Last night, Darrel and Mark W. from MNteractive.com and I grabbed a bite at Cossetta’s in downtown St. Paul.
When we were in Evanston, IL, Jen and I lived right next to Panino’s Italian Cafe. Panino’s is a little takeout italian place with decent pizza, soggy italian beefs, and overdone onion rings. All 5 minutes past their prime. Though Panino’s is not a place for culinary epiphanies – it does have its place. Conveniently for Panino’s, that place was between the commuter train and my apartment.
Cossetta’s is the larger, St. Paul version. Conveniently close to the Xcel Energy Center, their limited menu offers a handful of options for salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and other red sauce-laden entrees. I found the path through the store confusing. One line for pizza, one line for everything else, both lines converge on the same checkout. It wasn’t clear which person I order the meatball sandwich from, the person underneath the sandwiches menu? the person in front of the red sauce-laden dishes? the person making the cold sandwich? Yes, 3 different people.
Answer: Person in front of the red sauce-laden dishes.
The meatballs were plump, moist, and just the right texture. The bread, I want to say it was the wrong bread for that sandwich. Though, it was the same half-chewy, half-soggy, meat-delivery-device Panino’s uses. Perhaps this bread is like parsley. More for presentation than ingestion.
On the way out, I grabbed some pizza and a tiramisu to enjoy while watching the Amazing Race (Go Lynn & Alex!) with Jen. The tiramisu was exactly right; creamy, espresso-y, and rich.
Three things in closing:
- Their wine pours go all the way to the top.
- Bus your own table.
- Check out their Italian market, full of interesting foods you won’t find at the local Cub.
Cossetta’s
211 West 7th St
St. Paul, MN
UPDATE: 18 May 2006, Two MN Foodies Cossetta’s review is even harder on them.