I never thought I'd be reviewing a restaurant that's built into a hotel. The fare at such places is, in my mind, created to appease hungry/lazy travelers who don't want to shell out the extra cash for a cab/rental and are just looking to knock off a meal without too much effort. One would think, then, that the quality of food would reflect this "well, I guess I should eat something," attitude, but then one would think wrong.
Coppers is built into the Country Springs Hotel and is visible immediately upon entering the lobby. It has the feeling of a classic pub and immediately lives up to the atmosphere with a menu boasting exactly 100 different varieties of bottled beer. This was a hugely welcome surprise to my group, all of whom hailed from Denver and appreciated their microbrews. We all ordered something local to Wisconsin (which were helpfully written in a different color of font) and awaited our food.
One of the first things we all noted was how remarkably knowledgeable our server was. Not only did he take our orders without writing a single thing down, but he knew every single beer on their list and which number it was - both in numerical order and in terms of popularity. He was a complete asset to our group of Wisconsin beer newbies, and immediately set the tone for a solid meal.
We knew it wouldn't be too long before we were eating dinner (we had all arrived on a late afternoon flight), and so we limited our meal to some shared appetizers, a burger, and the french onion soup.
The nachos started us off, and started us off well. Piled high with chips and cheese alike, the plate rewarded us handsomely for replacing a meal with an appetizer. We only ordered cheese on the first round, but would later try - and enjoy - the chicken. Guac and cheese accompany the appetizer in a chip bowl, and round the whole thing off nicely.
I only tried a little of the french onion soup, but was just as impressed with the quality as I was with the nachos. Coppers does not phone in any of the ingredients, and you're given a hearty, warm soup perfect for battling Wisconsin winters.
The burger was the least impressive of the three dishes, but only because it was very simple and had few frills to separate it from the burger herd. They cut it and all the ingredients precisely in half on hearing we were sharing it, and I really have no complaints save the bottom bun was a little soggy.
As we continued to eat our meal, other members of our group (and a huge group it was as we were all going to the same wedding) showed up to join us in a drink. Our waiter tirelessly combined tables, took orders, and continued giving recommendations to the latest additions.
And then he did it again when a few more people showed up.
And again.
And AGAIN.
Soon we had grown from a party of four to about a party of 16, spread across 5 tables pushed together. Rather than becoming harried through these constant expansions, the staff easily accommodated us all. They even went so far as to give us a few complimentary beers to sample when they learned of our interest in local brews.
The whole experience turned from what should have been a routine "let's just get some food into our systems" into a raucous reunion, a transition made possible entirely by the staff and menu. If you find yourself in the area, consider dropping by. If you're staying at the Country Springs Hotel and have a mind to try some new beer, DEFINITELY stop by.
As a final note, I debated between the single and double dollar price range. In truth, a lot of the items offered at lunch were just shy of $10...but if you're going to take my advice and pick up a beer with your meal, expect to push closer to the $20 range! read more