Expectations-Cosmo's Cucina

I’m not going to lie, my expectations for the food at Cosmo’s Cucina were pretty much on point. I had observed their website with their menu and they followed through. The food was flavorful, seasonal, creative and different. I could taste it in the dipping oil for the bread, the pasta special, the scallops and the avocado burger. If anything I would say they even exceeded my expectations. The appetizers, the food they were all delicious.

            What did surprise me a little was the atmosphere. I had walked past the Cosmo’s Cucina building before not ever realizing that Cosmo’s was above O’Duffys. So after dining there I felt a little cheated that I had walked past the restaurant so many times without even realizing it. In my head, I had equated Cosmo’s to Food Dance, and while they are similar in food, the atmosphere is different. In Cosmo’s there’s brick walls, candles, it’s home like and historic, there’s dim lighting and it’s a smaller area. This added surprise really lent itself to the experience. These additions made the meal feel more special, quiet, and tasty unlike my expectations.

            While I did not explore an other by ethnicity standards of food, Cosmo’s is definitely a sort of other that can make one question the authenticity of an experience. I thoroughly believed through taste and presentation that the food was undoubtedly made with better ingredients, the combinations proved this difference as well. This was also an other experience as I had never eaten at Cosmo’s before, therefore by eating there I had tried someplace/something new.

            Into other food tourist experiences I will take the idea of being open minded. While it’s good to have preconceived notions about a place, it is also good to have the initiative to try new places. It’s made me value all the aspects of a meal. If I have learned anything it is that context is everything. It is not just the food that makes up an experience, but the people we’re with, the atmosphere, the music. These are all things that helped develop my experience at Cosmo’s Cucina and I cannot wait to go back.