Munich Hamburgers: Cosmo Grill

We took a hiatus from trying new burger places while we were getting in shape for the wedding. But a few Sundays ago we did finally try the much-hyped Cosmo Grill. 

The first thing you notice is that it doesn't look like your average burger bar....it's small, white, and minimalist, but with a nice open kitchen where you can see the food preparation.  

Judging from the menu - a wide variety of meats and toppings and everything organic - it was clearly more of a gourmet burger styled place.

This is actually a burger place fit for everyone...if beef or meat aren't your thing, there are multiple veggie burgers, tuna burgers, and chicken burgers. We haven't ordered those yet, but will be curious to see if the "chicken burger" really is a burger made of chicken or more like a grilled chicken sandwich. Sometimes you just never know....

The burgers are cooked up fresh on the grill and they do not skimp on the cheese. It was a nice surprise to get some good orange cheddar, but the burger/bun ratio needs some work. Check out my burger below....the burger is half the size of the bun...not so good.  

But more importantly, what about the taste? This was the biggest surprise to me - a non-greasy cheeseburger. The meat wasn't really seasoned at all, but was clearly top quality and all beef. And after eating the burger, I felt pretty good and not at all like I'd just eaten a cheeseburger. It's definitely a great burger option when you want to still eat healthy.  Probably a big contributor to that is their lack of french fries. They do serve roasted potatoes (your choice of spices - we had the sea salt and the Provence ones, and there's also a rosemary one as well). I have mixed emotions about the potatoes. One one hand, they weren't great. Not bad, but a bit boring and not cooked thoroughly. On the other hand, I'm kind of happy they weren't irresistable because I feel like I could go back to Cosmo Grill, just have a burger, and leave having had a healthy meal. Perhaps we caught them on an off day, so we'll give the potatoes one more try next time. 

Overall, we'd have to give it a mixed review. We'll definitely go back and try it again. I really liked how fresh everything was and it's a great option for getting a burger and not feeling bad afterwards.  And I'd like to try some of the other menu items. They definitely have a lot of options to try and Herr J was a big fan of their guacamole.

But the buns were way to big for the burgers and everything could use a little pepper. One tip - unless you love your burgers with marinara sauce, you may want to ask them to hold the tomato salsa. It was quite good, but it overwhelmed all other tastes, so that it tasted like a burger with marinara sauce. Not bad, but I'm more of a burger purist...I like my burger plain, or with cheese when I'm really feeling crazy.   Just my preference. 

Cosmo Grill's address is Maximilianstrasse 10, however it's actually located on the back side of the building, more on Falkenturmstrasse.  Another big plus in its favor is that they're open late night if you're out at the clubs and need a 2am burger (or a 5am burger on the weekends)!  If you're searching for a big greasy burger and fries, this is not the place for you. But if you like the gourmet burgers or you want a more guilt-free burger, definitely go to Cosmo Grill. 

So far in our quest for Munich Hamburgers, we've visited the following restaurants:

Hard Rock, Zum Goldenen Kalb, Kennedy's, and now Cosmo Grill.  Hard Rock remains the clear front runner, but we're enjoying trying the new places and welcome any suggestions!  

Irish chef + Asian-Fusion = great food in Munich

When Frau A left her last job, her kind colleagues gave her a gift certificate to a local restaurant, as well as some great spices, serving items, and a cool cookbook on small bites.  (They knew she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen!)

The restaurant was a perfect choice for someone who enjoys kitchen adventures, as it's a place that experiments on its diners and offers cooking courses. It's called Shane's Kitchen and is located in the Glockenbachviertl.

When you arrive (after an aperitif, of course), you select the number of courses and discuss with the waitstaff any food allergies or dislikes you may have.  Then you sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. 

The options range from 3 to 8 courses.  Of course we chose 8!

Always on table:  homemade bread with mint pesto (for sauce clean-up, and mint as palate cleanser?)

1st course:  roasted pepper terrine with tuna tartare and wild greens

2nd course:  pan seared fish filet over root vegetables

3rd course:  "dim sum" scallop dumpling with asparagus

4th course:  fish dumpling with blood sausage atop curried lentils

5th course:  ravioli

6th course:  roasted ox filet with mashed potatoes

7th course: veal filet

[we took a break and went for some air in the courtyard, then forgot to photograph the main course.  It was a lovely and melt-in-your-mouth tender]

8th course (dessert):  sorbert and poached plums

At the end of a very hectic week, it was a treat to just sit, relax, and be taken care of with no decisions to make.  The food was excellent - all meats perfectly cooked and all sauces delicately balanced.  For me, sauces are one of the hardest things to cook well, so are a real measure of a chef's cooking prowess.  We're sure there must be a dedicate saucier, as each dish had some kind of sauce or dressing that was flavorful, yet subtle.  We tasted hints of so many different flavors (many with Asian influence), but they all blended well together.  The service also was top notch, as it needs to be for a place featuring tasting menus, but the venue relatively casual for a higher-end restaurant.

We'd definitely recommend it for a special night out (though 8 courses might be too much!) and we plan to go back to their bar sometime.  Frau A spotted the roast beef focaccia coming out from the kitchen (it's on the reasonably priced bar menu) and wants to try it.