Cosima is a new Sicilian restaurant and we've been wanting to try it for a while. It's been touted as a happening spot with a great bar scene and mama's cooking stepped up to a whole new level. So, how was it?
Well, rather mixed. First, it's very noisy. It's all stone and other hard surfaces as seems to be the norm these days. It's rather unpleasant to have to raise your voice to a near shout to have a conversation. Second, it's very expensive, and the food doesn't quite warrant the pricing. Two drinks, two appetizers, one pizza, one dessert, and two coffees came to a bit over $100 before tip.
So, the service and the food. Our server had only a few days on the job, so he wasn't well informed about the preparation of the offerings. All the dishes were brought out by runners, so we only saw him when he checked to see how things were going, which was good, though sometimes right after the food was served and before we had a chance to have a bite. Our pizza came out before we finished our appetizers, so everything on the small table had to be rearranged to make room. That was an unnecessary intrusion and should have been managed better. Our cake came out in good time after dinner, but coffee took another ten minutes, so we had a bite or two, and then stared at the cake while we waited.
The Fritto Misto di Pesce was excellent, light, crisp, not greasy--absolutely the best we've ever had. The Caponata, an eggplant salad, was okay, but was swimming in a balsamic dressing which wasn't noted on the menu. That's rather unforgivable, since I'm not a fan of balsamic. The Pizza con Fiori di Zucca had an excellent crust, but was so thin in the center that it got soggy, and floppy, and the toppings just slid right off. The orange flavored olive oil cake was very good, though a rather small slice for the price.
I'm interested in trying their house made pasta on another visit, but I must say that there are many excellent restaurants around Baltimore that we've been going to for years, and the service and the food has not disappointed, not once. Cosima has a way to go yet to get to that level, especially with their rather high price level. read more