03/08/09

Phenomenal AGAIN!

by FoodLovers10

We are frequent fine diners at many of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities and this is the best of the best! Its all about extremely high quality ingredients and freshness with innovation and exceptional touches! Try the lamb where they smoke a portion and serve it covered so the smoke essence is there when delivered to your table. Or the shooters that burst in your mouth. Pricing is not any higher (in fact in many cases lower) than many other downtown venues. If you Valet park (very convenient) make be sure to have it validated and then its only a $7 charge. Service and ambiance top notch. Casual - dressy. This place deserves to be packed every night!

• Pros: Truly Exceptional food
• Cons: None

10/18/08

One of the most expertly prepped meals and fantastically friendly staff in the Twin Cities

by firestar515

First let me say that I'm a foodie from NYC who finds my way to the TC area very often to try the great (and cheap!) food scene. I've been to Cosmos just for drinks and have tried their bar menu (the scallops with the black noodles (to DIE for), the crab cakes, and the cheese platter, all amazing) but this is my first time sitting for a meal. To be honest, Cosmos was one of the best meals I have had in the Cities. The overall experience was made perfect with the help of the Mgr (Hi Alisha!!) who realized how important this meal was for us (the youngest in our group celebrated his 21st) and quickly found us (as a walk in party of 5) a great, cozy table. The staff was very friendly, service right on, though the server was a bit stiff in the beginning he warmed up as the courses came out. The birthday boy ordered the fantastic 5 course meal, with perfectly chosen wine pairings. I was a bit envious but my meal was exceptional: Tuna tartare with a delicous avocado ice cream, the duck and foie gras entree and the baklava with the braised cherry (yum!). I also had a lychee martini, strong but very tasty. My entire meal came out to about $80, which may be pricey for some, but for a 3-course meal and two complimentary chef tasting courses (squash mouch bouche (sp?) and a lemonade raspberry "explosion") of this caliber, this meal was a total steal. Be sure not to miss the celery ravioli or the raspberry "explosion" if they offer it. And don't be silly and swallow it before biting into it or you'll miss out. Thankfully, even though our boy swallowed his and missed out, Alisha was gracious and brought him another. Again thanks to her my best friend had an amazing 21st birthday.

• Pros: GREAT food, fair prices, friendly, effective staff & strong/tasty drinks. Also good looking clientele
• Cons: reservations would've been necessary

06/14/08

There is hope my friends

by 9ofclubs

I live downtown and dine-out quite often. I have had the emulsions, the coolies, souse vide poached food, foams, froths, and the pebbles. I have become a little tainted on how good food is sometimes lost to kitchen tricks. (Interesting ingredients don't always make for wonderful dishs...)

I ended up going to Cosmos to celebrate a friends b-day. All the before mentioned words were on the menu at Cosmos. I was ready for another "interesting" dinner, and catching late-night steak tartar at 112 because I was still hungry...

All I can say is the Chef at Cosmos justifies why people like myself should still have hope. The colors! The presentation! The surpises! Yes, some of the food actually explodes! (I don't like to write with exclamation points, but I cannot help it.) Above all, the food was delicious. Care and thought went into the food. It was alchemy, dare I say, witchcraft. The items "read" challenging on the menu, but when they arrive they justify the hype.

I paid full attention to my entree.

The service was solid. They were attentive and gracious. I asked what they thought was better between two dishs. The server vividly and patiently discribed the two dishes. A friend of mine pointed out that the server had not actually recomended either dish, just talked about them. The server agreed. At first my friend was confused and thought the server was being hostile, but she realized the server was being objective and wanted us, the guest, to choose what we would like to eat. What a relief to be waited on by adults who know their product and are capable of interacting with guests.

Cosmos does what most "new american" restaurants try to; it interests, provokes, and most of all, delivers one heck of a meal.

I know I'm gushing, and I know I sound overly cynical about most other dining experiences in the Twin Cities, but that is why I am on this site right now. Cosmos really did put wind back in my dining sails.

06/12/08

Terrible service, snotty waiter, small portions

by CityGal79

This was a huge disappointment. The waiter, an older gentlemen, was the rudest I've ever encountered. When my husband asked what he suggested, the tenderloin or the rib-eye, the waiter chuckled at him and said, "Well, do you want ribeye or do you want tenderloin? One is not better than the other." Mmm, ok, thanks for the tip. When I was ready for another drink, I asked to see the drink menu again...then 15 mins later he comes back and says, "You know what you want?" and before I could even answer he says, "You're not ready. You're not ready." and walks away...huh? We basically had to beg him for our drinks, and seated close to the bar, we watched them sit there for 10, 15, sometimes 20 minutes before our waiter would notice them and bring them to us. The real kicker was once he brought us our desserts, it was over 30 minutes and we were still waiting for the check, let alone 'How was everything'. Finally my husband had to get the manager so we could pay and leave. She was very apologetic, but it didn't make up for the experience. You'd get 100% better service going thru the McD's drive-thru. Cosmos will not be seeing us again.

