Feature – Cosm Dallas
“Shared Reality” is a concept many are not familiar with. However, if you live in the Metroplex, there is a new venue that provides an atmosphere and watching experience unlike any other in Texas. Cosm Dallas, which is located in The Colony’s Grandscape, is the newest way to watch your favorite team, all in a completely altered reality that makes you feel like you’re there. No longer do you need to board a plane to go see a Cowboys’ road game or cross the Atlantic Ocean to watch Premiere League soccer.
As you enter Cosm, you are immediately met with a venue that is part sports bar, part professional sports venue, and all state-of-the-art visuals. Cosm has several viewing options. First is The Hall. The Hall is an elevated sports bar taken to the max. High ceilings and a massive LED display take up an entire wall, taking your gameday-watching experience to the next level. This multi-view experience is perfect for an NCAA football Saturday or NFL Sunday, where you might be interested in keeping tabs on multiple games at once.
The Deck is Cosm’s outdoor viewing experience. A terrace outside the top level makes for a great place to watch games during the beautiful spring months and would be a perfect place to catch some day baseball. Comfy seating and an outdoor bar make this a great place to meet up for some afternoon cocktails with friends or colleagues, even if there isn’t a game you are specifically wanting to watch. Cosm is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Both of the previous options are fantastic for a great game-watching experience, but if you want the ultimate, then you absolutely must see The Dome. The Dome is Cosm’s full Shared Reality, immersive adventure that features an 87-foot diameter 12K+ LED dome, made of thousands of replaceable LED modules that snap into place and are individually installed to create a large, uniform CX Display. CX Display, powered by CX Engine, transports those in attendance to the actual venue via Shared Reality cameras, making you feel like you’re there.
We were at Cosm for their first-ever virtual broadcast of the TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League), and I cannot express just how spectacular it was. Multiple camera angles switch back and forth and offered a one-of-a-kind look at this startup league. While in The Dome, you really feel like you’re there, and I truly mean that. The LED display is so crisp and clear, it felt like we were right there with Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala and Justin Rose.
If you have been keeping up with the TGL, then you likely caught the viral moment from the match between Jupiter Links and Los Angeles where Kevin Kisner hit a bunker shot thin, which rattled off the flagstick and had Tiger Woods cry-laughing. At that moment, in The Dome at Cosm, the reaction from the crowd was the exact same as those actually watching at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The laughter and cheers really made you feel like you were part of the live action. It was a sports moment I won’t forget.
In addition to this initial TGL viewing experience, Cosm offers tickets to NFL games in The Dome, as well as Mavericks games, other NBA games, NCAA football, English Premiere League, UFC pay-per-views (I will definitely be going to one of these) WWE pay-per-views and many other events.
If you’re not a huge sports fan and still want to check out Cosm, don’t fret, there are also other viewing experiences, like “O” by Cirque du Soleil, or Orbital, which is a trip through the cosmos narrated by the astronauts and cosmonauts of the Constellation Coalition. If you are looking for something kid-friendly and educational, you can’t go wrong with this show.
There are three levels in the Cosm Dome: level one, level two and level three. We chose seats in level two, which was a great look at the Shared Reality screen. It should be noted that there are bartop tables at the back of level two that only offer limited views of the overhead part of the display, so be aware if you are looking at those seats.
The food and beverages at Cosm are simple, yet delicious. Most are your standard bar fare but elevated to add to the overall experience. One thing I can tell you is Cosm is fast with their ticket times. The venue was fairly busy (for a Tuesday), and from the time we ordered our entrees until they came out was only about seven minutes. Now, it may be a little slower when, say, there is a primo football game on and the place is wall-to-wall spectators. But I still felt like the food came out very fast for the number of people in the venue.
Beers and cocktails are staples of any sports-watching experience, and it is no different at Cosm. They have beers, wines and signature drinks, any of which will get you prepped for watching your team in the Shared Reality dome or on one of their hundreds of additional screens.
Of course, they have domestics, many of which are on draft and served in a frosty schooner. Miller Lite, Coors Light, Shiner, Modelo and Blue Moon are just a few of the draft selections. If you are looking for something more exotic, there are a number of bottles and cans, as well, like the Revolver Blood & Honey or a Stella Artois. They even have a couple of non-alcoholic brews if you are serving as the designated driver for the evening, or just trying to cut back on alcohol.
Cosm also offers nine signature cocktails, like the Zero-G espresso martini, which is a scrumptious combo of Townes Vodka, Monin Vanilla, Licor 43, Borghetti Café Espresso, Zero Gravity Cold Brew coffee, walnut and orange bitters. This drink is complex with multiple flavor profiles and will give you the caffeinated kick to root for your favorite team once the game begins.
