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venue dining
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Copa De Oro Serves Fresh Look, Menu
By Anne Hillerman
For the Journal
It takes more than convenience to make a mark in the competitive restaurant world. With its location in Agora, Eldorado's shopping plaza, Copa de Oro is handy for Santa Fe County residents who live in this area; an energetic neighbor could just bike or jog over for a meal. Add the restaurant's interesting new menu and the freshly painted, welcoming environment, and you've got a low-key winner.
A few years ago when I ate at Copa de Oro, the food was mostly New Mexican; good but not exceptional. A recent lunch offered some great, stand-up choices that match and even surpass some of Santa Fe's popular lunch spots. Everything was fresh, served in ample portions and at reasonable prices.
The most outstanding feature of the satisfying lunch was the desserts. My friends and I tried the house-made lemon mousse ($5), so airy it practically floated out of its stemmed glass. The flavor was at first sweet and then tart, and the texture as smooth as whipped cream but without the heaviness. The apple pie ($5), with vanilla sauce and a scoop of ice cream on the side, had one of the best crusts I've ever eaten. Flaky, crisp, amazing. A lovely cinnamon accent flavored the sliced apples, cooked to leave a little crunch with a concentrated, tongue-pleasing flavor. The pie, and a triple chocolate cake also available at lunch and dinner, are made by a friend of the owner especially for the restaurant.
I mention desserts first, but don't forgo the main course. The lunch menu includes hot sandwiches, burgers, three Mexican/New Mexican choices and four salads. (The restaurant also serves dinner with a different menu.) When I asked about the soup of the day, a creamy broccoli ginger, the waiter brought a tasting cup. It was great; broccoli and ginger work well together.
We started with a shared shrimp cocktail ($8). Shrimp cocktails sound easy, but they are often disappointing, with shrimp less than fresh or mushy from freezing. This one was lovely. The five big shrimp, cooked on-site that morning, tasted as if they'd just been flown in.
Our three sandwiches were winners as well. Each came with an interesting garnish of picked grapes — sweet and sour at the same time — and a choice of fries or green salad. The Carolina-style barbecue beef ($8) was the most daring of the bunch. The smoky beef, plentiful and juicy, had a spicy, slightly sweet sauce. It was a gorgeous, three-napkins-required extravaganza.
The grilled vegetable sandwich ($9), on the same fresh, light bun as the barbecue, included grilled zucchini and yellow squash sliced in thin rounds that made them easy to eat. Pieces of mushroom, slightly sweet caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and mild melted jack cheese combined to create a yummy lunch. Veggie sandwiches can be dry disasters; this one was superior. You don't have to be a vegetarian to like it.
The Ultimate Ruben ($9) got the beautiful lunch prize because of the marbled bread, a swirl of dark rye next to the light. The kitchen toasted the bread for crunch, a pleasant contrast to the soft insides. The sauerkraut was mellow, not pucker-up tart or overly salted. We got plenty of pastrami and enough cheese, all finished with a perky Russian dressing. The Copa Spiced Fries were unremarkable but the perfectly fresh salad was better than average, with its highlights of pretty diced tomato and tangy vinaigrette dressing.
We also sampled the crispy duck carnitas tostadas, quite a meal. The crisp and flavorful duck meat, pinto beans and crisp corn tortillas were topped with an bushel of fresh lettuce and an artistic drizzle of Mexican crema. ($11). I'd gladly eat this dish again.
Our lunch for four, with often-refilled iced teas, was $61 before tax and tip.
Copa de Oro gives the folks on this end of Santa Fe County another reason to save gasoline and eat close to home.
HOURS: Lunch 11:30-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; dinner 5-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays
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