The First Visit - Friday, August 10, 2012
I went to Cosmos tonight with the intention of having dinner with my little dog. Cosmos is dog friendly, and as a repeat customer, I know the quality of their food and service is superior. However, I arrived during a rush, so instead of waiting an hour and a half for a table, I opted to sit at the outdoor bar.
It seems that Cosmos is notorious for over quoting wait times. After reading several reviews, I realize this is a pattern. Then I had to wonder why they would engage in such a practice. I have a couple of theories:
1. They turn a huge profit with their bar sales of patrons waiting to be seated.
2. They're hoping that if their patrons are drunk, they won't realize how mediocre the food and service really are.
When I first arrived, the bar was slammed, and the bar staff was clearly overwhelmed. As one who tended bar many years ago, I understand the stress that comes with working at a successful establishment can be overwhelming. That said, there is an acceptable way to deal with this type of overload.
The female bartender, Terri, was obviously at a breaking point, while Scott remained calm and gracious. Although I tend to have more patience with bartenders that the average customer, I did hear several remarks from other patrons such as, "Boy she' s snappy" , or "Wow, I thought I asked nicely." The cardinal rule of the deep south is HOSPITALITY.
I ordered 2 glasses of higher priced wine, and paid by the glass. I also tipped 30-40 % each time. I ordered the savory cheese cake from the limited bar menu. As it was VERY rich, I couldn't eat but about half of it. When I asked Terri for a go box, she said they didn't have any and usually their bar patrons finished their food.
 |
| Savory/pimento cheesecake |
Come on! This is a full service restaurant, that was just decorated with Wine Spectator's highest award in the Orange Beach area! You can't send a server inside to get a to go box? Saying NO so emphatically to a customer defies every rule of customer service. I still plan to return on a slower night in order to get the full service experience.
Gee, this review sounds very familiar:
The 2 women bartenders at the outside bar were unfriendly & they weren't that overrun. We got the feeling they were pissed anyone was there & if they ignored you maybe you would go away. My husband & ordered a couple of beers. We asked if we could see a menu, she plopped a plastic stand in front of us & said this is all you can get here. No offer of drink menu. We ordered crab claws to eat while we waited on our table. They brought them, didn't ask if we wanted anything else to drink & didn't offer any napkins. We ate the crab claws, which were good. But we left money for our bill & left & went to Docs. Neither of them looked up as we left.
The return visit - Monday, August 13, 2012
I returned to Cosmos on what I thought would be a slower night, Monday. I couldn't have been more wrong. Though I did arrive later than on my earlier visit, the parking situation was out of control. I had to park on the side of a busy highway.
I checked in with the hostess upon arrival and was quoted in an hour to an hour and a half wait time for an outdoor table. I sat at the outdoor bar with my dog again. Fortunately, Terri had the night off and I was attended by a tall, good-looking young man who seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the restaurant business.
I ordered a glass of Rodney Strong Chardonnay, ($11 per glass). Upon tasting this wine, I wasn't convinced that it was what I had ordered. However, I drank it anyway. When a different bartender brought my check for $4.50, I didn't contest the discrepancy. I'm disgustingly honest about these kinds of matters, but I wasn't thoroughly convinced that I didn't have the house wine, which is priced at $4.50, so I kept my mouth shut.
In actuality I only waited about 45 min. from my table. There is live music at this restaurant every night. As a musician and music teacher, I enjoyed the artists on both visits. At least the entertainment quality is consistent.
My server was a cute young girl, who seemed a little flustered.
I already knew that I wanted the sea bass wrapped in a banana leaf. This dish comes with a salad, which consisted of chopped romaine lettuce, and one solitary grape tomato. All of their dressings are homemade. I was a little put out when the couple sitting next to me was offered bleu cheese crumbles on top of their salad. That would've been a nice touch, but it wasn't offered to me.
The sea bass also comes with house rice and mixed vegetables. I asked if I could substitute the side of asparagus for the rice. I was assured this would not be a problem. When my entrée arrived, there was rice on my plate and no asparagus. I immediately pointed out this mistake to my server. She apologized and returned with the most pitiful excuse for asparagus I have ever laid eyes on in my life.
As God and the couple sitting next to me as my witnesses, she had brought me a plate of canned asparagus, with two fresh asparagus stalks sitting on top. I was insulted beyond what I am able to articulate. I didn't articulate my disappointment, because I was still trying to determine what the vegetables had once been before they were annihilated. The vegetables were an unrecognizable pile of mush. To say they were inedible, is a gross understatement.
The couple sitting next to me had struck up a conversation. We were laughing about the pitiful vegetables and asparagus. I remarked that at least the service was better than what I have experienced a few nights earlier. Soon after I made this statement, the server brought my check. I looked at it and couldn't help laughing out loud. She had brought me the wrong check. It was for twice the amount I expected, and clearly for two dinner guests not one.
So basically, I paid $30.00 for 8 ounces of sea bass. For half of this amount, I could've made this dish at home and had a beautiful salad and beautiful side dishes to go with it.
I believe this restaurant is taking its success and its customers for granted. If they don't get it together, I predict the next time I visit Orange Beach I won't have such a difficult time finding a parking spot. Did I just admit that I would go back? I might go and have a drink outside for the mere fact that I can take my dog and they have a great wine selection.
Will I have dinner at this restaurant are my next visit? I absolutely will not. On the first visit in which I gave up waiting for a table, I visited a new locally owned restaurant closer to our condo, called Zen. The service and food I experienced at Zen was far beyond my Cosmos experience. I plan to write a detailed review about this restaurant in the near future.
I'm so mad at myself for wasting my last night and the last chunk of my budget at Cosmos. I'm told you can take your dog to Shipp's Harbor Grill. My longtime favorite restaurant in the area is Louisiana Lagniappe. I also love Cobalt.
I would never be so arrogant as to tell someone not to visit any restaurant. Maybe you'll have a different experience. If you do visit Cosmos, I would love some feedback on your experience. You may comment on this review anonymously.
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