Coppa - 4 Turkeys

Coppa was my 2nd stop on my food travels in Beantown.  Elyse and I stuffed ourselves silly at lunch but still had room to head to dinner that night in the South End in Boston.  After perusing a local boutique we stumbled upon (and Elyse buying half the store...haha) we made it to Coppa.  At 7 PM it was already overflowing with the after work crowd at the bar and we were at an hour wait.  After yelling over a couple's conversation to the bartender to order we moved over closer to the door.  The hostess saw us and asked if we want to go ahead and sit down at the counter at the window...Score!  As we are glancing over the extensive menu of small plates and pizzas I look at the drink list again to see what the heck is in my drink (it tastes like straight up bourbon).  I notice that the drink that I thought said "Macaroni" actually was listed as Marconi.  Not that it would have clued me into what was in the drink but I got it because I was starving and I thought a drink called Macaroni (one of my favorite meals ever...as you will see in upcoming posts) would satisfy that need. ha. While I really enjoy Bourbon drinks I am old enough to know it's a bad idea to drink on an empty stomach.  Meanwhile, Elyse was enjoying a fizzy concoction.  


Our initial plan was appetizers at Coppa then on to Franklin Cafe or another nearby locale but with all the yummy options at Coppa we knew we were hooked for the night with the selections here.  We chose the marinated cauliflower which was a melange of purple, white, orange florets. Elyse was disappointed because she thought they'd be hot...while I had no expectations.  Was I impressed? No but then again it's cauliflower. I don't know if I've ever been impressed.  On to the next few plates.  The cauliflower was followed by Arancini...very standard filled with risotto and fontina served with some sauce.  It was delicious.  The risotto was creamy and cheesy.  


The final couple plates were the Salted Cod Crostini which at first surprised me because I was expecting a couple pieces of cod on top of the crostini. Instead it resembled mashed potatoes but upon tasting it tasted really good and really salty.  For the weak hearted or if you are prone to high cholesterol steer clear.  This is salty...just as the name implies.  Just be prepared for the texture.  The pasta dish was amazing - it was stuffed with celery root with a parmesan sauce with a hint of apple.  Again, the perfect combo of salt and sweet except this time it had plenty of sauce (really the exact right amount).  There were toasted almonds on top as well which just complimented the celery root with crunchiness.  It was a special that night but if you are lucky to hear it on the special list again...Jump on it!  The waitress did a great job with this recommendation.   

The drink list was extensive but many ingredients we were clueless on so we decided to go with another of the waitress' recommendation...Aperol Spritz.  She described it as being similar to Campari.  It got better as we drank it...unsure if it was due to the increase alcohol levels or the taste itself.  I'd recommend not getting it though unless you are a fan of Campari.  


Elyse astutely pointed out to our waitress that we were charged $9 for the cocktails but they were listed on their blackboard as $8.  Not that a $1 is going to make or break our check for the evening but nonetheless it needed to be pointed out.  Anyway, I thought the blackboard was worthy of a picture so I started snapping.  The manager must have seen me because shortly afterwards we received a visit from the manager along with a refund for the difference.  Oh well - our waitress got a few extra bucks for the tip. It was a nice gesture.  


They don't take reservations so go early.  The bar area isn't very spacious so if you don't snag a seat you'll be dancing around the wait staff.  The food is worth the wait and in good weather there are some good patio seats.  




Score: 40 points

Ambiance (4), Tastiness of Dishes (7), Menu (5), Drink Selection (4), Cost (8), Accessibility (3), Service (5), Location (4)