Cozza Osteria and Enoteca

[Robin Garr]

The translation I had of the name was Mussle Inn and Wine Bar.

That's pretty much what I came up with, the only question being whether Cozza refers to the literal translation "mussel" or if it's someone's name. The refernce to a "Grandma Cozza" dish on the menu suggests the latter.

Whatever. This has been an interesting, pedantic linguistic diversion, but the bottom line is whether the food is good. In addition to the discussions about whether Jeff will support a good restaurant (and for what it's worth, Come Back Inn and Mai's Thai seem to have stuck), there's also the issue of why it's so hard to get folks from Louisville to make the short trek across the bridges for good eats.

In addition to the discussions about whether Jeff will support a good restaurant (and for what it's worth, Come Back Inn and Mai's Thai seem to have stuck), there's also the issue of why it's so hard to get folks from Louisville to make the short trek across the bridges for good eats.

I don't think it's an issue of if a place is good.....It's more of an issue of the cost of a meal. Trust me I grew up in and lived a small portion of my adult life in Clarksville and Jeffersonville, In most folks minds over there it's an issue of quantity over quality . The very top end for most people to spend on dinner would be maybe $40 for two for dinner at the Outback....And remember the salads are included in the price of the meal and not ala carte.

Got a chance to try the newly opened Cozza for lunch yesterday. Kind of a mixed bag overall. Started with a really nice brothy Pancetta-Corn Chowder. Great flavor, and just the thing on a frigid January day. Both of our pasta dishes, however, were somewhat lacking. The sauce for my Bolognase was both overly acidic and overly sweet, although the pasta was cooked perfectly and the little dollops of ricotta on top gave a nice little hit of richness. My wife's Carbonara was very heavily tossed with a cream sauce, and was lacking in any of the cured pork flavor and eggy richness I associate with the dish. If it had been ordered as an Alfredo, it would have been pretty alright. Service was excellent-very enthusiastic and friendly, as well as being right on time with anything we needed. The place looks nice-very light and open with a nice mix of abstract arty stuff on the walls. Price were extremely reasonable-2 pastas, a soup and an iced tea for under $20. We'll give it another try in a month or two to see how it's coming along.

Has anyone gotten a hold of a menu yet?

Just back from lunch and I am quite pleased.
I sampled both the Fennel Roasted Organic Pork Loin and the Beef Bolognese.
The server explained that the entrees are "tapas style" and I should probably order a soup or salad as well (ala carte). Not wanting either of those I instead went with two entrees. Tapas right? When they arrived, what I was thinking would be a small 4 or 5 bite dish, was actually two niced sized plates of food. Unless you are a glutton, there is no need to order two.

The pork was wonderful, It was billed on the menu as "wrapped in prosciutto with green beans, roasted garlic confit and pork porcini jus". Two 3 oz medallions seared nicely so the prosciutto became crispy and bacon like. Even though it was cooked though more than I prefer, it was still butter knife tender. It also was accompanied by a 1/2 roasted roma tomato and some nice roasted potatoes. The jus was to die for. The garlic confit turned out to be a couple of nice oil poached cloves of garlic that went perfectly spread on the pork and potatoes.
The bolognese was pretty good but not remarkable...Definately not as good as the pork. I didn't find the sauce too acidic or sweet at all like Clay did, but I did think it was a little flat. Something a splash of balsamic vinegar would help out a lot. The rigatoni was cooked perfectly and it came with the other 1/2 of roma tomato and a sprinkle of ricotta which was a welcome surpirse.
I was also offered some Garlic Rosemary Flat Bread by one of the other servers who recognized me from growing up with my younger brother. It was phenomenal. Light and crispy with just enough rosemary and garlic flavor not to be overwheming. She said that Chef Al was tinkering with some pizza ideas and was this might become the crust. If he goes with what I was offered, I can't wait to try the pizza.

My total came to a "whopping" $16.05 adding a $4.00 tip for service that was attentive and efficient. You can easliy spend less than $10 though. I made in and out in about 40 minutes for lunch. There was a steady stream of people coming in when I left at 12:30. I hope this place will make it, besides of all of the naysaying I have previously on this thread. If I worked Downtown and was given a choice between Cozza's and Vincenzo's I would prefer Cozza's as a much better value and food almost on par with the lunch offerings at Vinnie's. I asked for a menu on the way out and I will post it on a seperate thread.