| rev:text
| - Cowboy Ciao cannot be relied on to deliver consistently good food.
A recent visit on a Saturday night rated 4 to 5 stars with exquisitely seasoned food and good wine. Slow/distracted service and an uninspired pea-infused vodka cocktail were the only blemishes. --So I talked this place up to several folks and went for a return visit....on a Tuesday night.
Big mistake. This last visit rated a 0-1. The food as a whole was overly salty and Brussels sprouts were nearly hard as rocks. Service was very slow with long gaps in between dishes).
On the first visit a Pastrami-style short ribs came accompanied by mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts - all perfectly cooked and seasoned. On the second, this dish was overly salted and the sprouts were hard and bitter. The waiter brought out new sprouts, but at the time, we had finished eating.
On the first visit a licorice-infused cake was wonderful, it was the same on the second.
On the second visit, the scallops appetizer was dreadfully salty and lacked a decent sear. The initial risotto was inedible per so much salt. The waiter brought new risotto out that was edible, but actually needed some salt. (Has the chef thought of tasting his food, I wonder?) The scallops appetizer touted an accompanying "heirloom tomato salad," which comprised five halves of cherry-size tomatoes (or 2.5 cherry-size tomatoes) that seemed to have a bit of oil on them. If I were writing the menu, I don't think I would call it a salad.
The chopped salad was good, but not remarkable, and not worth returning.
On both visits, I noticed that the wait staff sometimes seemed over-burdened with other tables and were slow to deliver things like the next course or a glass of wine. I think that management should step in and help and/or provide ancillary help to the wait staff, who sometimes were dealing with some very large parties.
Ambience is lacking at Cowboy Ciao. It is decorated in a shabby-chic style with faux paint finishes that are tired and even dirty. Artwork is tacky and uninspired. While the dinner tables have white table cloths, they are covered by white paper on top. (I became very aware of the white paper after we walked from bar to table with our glasses which turned out to have bedraggled herbs stuck to the bottom of them (and not herbs that had been served to us --the bar had likely been not wiped well from prior patrons).
On the most recent visit, we learned that the sous chef was leading the kitchen. A companion noted that restaurants often have junior chefs head up the kitchen on less popular nights. I suspect that the executive chef, was at the helm on the weekend night that I had such good food. I guess it pays to know who's in the kitchen, and if they are getting adequate support to do a good job.
I also should have paid attention to the erratic reviews Cowboy Ciao received - many high and lows recently.
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