I may have found my happy place. My face still hurts from smiling from ear to ear all night. May have been because of the gorgeous spring day, which, as you hardened Bostonians know, was vastly overdue. Might have been that the Foursquare Prosecco deal bubbles went straight into my head. Or maybe I just found my death-row meal x 435435889. Seriously. Coppa, if you're looking for someone to watch over your wine cellar / crawlspace on the left of the bar, I'll be happy to take up residence, just so I can be in the proximity of the amazingness that you churn out daily. I swear I can crawl through that drawf door.
In all seriousness, Coppa is not to be missed. The better half and I decided to celebrate the apparent arrival of spring by going out to dinner all the way across the river. Being partial to the offerings of Cambridge and Somerville and considering that we usually never make it past Inman Square, this is noteworthy. Coppa is relaxed, very unfussy and hits all the right notes for me, starting from the decoration. Wooden tables, dishtowels for napkins and a boar's head on the wall go beautifully with pigging out on choice cuts of our porcine friends (Puns. I haz them). But don't bother with plopping yourself at a table, sit at the bar! Yes, I know Coppa takes reservations now and it has made formerly deterred guests flock to Coppa, but seats at the bar are much more fun at a place like this. 'Tis a beautiful and spell-binding sight to stare at the oscillation of the deli slicer while it cuts away at the house-cured salumi destined for your belly.
We took our seats at the bar and after the hipster/social media nerd obligatory check ins on Foursquare, we claimed our $3 glasses of Prosecco, which we downed while pondering the menu. A few words about Ian, our bartender. This guy is REALLY good at what he does. He was definitely busy, working the bar and service bar by himself, but never seemed hurried or flustered. He was always ready with a suggestion, indulged our whimsies and has the patience of Mother Theresa for answering our questions about pretty much everything on the menu. We had the Sailor's Mercury (wonderfully refreshing), Riccardo (sort of devilish, the Creme de Mezcal gave it a cool smokiness) and Cynar Flips. Not to mention, he could slither in and out of the mini wine cellar - clearly a job requirement for Coppa bartender.
THE FOOD. Gosh. It made me sort of sad to see South End sorority girls eating pizzas, when there are offal goodies on the menu.But I guess not everyone is as obsessed with the nasty bits. And then again, if Coppa didn't sling pizzas and pastas, I don't think they could serve the more obscure dishes. So keep ordering pizza, my J.Crew clad, pearl-wearing sisters! More tripe and tongue for meeeeeee!
Lengue: So yummy. Melted in your mouth. Don't waste your time on prosciutto, get this!
Crostini di Fegato / Chicken live crostini with mostarda:I think I cried. Tasted of childhood. Made my chicken liver pate making nana spin in her grave. If a dish is better than anything your (or anyone else's, for that matter) grandmother can make, you know you've hit gold.
Blood sausage: While we were pondering if we would get another serving of salumi, we were presented with a taste of the blood sausage. Salty and just a tad smoky, just brilliant. Also, extra noms-points for offering tasty samples to your customers.
Tuna Crudo: Now this. Just. Beautiful. Sexiest piece of fish I ever ate. And I know my fish, having been reared on herring and gravlax almost exclusively.
Coda de Maiale: My sidekick cried. OK, that might be an exaggeration. His eyes misted over while he rummaged his brain for the appropriate reaction, only to come up with "merrhghhhhgssghhh". The roasted pig tail is unctuous and just flat-out wonderful. A little too fatty for my tastes, I picked around for the roasted meat, avoiding the fattier bits.
Trippa alla Collinsville: Messieurs Bissonnette, Oringer. I have a business proposal. Trippa alla Collinsville microwavable meals. Immediate millionairedom, check. All I want is monthly shipments of this. In gallon vats. Amazing. I think I sprained my eyes when they rolled to the back of my head when I first tasted this.
Funghi Marinati / Marinated Mushrooms with Eva's Herbs: Out of all the things we ordered, the least wow-y. Definitely tasty, but having just inhaled the Trippa alla Collinsville, it lacked complexity.
Cheese plate - piave / parmesan plus three soft cheeses: Sadly, I don't remember the names of the soft cheeses because I think my brain stopped processing information around the chicken liver crostini. As a fan of the harder cheeses, I can tell you that the piave and parmesan are definitely worth a try. We let Ian do the picking and he certainly didn't disappoint.
The tab was surprisingly reasonable - a little over a $100. $100 for the quality of fare Coppa serves is almost criminal. read more