• Pros: Martini List
• Cons: Snotty Service, small portions, ATTITUDE!!!

02/16/08

Horrible Service

by ClaireAmanda

For Valentines Day my boyfriend and I made dinner reservations for 9:30. So we get down there and we are waiting in a long line to check in, well we finally get to tell them we are here and they say "It's going to be a ten to fifteen minute wait" so we are like okay fine and we turn around and one of the hostess is telling the guy behind us exactly "Sir your reservation was at 9:30 and our clock is showing 9:31, its going to be a twenty minute wait"...well hello the line was long and there were three of you at the counter with one computer!!! My boyfriend and I run back up to our room quick and come back down in 15 min later. So we sit and wait for our table and they aren't telling us anything. My boyfriend asked them a couple times when our table will be ready and they said "You are the next ones to be seated"...we waited in the waiting area for ONE HOUR AND TEN MINUTES before finally being seated!!!!! We didn't get done with dinner and back up to our room until one in the morning! The food was okay. Small portions and our waitress was kind of a snob, she would ask a question like "how do you like the food" and when my boyfriend was responding she would turn her head and be very short and walk away...dont ask a question if you can't sit and listen to the response. She had no trouble telling us about what her favorite food was and what she thought of everything.

02/14/08

Great food and drink, very snooty service

by 10ACGUY

Iam a carpenter, and one evening my wife and I had went to cosmos for dinner. Fantastic food and drink, however, I had showed up in nice jeans, and an over coat, and i had some drywall mud on my hands and arms, and everyone looked at me like i was a white guy in mississippi. we both were kicked out due to my apperance and statue.

What makes them better than me? Hell I probley make more in a month than most customers there in a year. Next time I think I will go where the "low middleclass" go to, cause that was all i was worth to them.

If you have a 3 piece suit and look like and talk like money, go for it, but 8 bucks for water? no wonder the economy is poor

• Pros: Great drinks, and atmosphere
• Cons: SNOOTY SNOOTY SNOOTY,

08/31/07

Unbeatable sophistication

by tokyo1

Fantastic food and atmosphere. The elite meeting place for those a step ahead of others. Secluded, discreet location

03/04/07

$$$$$$$$$$ Bring Lots $$$$$$ Expect Little

by slappytheman

Nothing like i was expecting, totally overpriced for the dishes we ordered. 12$ for a sip of wine, 12$ for a leaf of lettuce with some vinaigrette sprayed on it, 8$ for EVIAN WATER! Dont even bother with the coat check because you'll want your jacket in the dining area.

• Pros: ambience, swankiness
• Cons: $$$$, service, unsufficient portions, laughable salads, snooty air

01/02/07

Exceptional Food, Service, Atmosphere

by kcotter1

i highly recommend cosmos to anyone looking for a fine dining experience in the twin cities in a trendy, sophisticated setting. the service was very attentive without being overbearing, the wine selection was excellent, and the food beautifully presented and ranks among the best in terms of flavor, variety, and innovative menu offerings in the twin cities. appetizers and entrees were exceptional (try the crab cakes); desserts were good but definitely not equivalent to the main course. overall, cosmos is a top notch restaurant that i did not find to be overrated whatsoever, as other reviews have stated.

• Pros: atmosphere, service, appetizers
• Cons: expensive, desserts somewhat disappointing

12/08/06

Fantastic food, Vegas atmosphere

by elrushbo

Honestly, I don't know what is with some people here! Sounds like a bunch of people who don't know or appreciate good food. I have been to many of the best restaurants in Vegas and Chicago and Cosmos ranks as one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Did the tasting menu, it was absolutely fantastic! Every single thing I had was pure bliss-I was suprised how good it was. As good as Spring in Chicago easily. The foie was the best I'd ever had anywhere! Beef, fish, the cheese course-all flavored just right. You can tell Cosmos has a real gem of a chef. It's kinda sad that it wasn't very busy, people in Minneapolis must be nuts or have no taste, cause Cosmos would be slammin' every night in Vegas. Ambience is very slick, hip and fun! Service was top notch-very professional. I truly felt pampered. The Chocolate Globe is the best dessert I have ever had!Patronize this restaurant, it deserves good business. Prices are very reasonable for such flawless quality. I'm new to Minneapolis and afraid that good chefs won't come here because people here just want to eat at the trough at Old Country Buffet. Aquavit was the same-stunning, fantastic food, but closed.

• Pros: Setting, food drinks, service all absolutely wonderful
• Cons: That people in Minneapolis don't appreciate a good thing