I can’t remember what the chowhound consensus was on this place, but I went tonight and was seriously underwhelmed.
Here’s what I ordered:
Uni tostada with avocado and bone marrow salsa: First thing, this dish was so tiny. And it had a remarkably smoky flavor, though not in a particularly redeeming way. The smoked-marrow salsa completely drowned out the uni (sourced from Maine by the way) and avocado.
Lobster esquites: This was the one special offered. Poached lobster with corn. What a mild dish. No spice/pepper whatsoever, though there were decent amounts of yuzu, so it had a pleasant tartness.
Tlayuda: More or less a giant tortilla covered in garbanzo beans, stracciatella, avocado, chicharron, and copious amounts of greens… Reminded me somewhat of the tortillas that panuchos are served on top of, though much lighter. Not a bad dish, but like everything else, it was quite bland.
Crispy octopus with hazelnut mole: Maybe the best dish of the night? The octopus was lightly fried I think and ended up having an exterior texture of funnel cake. The mole was nutty and slightly spicy, perhaps the best “sauce” of the night.
Black garlic rubbed NY strip with shishito peppers and tortillas: Solid cuts of meat about the size of a potato chip, cooked to a nice pink finish. Served with an avocado-tarragon puree that reminded me of the green sauce that every taco truck in LA serves on ice. I couldn’t taste the garlic. The peppers were fresh, the dish almost had an Asian vibe to it. Solid, though unspectacular. For 35 dollars though for what equaled one legitimate taco a person, this was pretty pathetic.
Tables were super close together and lighting was very dark. Overall vibe was like a Dominican club in Inwood.
No one dish was bad. All were very pleasant and remarkably easy-eating, but for 90 a person I’d hope for much better. And much bolder. This felt like modern Mexican for New Yorkers who’ve never tasted real Mexican. To the people that can’t believe Cosme didn’t snag a Michelin star, I invite you to go to California.
Curious what other people think, though I can’t imagine I can be convinced to go back any time soon.