried an infladita before. And the stuffing with crab meat is absolutely pleasurable, but I must say that it is a super tiny portion.

The netx two courses were “bok choy, green mole, morita vinegar” (26.00 USD) which went incredibly well with the tortillas – especially the ‘green mole’ ones – and the “tataki al pastor, pineapple puree, cilantro” (30.00 USD) which was exquisite in terms of aroma combination.

I was looking forward to the main course, the “duck carnitas, onions, radishes, cilantro” (98.00 USD) which were great. I mean, the duck was delicious, the radishes on top great, and the combination of fresh herbs and cilantro wrapped in tortillas was lovely. The fact that they charge another 4.00 USD on an almost 100.00 USD dish for a second round of tortillas is ridiculous though.

And while they offered “limon y salsas”, they were missing spicy. I mean, every Mexican dish – even candies (and that I really don’t understand) – has one key ingredient to it – spice! And that was just missing but luckily they had a habanero sauce when I had asked for it. Admittedly, again, it took too long for them to serve it so we ended up with two pots a bit later. Not bad as we used them both but somehow surprising that the service in the apparent No. 25 of the world isn’t any faster or more attentive. Frankly, a bit of a disappointment!

Given we were in a restaurant which was supposedly Mexican, I decided to try a Mexican wine which is something, I think, I haven’t done ever. But, the “Bichi Flama Roja, 2017” (70.00 USD) was actually surprisingly delicious.

For dessert, we went for the “husk meringue, corn mousse” (19.00 USD) which was lovely. Obviously strongly sugar driven but I liked it.

The “sorbets ‘Angelica’, Lemon verbena, fig leaf” (19.00 USD) sounded interesting but frankly, it was a bit weird to get them all in the same color – which was also part of their visual appeal.

Lastly, the “cortado” (6.00 USD) was a good way to round up the dinner.

My summary for the dinner is a bit ambivalent: I liked the food and – the fact that we met super nice and interesting people at the table right next to us definitely helped – the atmosphere on the one hand side. But the service was somehow not at a No. 25 of the world level. I remember Pujol when it used to be No. 36 – that is just a very different level! So, not sure how we got to No. 25 of the world but yes, it was good. It wasn’t that good though.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Cosme

35 E 21st St

10010 New York (US)

Tel.: +1 212 913 9659

E-Mail: info@cosmenyc.com

Homepage: http://www.cosmenyc.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.