120 Delafield Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phn: 845 485 7172
www.cosimospoughkeepsie.com
Lunch & Dinner, 7 Days
Every once in a while we don't feel like cooking but we also don't feel like a big meal out. Last night was one of those nights and we stopped in at Cosimo's Trattoria, for what is becoming something of a weekly ritual - a quick dinner at the bar comprised of a salad, a pizza, and a glass (or two) of Pinot Grigio. The restaurant is located just off of Route 9 across from Marist College, and as you might expect it draws on the campus crowd. This can make for interesting conversation at the bar, which is where we usually end up eating.
The place does offer a full lunch / dinner menu of what they bill as "Tuscan" specialties - dishes like veal scallopine, or a rosemary scented ribeye steak, and a half dozen pasta choices including rigatoni alla buttera, and tortollini boscaiola. Rarely do we go down that path.
We're there for the wood fired oven pizzas. I would describe them as "thin crust" pizza but that does not adequately tell the story. The crust is unique to Cosimo's; I have not tasted anything like it anywhere else. It is indeed a thin crust, but it has a wonderful crunchy texture which I attributed to lots of corn meal being used on the counter while prepping the dough. I tried that at home, with good but not comparable results. I've since found out (with much groveling and an intervention from my friend and fellow baker, Bob) that their dough recipe includes semolina flour. The result is a fascinating flatbread / pizza with a pasta like flavor and a crunchy exterior. They pair this as a special with different toppings each day, in addition to the regular menu pizza offerings including a classic (and quite good) margherita, portobello mushroom, spinach and bacon, or quattro stagioni - topped with smoked ham, artichokes, mushrooms and a tomato basil sauce. More often than not I pass on these too. I'm there for one reason - the "scampi pizza", topped with fresh arugula, sundried tomatoes, a garlic pesto spread, whole sauteed shrimp, and shaved parmigiano cheese. For $12.95. It's fantastic. This and a small Caesar salad and I try to convince myself this is a healthy dinner. Mostly.
Say Hi to Brad and JoJo, one of whom is usually holding court at the bar.
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