by LINDEN GROSS, One Stop Writing Shop & Oregon Local Getaways

(Photos above by Linden Gross)

Tired of the same old thing when you head out for drinks or dinner? Then Cobalt may just be your answer.
For starters, the restaurant is serious about its cocktails, with Mike Fleury from San Francisco craft cocktail powerhouse Alembic curating the drink menu. Naturally, that’s where my friends and I started, allowing Scott Cook, brother of owner Justin Cook (think Kanpai and Dojo, the restaurant that was in the same spot before it turned into Cobalt) to choose for us.
The round he brought us included a Berry Dogmatic—gin (or vodka) mixed with a berry concoction soaked in red wine vinegar for ten days and then lightly macerated with rosemary, and topped with absinthe spray, a Six-Toed Cat (aged rum, Sweet Vermouth, lime, homemade grenadine and mole bitters) and what is billed as the best margarita in Bend.
Yup. The cocktails work.
Cobalt’s menu focuses on small plates and so did we.
We started with chicken oysters, fried tender morsels of chicken served in a serrano pepper sauce and deemed frickin’ fabulous by my out-of-town friend.
That round also included fried Brussel sprouts served al dente with an ancho chili aioli, which I’d go back for in a second. Crunchy, with a slight char and a gentle kick. Fantastic.
We moved onto Hamachi cured in sea salt, lemon zest and parsley, and served with red onion, lemon, fried capers, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and slices of grilled baguette. The yellowtail tuna was silky as could be. It did taste a little fishy on its own, but was lovely when smushed (that’s a technical term) around in the lemon juice and olive oil.
Grilled Primal Cuts creole sausage with goat cheese polenta, pickled jalapeno and arugula salad worked on every front. The sausage was full of flavor while the salad dressed in a lemon vinaigrette providing a perfectly citrusy contrast.
We enjoyed the espresso-dusted grilled hangar steak, served in a tasty guajillo blueberry adobo reduction. (I told you this place doesn’t serve your run-of-the-mill food.) Despite the creative sauce, I could still taste the delicious Cascade Natural beef.
The Prince Edward Island mussels with Spanish chorizo, garlic and white wine were out of this world. The marriage between seafood and spicy pig worked on every level, and we all wanted a straw for the broth. Next time I’m bringing my own loaf of bread to mop it up.