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The café offers a family-friendly space to enjoy a meal, make use of free Wi-Fi or, as the name suggests, sip a cocktail.
Philip and Miranda Kaiser recently moved their café from the mainstream of chain restaurants at East 71st Street and South Memorial Drive to its more “indie friendly” location in the middle of Brookside.
The modern yet cozy café was brimming with diners when I popped in for a quick bite on a recent sunny Saturday afternoon accompanied by my husband, Tate, and his father, Richard.
As the name suggests, cocktails are the house specialty at Cosmo.
In addition to the two dozen “cosmo” drinks on the menu are some new spring specials, including the Passionately Spring, made with lime vodka, passion fruit syrup, white cranberry juice and freshly squeezed lime juice ($8), or the lemongrass and ginger sangria, the café’s own infused simple syrup mixed with white wine, white cranberry juice and orange juice ($7).
Cosmo also has a full-service bar with several beers on tap, including Coop Native Amber Ale brewed in Oklahoma City and Tulsa’s Marshall Sundown Wheat, as well as about a dozen wines by the glass. I was also informed that those men who tend to shy away from “girlie cocktails” can choose to order theirs in a “man glass.”
For lunch, I enjoyed the homemade meatloaf panini ($7.99), grilled on toasted sourdough with grainy mustard, homemade “red” sauce, tomato, onions and provolone.
The meatloaf was tender and flavorful, and while I considered asking for more “red” sauce for dipping, I opted for a cup of the roasted red pepper, tomato and gouda soup instead.
It was rich and hearty and perfect for dipping, paired classically with a grilled six-cheese sandwich on the menu. Tate had the turkey and avocado sandwich on a baguette, a great baguette, that is, for a sandwich, for it was neither too soft nor too hard — just perfect.
Other sandwiches include classic egg or tuna salad; smoked salmon with garlic-dill cream cheese and cucumbers; and one I will have to try next time, the “Thanksgiving,” smoked turkey, cream cheese, cranberry relish, hot stuffing and tomatoes (all $7.79). All sandwiches are prepared on your choice of six breads or a bagel and come with one of seven side dishes. Richard had the chicken and blue cheese salad, brimming with a mixture of spring greens and romaine, garlic balsamic chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese, asparagus and cucumbers. Served with a creamy peppercorn-parmesan dressing, it was flavorful and hearty.
Other salads include the roast beef Thai salad with rare roast beef, corn, asparagus, snow peas and other veggies topped with a spicy Thai peanut vinaigrette and the popular Cosmo chicken salad with mixed greens, curry chicken salad, raisins, almonds and cucumbers tossed with honey balsamic dressing (all salads, $8.69). Salads are all served with a basket of freshly baked sliced baguette.
All pizzas are baked on halved baguettes and topped with a variety of sauces (alfredo, pesto or marinara) and toppings (fresh mozzarella, bacon, feta, barbecue chicken, honey ham and smoked turkey, to name a few) and are served with a side salad (all pizzas, $9.99).
Other entrées include Cuban goulash, chili (both beef and vegetarian, $3.49/$6.99) and a pair of quesadillas ($9.99).
Bar snacks, served extra late Thursday through Saturday night, include Italian nachos, piled high and topped with marinara, Alfredo sauce, cheddar, mozzarella and basil ($3.99/$6.99); Middle Eastern bruschetta topped with garlic-dill cream cheese and roasted red peppers ($3.99/5.49); and roast beef bites, sliced baguette with creamy horseradish spread, tomatoes and roast beef ($3.99/$5.99).
If a night out of just desserts is more your thing, Cosmo’s selections include the indulgent Hershey’s cobbler, a gooey, fudgy chocolate concoction served hot with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream ($5.99).
There’s also the popular cheesecake and strawberry trifle, slices of cheesecake layered with pound cake soaked in warm strawberry sauce ($4.99).
But for something really unusual, Cosmo offers My Goodness, My Guinness, a warm brownie soaked with hot Guinness beer, espresso and heavy cream, topped with ice cream and whipped cream ($5.99). According to the menu at Cosmo, employees think it is “the best thing they have ever tasted.” I’ll have to take their word for it until next time!
Cosmo also offers a half-dozen different sundaes ($4.69 to $5.99), including the Hot Irish White Chocolate, vanilla and mocha ice cream with chocolate chips and hot sauce made from white chocolate and Irish cream.
Cosmo touts itself as a family-friendly space, with stacks of games to keep little ones entertained and perhaps the only kids’ menu in town offering Cheerios and SpaghettiO’s as entrées — great for those of us with really young children!
For those of you wanting a place to eat and drink, as well as chill out on your laptop, Cosmo offers free Wi-Fi.
A few Cosmo staff favorites ...
Cosmo
3334 S. Peoria Ave., 933-4848, www.cosmo-cafe.com
Cuisine — Casual café
Setting — Brookside
Owners — Philip and Miranda Kaiser
Prices — Soups and salads, $3.49 to $8.69; sandwiches and platters, $7.79 to $14.99; pizzas and entrées, $6.99 to $9.99
Credit cards — All major accepted
Hours — 11 a.m.-midnight, Sunday through Wednesday; 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Thursday through Saturday
Dress — Casual
Noise level — Moderate
Handicapped access — Yes
Smoking — No
Parking — Street or parking lot behind restaurant
