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Cosimo
Unlike many wine bars that focus on bistrolike nibbles, here the cooking is worthy of a good wine.
By Craig LaBan
Inquirer Restaurant Critic
...what distinguishes Cosimo from many other wine bars, whose kitchens tend to focus more on simple, bistrolike nibbles to accompany the drink, is that Delaney's cooking is worthy of a good wine.
A Johnson & Wales grad who has spent much of his career in Florida since leaving West Chester (where he also opened Cafe Chicane), Delaney delivers modern plates built on good ingredients and careful preparations.
A stylish seafood cocktail of cool, diced lobster and shrimp teases the palate with a refreshing truffle-grapefruit vinaigrette that mingles with sweet crustacean and a tangy, charred-tomato gazpacho. An exotically spiced apricot dip elevates notably tender fried calamari from the mundane
see the complete review here
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MAINLINE TODAY
Issue Date: View June 2007, Posted On: 5/22/2007
EPICURE: Review
By Dawn E. Warden
Sippers' Sanctuary
Cosimo’s passion is wine—just don’t underestimate the food.
THE SCENE: Entering through the rear entrance of Cosimo, the new wine bar and restaurant in Frazer, is a straightforward experience with little fanfare. The industrial feel of the staircase gets an artsy boost from the eye-catching bamboo-like planking on the steps and landing.
THE FOOD: Recently installed executive chef Steve Delaney (pictured below left) (Café Chicane, Dilworthtown Inn, Ritz-Carlton Naples Beach Resort and Naples Grand Resort) shows panache with an appealing blend of Asian, Caribbean and Italian flavors and a globally inspired menu that is, as he puts it, “simple, healthy and explainable with a twist.” His experience at the Ritz-Carlton’s Grill Room is the muse behind the Island-style dishes. (The restaurant’s namesake is Cosimo I de’ Medici, once the Grand Duke of Tuscany, but don’t expect a heavy dose of Italian ingredients.)
When our entrées arrived, we realized we had underestimated the chef. The dishes were visually appealing, artfully arranged on oversized white restaurant china (wine is served in Schott Zwiesel titanium crystal stemware). The showstopper was the tuna—seven ounces of sashimi-grade yellow fin encrusted with powdered nori and a myriad of dried spices and cut into three large triangles, their centers a sinful shade of crimson. A mountain of rich coconut jasmine rice, baby bok choy and ponzu sauce were more than worthy accompaniments.
THE EXPERIENCE: Cosimo’s relaxed, unpretentious vibe is evident right from the start. As with most new restaurants, management aims to be visible. Upon our arrival, we were immediately greeted by the owner and shown to our table. The servers readily accommodated our party’s scattered arrival and drink ordering, along with a toddler’s special request of shrimp scampi with rice.
THE SKINNY: Despite the heavy emphasis on wine, Cosimo’s culinary offerings shouldn’t be overlooked. The internationally inspired menu is set to change every two weeks, in keeping with the plan to change up the wine menu just as frequently.
Continued focus on wine instruction and dinners highlighting Delaney’s skills should help transform this already popular neighborhood haunt into a destination whose appeal extends further east—to those who undoubtedly have the same fondness for wine as Mastroianni and Whiteside do.
see the complete review here
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LifeStyle Magazine
Cosimo
Written by Brian Freedman
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The wine bar comes of age
After too many mediocre meals, and too many tapas-sized dishes whose major recommending factor is trendiness, as opposed to inherent tastiness, I’ve learned to pare down my expectations when it comes to eating at local wine bars.
Which is what made Cosimo such an unexpected surprise. It is just as much a restaurant as it is a wine bar, a pedigree that was borne out with each course and its superbly paired wine.
As for that wine list, it’s refreshingly well-constructed. Rather than relying on the kind of big-name-yet-overpriced bottlings that are so popular these days, sommelier Jason Whiteside has put together a list that beautifully straddles the line between the approachable and the unexpected. And because the wines are listed in easily understandable categories (West Coast Flavor, Of The Pinot Persuasion, etc.), even novices will be able to contextualize each one with ease...