I went for the Pineapple Rum Noir, which is a blend of Meyer’s Rum, pineapple juice, lemon juice, strawberry syrup, simple syrup and bitters. Even though I tried this cocktail in January, it would be perfect for one of those warmer spring or summer days. It was light and refreshing without too much of a rum bite or too much sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There are a few appetizers for the table if you are wanting a snack or something to share before you order your entrees. The chips and salsa are great. Smoky salsa can be paired with either guac or some house-made queso blanco. Wings are also available and can be served in Cosm dry-rub, original buffalo, a Cholula honey or lemon pepper flavors. They come with some creamy ranch or bleu cheese for dipping.
One appetizer we saw go by our table multiple times were the smoked brisket masa fries. These crispy fries are smothered in brisket, queso, cotija cheese and some fresh pico de gallo. I will tell you this looked like far more than an appetizer. It is a huge plate of food and could be ordered as a meal for one (maybe even two) or a great shared plate for the whole table.
If you are in the mood for something a little lighter, there are a pair of tuna apps that you might be interested in. The tuna wonton nachos are a refreshing combo of Ahi tuna, avocado chimichurri, some aioli, pickled fresno chilis, sesame seeds and scallions. Cosm also offers a spicy tuna sushi roll with avocado, cucumber, carrots and chives. Either offers come great protein-packed bites that won’t hit you quite as hard as the aforementioned masa fries with brisket.
There also a trio of flatbreads that are perfect to split with a date or business partner. There is a simple margherita, with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. If you want something meaty, then go for the spicy pepperoni. Or if you are one who likes the fungi, try the wild mushroom version with caramelized onions, fontina cheese and garlic confit.
For main courses, I tried the Double Wagyu Smashburger, which came complete with a pair of well-seasoned beef patties, caramelized onions, white American cheese, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun. The patties were well prepared and juicy, the cheese was melty, and the veggies tasted fresh. There is also a great burger sauce on top that really adds a flavor explosion to this handheld. The burger came with some crispy fries, which were salty and a great sidecar to the burger.
My wife, Stephanie, opted for something a little lighter and went with the grilled chicken club. The breast was marinated, which kept it nice and juicy, and topped with cheddar, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and some creamy aioli. It was a rockstar chicken sando, and I would absolutely recommend it if you happen to be a fan of the yard bird.
There are a couple of menu items I wanted to try, but ultimately chose the burger. The lobster grilled cheese is a best seller at Cosm, and rightfully so, as it blends buttery lobster with cheddar, Oaxaca and creamy aioli on sourdough bread. It’s a grilled cheese on steroids and looked amazing the couple of times we saw it flash by our table on the way to another diner.
The steak frites also looked great, with grass-fed, juicy beef, seared to perfection and covered with a bright, fragrant chimichurri and served with those crispy fries.
If you have a sweet tooth, the churros or the assortment of fresh cookies is a great way to end your meal.
It should be noted that you will need to buy tickets to Cosm. The tickets come in different tiers.
A “Cosm Access Pass,” which gives you access to Hall level 1, Hall Club level 2, The Deck level 3 and The Dome general access, costs around $40. The “Hall Club Pass,” which gives you access to everything in the Cosm Access Pass except The Dome general access, costs a little more than $20.
Tickets for The Dome can get a little pricy, but the technology and the experience are worth it, especially if you plan to go with a larger group. Level 1 Reserved spots at the bottom of The Dome can easily fetch $100 depending on the event, and a booth that seats eight can venture into the high three figures or more, again, depending on the event.
For Level 2 Club Reserved, a two-seat booth runs around $250, a three-seat booth costs close to $400, a four-seat booth is around $500, and the biggest of them all, a six-seater, can go for over $700, which isn’t much more than $100 per person. But, again, you need to buy the whole booth.
For Level 3 Reserved, high-top tables are going for $50, two-seat tables run around $99 per seat for three- and four-seat booths.
I know it seems like some of these prices are a little high, but when you factor it out per seat, it’s obviously much cheaper than, say, attending the National Championship game or trying to score tickets to watch Texas and Texas A&M play.
Cosm is truly unlike anything I have ever seen. If you ever went to the Omni Theatre at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History as a kid, then you have a little bit of an idea as to what you are walking into. But the technology and the overall size of Cosm makes the old school Omni look like watching a Zenith TV from the 1970s.
Food is great, service was solid, and everyone there seems willing to help you if it’s your first time. Tickets aren’t super cheap, but the experience is well worth it if you want something truly extraordinary for your next date, corporate team-building event, or if you are a die-hard fan and want the next best thing to actually attending the event. Cosm is spectacular in every way, and you should m