Random Thoughts and Acts of Kindness

Hey folks,

Cosmo is reopening next week.

We’ve been listening to you and we know it’s expensive to eat out, so…we’re bringing back happy hour for one month, at a time that works for you: 5-6pm every day.

We can’t do it all summer, even though we’d love to do just that. Here’s why: It gets too busy by mid-June and we (like everyone else in town) have a staffing issue. We want to be able to serve you, our important customers the way we’d like to and keep everyone happy during happy hour.

More About that staffing issue…and what we’re doing about it…

We have five housing units available for Cosmo employees (in Norwood and Telluride) and are still providing free subscriptions to employees (who have worked for six months) to Telluride Whole Health, a local Direct Primary Care Clinic.

Please come by and see our new menu, which has a summer twist with lots of local produce.

Chad

 

 

Comfort Food

Hello Cosmonauts!

 

It’s off season…thank goodness. What does that mean for me?  It means we get to experiment and we can do comfort food items. When the Cosmo is busy, we simply do not have the time we have now to try new things.

So, what’s new? Our duck dumplings. I make fresh dough, then using shredded duck and secret seasoning make little half-moon dumplings…then we steam them, then brown them, then boil them in a duck miso broth. Served with pea tendrils and a soft poached egg.

What is comfort food? Spaghetti and Meatballs. Full transparency: I got the idea from Mark Tarbell in Phoenix. We take something that is mostly done at home with low end ingredients and we dress it up a little. How so you ask? The meat is all-natural beef blended with ground pork. We mix this with more secret ingredients, form the balls, then stuff them with fresh mozzarella (just like your mom…?  not), Then, we make fresh pasta (daily) and cook it to order. The sauce is amazing: I take our demi glace and mix it with a traditional marinara then fortify with dry porcini that I picked all summer (just like mom did). All of this take on a comfort food dish is presented with fresh arugula, sauteed oyster mushrooms, fresh parmesan and white truffle oil. Order a bottle of Chianti and ..well….you might just have a small piece of heaven.

Friendly reminder: Our deck is closing this Sunday. No more outdoor dining. Sorry….please bring a mask and wear it while not eating/drinking. We still have state of the art air filtration running 24/7 using digital hydrogen peroxide to kill that stupid virus.

Have a great fall. We will have more fall specials coming.

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays up to Dec. 7.

Chad

This COVID Thing

Hi all,

I know we are all so, so tired of this COVID thing.

And, it’s still not over…in fact our town has seen a spread of the Delta Variant this week.

So, to keep you and our staff safe we want you to know what we are doing.

  1. All staff are now wearing face masks.
  2. Face masks are suggested, but not mandatory for our guests.
  3. Air filtration devices are located in every dining area with windows open to increase air flow.
  4. This is the air filtration system we use. Click on this link to learn more about our superior filtration system.
  5. Lastly, we have more outdoor dining spaces than any other restaurant in town.

It’s important to keep you I the loop, I know.

Thank you for your continued trust in us.

 

Chad

Employee Housing + Healthcare

,

Hi Cosmo friends.

Just wanted to keep you up to date on stuff I’m doing to help retain the really great people you have come to know and love at Cosmo.

The pandemic has made some things become even more difficult for employees—healthcare and housing…so, here’s what we are doing to help alleviate this dire situation for all our staff so you can keep coming in to dine.

All employees—that means full or part time—will receive membership in a local Direct Primary Care Clinic called Telluride Whole Health. The Direct Primary Care membership allows our staff to go to Doctor Heather Linder at Telluride Whole Health for free.

Onto our other tough situation; housing for staff:

I am currently building employee housing in Norwood. A two-bedroom and a one-bedroom are under construction and a new project is in the works. This after just completing employee housing in the Ski Ranches.

Just thought you’d appreciate knowing this stuff.

Chad

 

 

 

Porcini Heavenliness

Hi All! Chad here. Just finished a brief, but bountiful foraging for porcini mushrooms this past weekend. See photo at left. Let’s all pray for more rain, because we need it…not just for finding more mushrooms.

You know I’m not going to divulge my super-secret mushroom spots. But, it’s easier to just visit Cosmo for some mushroom heavenliness.

That’s about it for now.

Keep having fun this summer, be nice, consider wearing a mask inside crowded spaces, get your vaccine, and come in to try my new (and delightful) braised Colorado lamb shanks served with porcini risotto, spinach, lamb jus, and grain mustard.

Chad

Funny little video

Hi All!

Chad here. The Cosmo will be closed (thank goodness as we really haven’t closed for 2 years) from April 4 thru May 13, opening May 14.  We will rest, lick our wounds and come back fresh.