Cosimo’s space is clean and modern, yet still maintains a sense of warmth. And the bar, a massive rectangular affair, is anchored by the wine-preservation system. More than anything else, though, the focus of Cosimo is the entire dining experience itself: Well-considered and thoughtful enough to make it an easy destination for a casual night out, and smart and adventurous enough to please guests looking for something more.
Cosimo Wine Bar is located at 209 Lancaster Ave. in Malvern, and can be reached by phone at (610) 647-1233.
see complete review here
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MAINLINE TODAY
Issue Date: View August 2007, Posted On: 7/11/2007
FALL DINING GUIDE: Caught in the Act
By Dawn E. Warden
We put six of the area’s brightest culinary lights on the spot, giving them the option of being photographed with either their favorite dish or their most prized tool of the trade, all while peppering them with an array of penetrating (and not-so-penetrating) questions. Who says chefs don’t have a sense of humor?
Andrea Schwob, Pastry Chef, Cosimo Restaurant & Wine Bar (with her prized scale)
(209 Lancaster Ave., Malvern; 610-647-1233, cosimorestaurant.com)
Five ingredients she can't live without: Coffee, cheese, chocolate, shredded wheat and bran cereals, tequenos (Venezuelan finger food). For work purposes: chocolate, vanilla, butter, cream and eggs.
Food most people fear: Anything that's unknown.
Worst cooking disaster: I made a cheesecake recipe baked in different batches that never came out, threw away the rest of the mix and did it again. Later I realized I'd doubled the amount of sugar.
Signature dish: At the places I've worked, I was recognized for my gelatos and sorbets.
Culinary trend she could live without: Oversized portions.
Favorite culinary resource: I love to read. Every time I can, I sit down in a bookstore with a cup of coffee and a pile of books. The cookbooks that have traditional, old recipes are the best ones so I can deconstruct them and recreate them my way.
What she'd eat if no one were watching: A whole jar of Nutella with a fresh-baked French baguette.
Biggest mistake amateurs make in the kitchen: Because baking is an exact science, people are always afraid to do it from scratch. If you have a good recipe and the right tools, go ahead and prepare anything you want. Just remember to enjoy yourself while doing it. If it doesn't come out as expected, it doesn't matter. You can always do it again.
Fantasy restaurant: I'd like to own a two-story building with a gourmet pastry retail store on the first floor and a small baking school for adults on the second floor.
What she'd make for an impromptu dinner: If I was at home, a succulent dark chocolate mocha mousse. If I was at work, a vanilla marscapone pot de crème with fresh seasonal fruits and a chocolate crisp.
see complete article here
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The Artful Diner
If you fancy yourself a dedicated oenophile, a visit to Anthony Mastroianni's Cosimo Restaurant and Wine Bar is something of a must. The establishment's comfortable horseshoe-shaped bar boasts a state-of-the-art 40-bottle wine preservation system that allows patrons to sample an extraordinary number of wine flights or individual wine pairings with each course
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The 'Burbs: Cosimo Restaurant and Wine Bar
October 8, 2007
By: Ken Alan
kalan@aroundphilly.com
... up until recently, I couldn’t emote about anything wine bar-related, that is, until Cosimo opened a year ago in Malvern.
Owned by Anthony Mastroianni, a catering industry vet, he and his (partnering) parents have fashioned a tastefully appointed bar, dining room and main dining area out of the blandness that had been a Japanese restaurant prior, taking each of the spaces and giving their walls a sea foamy patina while adding earthy elements of rustic woods and smooth copper.
So, we finally have something both gastronomic and viniferous to crow about in the ‘burbs. We’ll still make our pilgrimages into the big city to dine at the newest, hottest, coolest places of the moment, yet I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that folks from Center City are making their own journeys westward to Cosimo...
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