First let me state for the record that I am SHOCKED, stunned and completely bewildered that this restaurant is rated so highly. Almost every rating I have seen online gives it a 3.9 or better. I didn’t look into any of the reviews until today, and I just ate there on Thursday. So I went into this completely untainted.
Lets make this short shall we? The place is cramped and the furnishings resemble IKEAs cafeteria. No, I’m not joking. The table was wobbly?! The table beside us was so close that had anyone been seated there it would have become a dinner for 4 instead of a “romantic” dinner for two. The restaurant is located on Jasper Ave so it was wise of them to keep the door wide open, allowed for us to hear every siren and Harley that passed by. Which of course would have interfered with the conversation had the place been audible to begin with. But due to the over cramping of patrons it was virtually impossible to hear anything without shouting. The menu was European style, non inclusive sides, grrrr. The art was dry, and for lack of a better word, boring. And don’t bring your purse or a coat as there is nowhere to hang them. The womans room, yes that is right, one room, one toilet, just like a water closet on the main floor of your house, was surprise… cramped. The music was on repeat, which was nice, made it feel more comfy. Oh, and it only took the staff 1.5 minutes to pick up a dirty linen off the floor. Enough about ambiance, lets talk food. The short rib with pear and arugula was tasty, though very fatty. The salmon was bland, surprisingly tasteless and served on its skin. The spice on the potatoes was very citrusy, which didn’t help them at all as they were dry and overcooked. Again with the citrus on the slaw. Come now, so many herbs and spices to choose from, why was everything citrus? The wine was fair. Didn’t bother with desert. The only thing that compels me to give this place any positive feedback was the staff. They were knowledgeable and friendly. All things considered, I give Corso 32 a 2 out of 5. Pretentious clientele, horrible ambiance, bland menu. I would not go back.