Looking back on things this past year, all restaurants have gone thru the “Covid washing machine”…. we have “pivoted” so many times and I am sure the pivoting isn’t over yet.  Here is a funny video of me describing last summer (Interview was done in September of 2020).

Have a great spring, be nice, wear a mask, get your vaccine, and always drink great wine.

Celebrating 25 years in Telluride

Hi All!

Lots of news:

Cosmo’s “backyard” is re-opened for the winter! (I know, it is really the “front yard”, but it sounds better). We have fire pit tables, heaters, lights…it’s a daily party. Thank you to Mountain Village (land owners), Town of Telluride and the construction crew that built our new deck in 4 days.

Now that we have the backyard, that opened the doors to bring back our Happy Hour from 3 to 4pm.  $10 sushi and many other discounts.

Now for the important stuff: We are turning 25 years old on February 10!  25 years, wow.  So much has happened over the 25 years.  We are having some contests to reminisce …25 gift certificates are being given out for $25 each for the best Facebook posts about experiences you may have had at the Cosmo over the past 25 years. The best 25 posts will be awarded at the end of February. Don’t forget to “tag” the restaurant, so we see your post!

I am putting out “Backyard Specials” starting with Pork Ramen to keep you warm while enjoying our new deck.

Thanks for the 25 years, and see ya soon.

Chad

ps: if you want to read more about how the restaurant began, read the article in the Telluride Daily Planet.

This is how we make our bread…

Happy New Year Cosmo Friends!
Chad here.
Well after many requests over the years, we made a video of how we make our bread.  Sorry, no tattoos, no drama, no makeup, no Iron Chef entertainment……I hate those shows….just a nice video on how we make our wonderful ciabatta.
Thank you to Jacob at Bomber Films for making Paula and myself look like we know what we are doing.
A little bread info: Our bread takes over a day to make.  Most artisan breads take a long time to make.  Long fermentation’s with minimal yeast plus zero fat equal some kind of artisan bread and our bread fits this bill….so, if you are in a hurry, don’t try this at home.
If you have any questions, please ask…just email me.
Soon, Cosmo will have outdoor dining!  stay tuned, stay safe, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, drink, and be merry,
Chad

For Our Soup Lovers…

Hey Soup Lovers!!!!

Chad here.

This subject is a deep subject to me as a 61-year-old chef. Quick story: I went to the Culinary Institute of America in 1981. Craig Claiborne was a famous food writer and restaurant critic in those days. One of his quotes that I will never forget was that the way he chose which restaurant to critique was to go to about 10 restaurants first; then he would just taste their bread and their soup. If the bread and soup was good, then, and only then, he would follow up with a full-blown dinner critique. The bread and the soup are a “tell-tale” that the chef gave a damn. It usually showed that the chef knew how to make a good “stock”. Stocks are the back bone of all great fine dining restaurants.  Stocks make the soups, make the risottos, make the sauces, etc., etc.

The Cosmo proudly makes all of their own chicken stocks, veal stocks, shellfish stocks, and vegetable stocks from scratch.

This is why I am so obsessed with our soups (and our bread).

Normally, when our dining room is open, our soups are purees that are garnished with several herbs, proteins, vegetables, etc. and they are around 8 ounces and are fantastically elegant made from real stock.

Now, I am serving more rustic, full of vegetables, proteins, and love.  Now we are serving 16 ounces instead of 8 ounces.

Today I made an Indian curry chicken vegetable soup. The inspiration was from a house guest from Baton Rouge who is from India, Somesh.  Somesh showed me how to make curry with garbanzo beans…. totally vegan and totally delicious. This is also the inspiration for our vegan sweet potato entree.

That’s all I got,

Try my soup.

Be nice during these hard times,
Chad

 

“Jonesing” for a little sense of normality

Hi Folks, Chad here with a Cosmo update:

I have been listening to requests and the “family style” food is what people wanted the most. We have rolled out 8 proteins that are enough food for 2 people and you can add to these to make them feed 3, 4, 5, etc. These proteins do not include sides, so you can build your own dinner with a selection of sides, salads, and desserts.

We have added 4 fire pits outside for people “jonesing” for a little sense of normality…you can have cocktails, sushi, etc. with full table service. Please dress warm or just come wearing what you skied in.

Additionally, Maury and Val are working on a “Liquor store pricing” list of wines by the bottle. These are seriously discounted and have pricing similar to the local liquor stores. “One stop shop” and you don’t even have to get out of your car.

On my next entry here, I am attempting to video (with the help of Jacob, our in-house photographer) how we make our bread…coming soon.

That’s it for now, the video should be funny.

Be safe, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, be nice, and drink wine!

Your digitally enhanced chef,

Chad