**Updated 10/13/08- as of my last visit to the area, Copper is now closed**
We were excited to go to the North Street Grill in Fishkill for dinner one night. We love this place for the decor, the atmosphere and the food and wine. The prices were always very reasonable too. It is located right down the street from Cibo. As we arrived we noticed the name on the door, said ‘Copper’. Oh… how my heart sank. I hate when that happens. Now I was a little wary, but we were also famished. So we decided to give it a try. On first glance, the decor had remained the same. The menu had changed though. And I must say, the prices had increased a bit. As it turns out the owners of the Keltic House, bought the place and had renamed it Copper and their chef recreated the menu.
The menu is billed as ‘Eclectic American Cuisine’ extensive, with one for lunch and one for dinner. They include soups, salads, appetizers and main courses ranging from pork, NY strip steak, gnocchi and gumbo. There is definitely a diverse mix of everything here and I can’t imagine not finding something that you would like on the menu. In that respect, it does live up to the name. There are also daily blackboard specials that are posted on chalkboard throughout and right outside the front entrance. We split a ‘split’ of Freiexnet Cava ($7) to drink with our appetizer and later ordered glasses of wine to be brought with our meal. The wine list was also extensive and I found the same Chianti that I remember loving still remained on the menu. It was a Melini for ($6), which is more than reasonable. My only complaint here was that the glasses used were way too small and filled to the brim. My suggestion would be to have a larger glass, even if it is only 3/4 of the way full. It is better for the wine. The wine however, was just as good as I remember it.Out came hot freshly baked rolls and home-made herb butter. For our first course, we shared the Tomato Crab Bisque, which as the menu pointed out, was overflowing with crab meat. It was absolutely wonderful. Smooth, creamy and sprinkled with just enough fresh basil. It went perfectly with our Cava.
Next came the salads. Both were mesclun, but mine had walnuts and generous hunks of crumbly blue cheese. Chris had the raspberry vinaigrette. Both were delicious and fresh,but his had a bit too much dressing and needed some nuts or something a bit more crunchy to stand out from being just leaves on the plate.
I ordered from the blackboard specials. I had the Roasted Leg of Lamb ($25.95) with a dijon herb crust, served with onion marmalade, crispy onions, mashed potatoes, carrots and asparagus. When this came out, I almost dropped my teeth. What a presentation! Everything worked so well in this dish. The lamb was fresh, spices not overpowering, the onion marmalade was thick and sweet and the vegetables cooked perfectly. I did not order lamb much, but I ordered mine medium and it did look a little too undercooked and pink in the center to be medium, but it was still delicious.
Chris had the Lobster Ravioli ($18.95) which was tri-colored ravioli filled with lobster covered in a roasted mushroom and tomato and sherry cream sauce. His looked delicious (hard to beat mine). Pasta was cooked just right and the lobster was generous. Though the portion looked small, it was very filling and any more would have been too much!
We toyed with not having dessert, but when we looked at the menu, we couldn’t resist. We shared the Chocolate Truffle ($8), which is far from what you think it is. It is a zabaglione cream center surrounded by chocolate gelato with carmalized hazelnuts. There were also swirls of chocolate and hazelnut sauce and a mini canoli sticking out from the side. The dessert was a work of art and delicious, but in both our opinions, it was a bit overkill, with just a little too much going on. We were thankful that our intent was to split this. I would NOT order this for just one person!!
Our server, Evy, was very bubbly, attentive and knowledgeable. Overall the meal was delicious. Other than the few things mentioned, my other complaint is rather silly. The size of the plates are too large for the tables. If you are just 2 and are seated at a small table for 2, there is no room to maneuver or put down your wine glass or silverware… at least with the large square plates we were served with. If you are looking for a more intimate feel, aim for a table toward the front, as the rear tables are closer to the bar and can get a bit noisy on a weekend night. Considering that I liked the North Street Grill… for the prices and for the ‘smaller’ menu, I must say that the prices here seem to have crept up and the menu may be a little too large.
Bottom line….they are off to a great start. Copper is worth the few extra pennies. Pun intended.
Copper
1111 Main Street
Fishkill, NY 12524
845.896.1000