Cosi
7545 166th AVE NE
Redmond WA 98052
Ph:425-883-2762
Don't Get Too Cozy at Cosi
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Cosi is one of the newer franchises to hit the scene. First and foremost, Cosi's specialty is their signature flatbread that they bake in their own stone oven which is prominently displayed for all customers to see. All of their sandwiches and pizzas are made with flatbread that visually makes it look smaller and quite different from the standard type of sandwiches that we have all grown up with. If your expecting a hearty sandwich, its best to look else where, but for those looking for something a little bit different Cosi might be a nice spot to check out.
With a name like Cosi, you would expect some pretty plush decor that exudes comfort, but the interior has lots of hard benches and bar tables with high stools that give it a prevalent industrial style that makes it look more post modern than cozy. One of the nice touches of Cosi is the free wi-fi service for customers, making it a good destination stop for those who want to surf the internet while grabbing a bite to eat.
Ordering food is about as simple as it gets. Go to the counter, put in your order and the food is delivered to you on the very large pizza trays. If you're looking for napkins, don't worry they bring that to you as well, maybe to minimize people taking more than they need.
On the menu, Cosi serves up a full service menu with the aforementioned items above as well as signature salads, soups, hearth baked dinners and espresso. Grant went with the Pesto Chicken Sandwich, while Bryan opted for the Chicken Alfredo Sandwich. I went with the Meat Trio Pizza, loaded with sausage, pepperoni, and bacon.
The Pesto Chicken came wrapped in a sesame seed flatbread that had more of a cracker crunch than anything else. The chicken itself was a bit of a disappointment as it had about as much pop in flavor as does the 2008 Mariners offense. The cheese was also a bit difficult as the mozzarella was very stringy, making it hard to pull each bite away making it a somewhat messy experience.
Bryan thought that the Chicken Alfredo suffered from the same uninspiring flavor and meager portions of the Pesto Chicken. The small helpings of chicken seemed to be masked by the huge amount of Alfredo sauce poured into the sandwich. The ice cold tomatoes lacked any type of overwhelming taste and created a type of push and pull dichotomy between the hot chicken and the cold tomato. Needless to say, Bryan wasn't a big fan of the sandwich.
The Meat Trio pizza got a mixed bag of reviews. I thought it was the most satisfying out of all of the dishes that we ordered and the portions were big enough to curtail my hunger. While I really enjoyed the pizza, the others though it had a very distinct pre-made flavor to it, almost reminiscent of a frozen pizza, but maybe that's why I liked it as it gave me flashbacks to my days as a latch-key kid heating up a nice Red Baron pizza after getting home from school.
While the food wasn't entirely mediocre, we expected a lot more out of Cosi. The pizza is worth one try, but the sandwiches are not recommended as they come a little thin. I think Cosi should change their name to something more appropriate, like "Cold post modern." Great for a scorching summer day, but you're better off finding other options in Redmond Town Center.
