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| - My husband and I were really excited to try Cowboy Ciao after all the rave reviews we'd seen on Yelp and were definitely not disappointed - at least not by the food and drinks. The fact that we were less than impressed with the atmosphere (really dark, decor kind of reminded me of Black Angus) and staff (our server was overly enthusiastic when presenting the specials but not around when you needed more water or the check) isn't enough to make me take away a star or two because the food and drinks were delicious and well-prepared enough to make the experience a great one despite these drawbacks.
I got the Movie Star Martini, and my husband got some version of the Manhattan (can't remember the name) - both drinks tasted like well-thought-out concoctions and were definitely worth the $10-$12 (which is something I cannot say for many over-priced restaurant cocktails). We started with the oh-so-famous Chopped and it was heavenly. We actually didn't like the Buffalo Carpaccio as much as we hoped we would - while the meat itself was tender and fresh, the chef had overseasoned it and the espresso and cumin flavors were overpowering.
For our entrees, we had the pork chop stuffed with blue cheese and bread pudding and the short ribs with cherry bbq sauce. We were both impressed that the server asked if we were ok with having the pork slightly undercooked -this preparation is really the most flavorful, but many people remain uncomfortable with undercooked pork because of the trichinosis incidents of many years ago. Having it prepared this way made it so tender, and the meat's flavor was complemented by the bread pudding, figs/raisins, and flavorful sauce that accompanied it. The beef short ribs were also deliciously tender and came with a hearty but so rich serving of pecan grits. My favorite part was definitely the tangy barbecue sauce with whole cherries in it.
Overall, this was a great (although expensive!) meal, and I am sure that we will return to Cowboy Ciao (maybe with guests from out of town) although the slightly-pretentious decor, service, and concept will probably prevent us from making this a more frequent destination.
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