Cosimo's (Malvern PA)

[JasonZ]

Read Craign LaBan's recent review of Cosimo's, a new wine bar in the Western Main Line (Malvern, PA).

Chef is Johnson & Wales trained, then real experience in Naples, FL and in the Ritz-Carlton system. Has a dedicated dessert chef, South American origin. Napa- experienced sommelier and a 40 bottle wine-preservation system, allowing for tasting of many wines not usually available by the glass.

Sounds like a very good combination: good food, diversity of wine. Wondering if any eGulleteers have tried it and have any comments.

[Rich Pawlak]

I've just reviewed Cosimo as well for the now-out September issue of MAINLINE Magazine and enjoyed almost every aspect of my visit, especially the cleverly written wine list and the bar menu. I cant wait to revisit the place on my own dime!

[KatieLoeb]

Malvern is a bit of a haul for me from downtown, but I'll certainly go see what the competition is doing at my first opportunity. I'd love to chat with the sommelier and talk about list diversity, wine preservation and staff training. I think it would be interesting to see their approach.

[SaxChik]

Malvern is a bit of a haul for me from downtown, but I'll certainly go see what the competition is doing at my first opportunity.  I'd love to chat with the sommelier and talk about list diversity, wine preservation and staff training.  I think it would be interesting to see their approach.

←

if you need good directions (or a dining partner), you'll be back out in my necka da woods again.

Edited August 31, 2007 by SaxChik (log)

[percyn]

Since Cosimo is "in my necka da woods" as Saxchick says, I dropped by for lunch the other day...

For those familiar with Frazer/Malvern, Cosimo is located in the shopping center with the PA license center, occupying the space formerly used by Yamashiro sushi & steak. The essence of the layout is the same, with the updated interior split into a dining room, large bar area (with a few tables and booths) and a private dining room.

Behind the bar is the main attraction...the wine preservation system.

The wine selection by the glass is impressive and the whimsical offering of flights allow you to indulge in that experience even more. On this visit I went for the "Hooray for Chardonnay", deciding to savor the Cht Mouton Rothschild for another day.

The choice of the 3 wines in this flight were well selected. The West Cape Howe was delicious and I have added it to my personal winelist.

Paired the wine with a Chicken Panini that the friendly and knowledge waitress (I believe it was Karen) recommended. She mentioned that the chicken is cured for 36hrs? before being cooked. It was good, though the chicken was a bit over-powered by the flavors from the herb vinaigrette and prosciutto. The seemed to be commercially bought (I could be wrong - but they did not seem overly fresh) and the slaw it came with was a little over-dressed.

The wine selection shines again as it dramatically changes the flavor profile of the panini sandwich.

Ordinarily, I would not have ordered dessert, though having heard about the talents of the pastry chef Andrea Schwob, I had to take one for the team

A trio of Passion fruit Panna Cotta topped with mango confit, coconut-almond cookies, and key lime pie sounded good.

WOW !! That Passion fruit panna cotta bursted with flavor and the texture was firm enough to be scooped, but melted on your tongue. The mango confit added an additional kick to this masterpiece. The mango confit pieces still had some bite to them, which is how I prefer it. The mini key lime pie was very good while the coconut-almond cookies allowed one to cleanse the palate with something that is not too sweet.

Yes, I will return and would recommend this place. If you go, definitely try some of the great wine selection and save room or better yet, start with dessert!!

Edited September 1, 2007 by percyn (log)

[Rich Pawlak]

Cosimo is WELL worth the drive from anywhere, Katie, as Percyn shows. I think the place is a treasure.

[percyn]

Went to Cosimo's again. It was really the craving for the desserts that made me make the trip again. This time I tried

Teriyaki Salmon with noodles and salad with a miso dressing - They ask you what temp you prefer your salmon at and mine was cooked a perfect medium-rarish, as requested.

Paired it with a "Pinot for miles" tasting. The eye opener was the Lamont from New Zealand...great nose and berries on the palate with a nice round finish.

Selecting dessert was the hardest choice. Should I get the wonderful "Tropical" tasting I got last time for that delightful passion fruit panna cotta or should I try the "Shooters" or ... you get the idea.

In the end, I decided to try the "Nuts" tasting which I believe included a walnut thumbprint, rum & raisin gelato and waltnut macaroons. Delicious, but in a mellow way, lacking the tart punch of any tropical fruits.

Service as usual is a friendly, though a bit slow. Perhaps they took Laban's comment of feeling rushed to heart and went to the other extreme.

Might probably swing by tomorrow evening....this place is addictive!!

[percyn]

Went back to Cosimo for dessert and some after dinner drinks (late harvest Sauvignon Blanc and a Riesling)

Shooters - If memory serves correctly, it consisted of (from left to right) Coconut Tapioca pearls with mandrin orange, deconstructed tiramasu, chocolate pears & calvados, banana pudding

Edited September 23, 2007 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

Another great lunch at Cosimo...

Since it was a chilly day, I started with the Lobster and Crawfish bisque which seemed to have more crawfish flavors than lobster. The toasted sunflower seeds on top gave the bisque some texture, though overall the bisque would benefit from a bit more robustness.

This time I decided to try the Angus Burger - which comes with bacon and blue cheese with sides of slaw and kettle chips. The burger was cooked perfectly to order and pink throughout.

I was pretty full by now, but you cannot pass up dessert at Cosimo, so I went for the "Chocolate Trio" - Chocolate pot de crème, cake and tart. Serious joy for a chocolate lover and devine with a great cup of coffee.