Cobble Hill — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

Let me preface this with a few facts. I have just recently relocated to IA in the last 3 years. Previous to that, I lived in the Bay Area of California for 20+ years. Born in Texas, been all over the US (NYC, New Orleans, Miami, just to name a few). I have made it a mission to try and experience delicious foods for myself. I research, and will plan out entire days around where I am going to eat, when I travel. Basically, I have a deep obsession with food.

Now with that out of the way, my husband and I travel all the way from Jesup, IA to visit Cobble Hill for what we have made, an annual Valentine's Day date. This is the second year we have visited this establishment. Though this is the first, that we were able to secure a reservation for their Valentine's Day tasting menu. I was thoroughly impressed with everything.

I love how quant it is inside. I love how the kitchen staff appears to LOVE what they do, and you can see them having a blast with one another as they cook. The wait staff, hostess, bar staff, and sommelier are all well versed and attentive. They have always been exceedingly cordial, and helpful. This may seem like a infinitesimal detail, but one thing that I have always judged a restaurant on is if I must continually request refills for myself. I never experienced that here in the times I have visited this establishment. Never once, have I had to ask to refill a drink. This detail is an outlier in all the restaurants I have frequented in the past. Only a few and far between have done this.

Now on to the food... I have visited Michelin Star restaurants in San Fran, NYC, and LA. And the single most delicious food I have ever eaten, was here at Cobble Hill. The potato gnocchi that I had last night on their tasting menu, was hand's down the MOST delicious single bite of food I have ever experienced in my life. If I could bottle that sauce, and simply swim in it, I would have. The poached lobster was divine. The stuffed Amish chicken was so moist, and cooked to perfection. Just so much love goes into eat dish, and you can taste every single ingredient in all their dishes. I do not drink, but my husband had the wine pairing with his dinner. He had nothing but amazing compliments with all of the pairings.

This restaurant deserves all of the culinary awards and more. It is so fortuitous that I live so close to such a culinary gem. They have a client for life, that will continually come back...

I finally made it down to try out Cobble Hill last night for my parents 51st wedding anniversary. To say I was impressed would be a vast understatement! First off, the vibe here is perfect. Its cozy, inviting, and decorated with just the right amount of holiday cheer. The service was top notch all around. You are never left wanting and all your needs are met from start to finish with a smile, good humor, and the friendly banter you hope to find but rarely do these days. We started out with the charceuterie board. What a showstopper! That in house made sausage and andouie "spread" with paprika was to die for, but it all was absolutely spectacular! It was a very generous portion for the four of us and we were kindly offered more bread to continue to almost entirely polish off the whole board. It was phenomenal. For my entree I ordered the Duroc pork. I have been blessed to eat at some very highly reguarded restaurants in my life and I have eaten some delicious meals, with that said I must add this entree to my top list of meals I have ever eaten. It was sensational! The duroc absolutely MELTED in my mouth. It was so tender and buttery. The citrus and pistachio, and honestly every bite that was paired with it on that plate, came together in a perfect harmony of flavors that I will remember and think back on fondly for a long time to come. My mom and sister enjoyed their arctic char and my dad had the flat iron, which was flavored nicely for him but texturely a bit more chewy than he would have tyoically preferred. For dessert we ordered the sweet potato mochi as well as the 100 layer apple cake. Both desserts were delicious! I especially enjoyed the fact that neither were overly sweet. If I had to choose I would say that the sweet potato mochi was my winner, it was absolutely amazing and the texture of it was beautifully done. All in all I had a truly magical experience and look forward to coming back...

This review maybe a bit jaded. We were a large group of eleven. No indoor seating was available so we were relegated to the outdoor patio. It is early evening July in Iowa with a heat wave warning.

On our arrival while waiting for the rest of our party we enjoyed some delicious inspired cocktails. The bar has a good energy and the bartender was attentive, helpful and accommodating. High marks for these ladies.

We then were seated on the patio and the hostess and staff were clearly aware of the less than favorable conditions. They tried to accommodate the discomfort by providing hand fans and wet napkins to place around the neck if so desired. The food was prepared to order and the wait staff was attentive though a bit slow at times. The food options were somewhat limited when it came to he entrees but there was an option for red meat, fish, vegetarian and fowl. Presentation when plating the food was well done. The food was fresh and delicious. I had a pork chop that was moist and cooked to a perfect temperature. The barbecued peas were a treat. My companions were complimentary to what they ordered.

Desserts were well received and they too had attractive appearance on the plate.

My only negatives has to do with the flies that were a persistent pest during the entire meal. Much more than a slight or occasional annoyance. Staff provided some repellent spray which when applied in the tight patio area allows for overspray to permeate. The addition of some supplementary air handling would have been greatly appreciated. If you are going to seat people outdoors for upscale dining then this is a necessary accommodation or just don’t offer the option.

I do not harbor any resentment toward the staff that did their best and were empathetic however management did not equip them for success.

Most likely I will not return. I was looking forward to this experience and my expectations...