Gary H.
Yelp
Our first night out to the Cozy Taberna tonight, and what an enjoyable night! Lately, it seems very hard to find a really nice restaurant in the Salem area. There are 3 or 4 we frequent pretty regularly, but tonight was our anniversary, and we were looking for something different than the regular places.
We sat at The Chef's Counter. It was a bar-style seat, but the seats were comfortable. Sitting there was very nice. First of all, it's cold in Salem right now, and second, the heat from the grills and ovens made it super comfortable. It was also very interesting to watch the food being prepared. The chefs all seemed to be enjoying their work. One thing that stood out for me was how, with each piece of meat that was taken from a grill or oven, a meat thermometer was used to check the temperature. This impressed me.
All the dishes are made to share, and the menu looked really good, so we ordered four items: Fried Brussel Sprouts, Radiccio Salad, Moroccan Brick Chicken, and Sirloin Bavette Steak.
I wasn't crazy about the radiccio salad. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't for me. The brussel sprouts, chicken, and steak were a different story. I couldn't get enough of them! The brussel sprouts were sweet and savory. The chicken was pretty spicy, in a Moroccan way. And the steak was perfect! It wasn't until it was gone that we remembered it was "just a sirloin steak".
In short, dinner was fantastic. The staff were very helpful and courteous. The atmosphere was great. The music was very tasteful. We'll definitely return for another great evening.