As the editor of a magazine that writes a lot about how awesome Salt Lake’s dining scene is, I have cynically scoured the New York Times‘ annual list of America’s Best Restaurants each year, watching for a Utah anything to pop up among what they deem “America’s Best Restaurants.”
Well, folks, chef and co-owner Zach Wade’s Cosmica finally turned the Gray Lady’s head beyond the newsflash that the Great Salt Lake is drying up.
Ryan Lowder (Copper Common, Copper Onion) is a partner in the business, which he said is all Wade’s show. But that guy has been talking about Cosmica for years. For so long, in fact, that I thought he was lost in a fantasy. Then one day it appeared. And one day, soon after, I went there with some friends before a concert.
I texted Lowder after the midway through the meal, “This is f***ing good.” He replied, “Right?”
To get to that text and the NYT, Wade stripped down the early wild ideas (“Spaghetti Western on acid” was one such fantasia) and dialed in a restaurant that could be in Williamsburg or Silver Lake. But guess what, NYT? It’s here.
The night I dined there, Cosmica was firing on all cylinders; whatever hiccups our food writer, Lydia Martinez, witnessed in an earlier visit seemed to have been staved off with an Underberg and a Tums. (And no doubt, some yelling from the kitchen). Servers were attentive but not too much so that you felt like they were rushing us along (a flaw in many Utah restaurants). We ordered the House Puffy Bread as an appetizer, a Caesar and an heirloom tomato salad, the eggplant parmigiana, cocktails (Beefeaters up with a twist) and the Spanish rosé.
I went with the Spagetone, which made it through the rush of mad ideas and onto the menu. What struck me, which is something that will probably vex most Utahns, was that the portions were perfect. As in, they were not huge. I ordered the Spagettone and wondered if I’d get a giant Olive Garden-sized plate of pasta. I was going to a concert. I wasn’t going to carry around leftovers all night. To my delight, it was a perfect one-person portion: House-made pasta, a sharp tomato sauce, garlic and basil with Parmigiano. I practically licked the bowl.
Although the NYT touted its wood-fired pizzas, we just dipped our toes with the house puffy bread, a shareable pull-apart with a side of tomato sauce. It was cooked perfectly, with enough char from the oven to give us an idea of what a full pizza would offer when we next visit.
Congrats to Cosmica for making it from Central 9th the the pages of the paper of record.
When you go
- Cosmica
- 945 S. 300 West, SLC
- (385) 525-8600
- Website: cosmicasaltlake.com Instagram: @cosmica.slc
- Reservations recommended (good luck!)
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