Some Dames and I met for dinner recently at Cosme, the trendy, upscale Mexican-inspired restaurant on 21st Street in the Flatiron District. As you may know from my posts, Dames are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an influential nonprofit group of female leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality fields, focused on education, advocacy and philanthropy.

We met for dinner after connecting and catching up at our scholarship event and managed to snatch the very quiet corner table.

Though our server was initially welcoming and knowledgeable, the hospitality stopped the moment the food hit the table. It became a classic ‘drop-and-run’ service; the food was set down, and the server immediately left without scanning the table.

As a result, we spent the start of our meal trying to flag someone down for missing essentials like silverware and napkins.  We were those crazy people in the restaurant waving our hands and not being seen.

And unfortunately, the food was, at best, mediocre — not at all what each of us had experienced at Cosme before.

The guac was good, but not much of a serving for $24. And apparently no one noticed us waving our hands, trying to get someone’s attention for more crisp tostadas to enjoy it.

As for the entrees, we all agreed that the best dish was the tender seared scallops, complemented by diced fresh pineapple and chiles.

None of us liked the chewy octopus ($34). And the small serving of sweet potatoes in that fabulous mole sauce was, frankly, ridiculous at $36.

For a restaurant with Cosme’s reputation, this was disappointing. They need to get their act together and start with serious hospitality training.

Cosme
Flatiron
35 E 21st St
New York, NY 10010
(212) 913-9659
cosmenyc.com