It’s probably because it was Easter weekend and I’ve been missing my family more than usual, but dining at the CopperTop Tavern felt like sitting in my grandparents’ living room.

On the far wall was a giant fireplace with an even larger flat screen television set above it. I was seated on a brown leather bench surrounded by tables that had people from all walks of life — a group of chatting elderly couples, two young families laughing and an actual family get-together.

I was both impressed and reminded of the amazing ability food has to bring together friends and family.

The bustling noise of the restaurant created a relaxed, cozy atmosphere. The room itself enhanced this sentiment with the low-hanging, dark wooden banisters and heavy floral drapes across the doorway dampening the room’s sounds. Dim light was emitted from lamps hanging from the walls. And large groups of guests could be seated at long tables in the center of the room or smaller tables around the edge. It feels and looks like an Irish pub.

One look at the menu immediately explained the diverse crowds feasting around us. The CopperTop Tavern serves everything.

At a loss for words, I asked the waitress what the specialties were. She laughed, and said they just serve a little bit of it all. “It’s all good,” she said.

Trying to stall, I ordered the most interesting sounding shareable starter, the avocado eggrolls. They were lightly fried and crispy, the base was filled with cream cheese and layered with sautéed red onion, black beans, eggplant and roasted red peppers, and were covered in a layer of slightly brown avocado. Sprinkled on top were diced tomato and cilantro. The dish also came with a pile of pasta chips.

The eggrolls were warm and gooey to bite into, tasting similar to a little crispy burrito. When dipped into the pale pink Santa Fe ranch dressing, they had the perfect spicy kick. While the chips were puffed, crunchy and drizzled in Parmesan basil oil, they felt more like another starter rather than a way to enhance the flavor of the eggrolls.

Next came the main dishes — I ordered the rustic burger melt, which came with a spear pickle and tavern fries. The portion of fries was huge, with the crispy, golden fries expanding well over half the plate. Unfortunately, most were pretty cold.

The burger bun had been toasted and spread with garlic butter, garlic aioli and balsamic glaze and was layered with fresh basil, arugula and roasted red pepper. The mozzarella and Romano cheeses were melted on top of the beef patty.

When I cut the burger in half to eat it, the cheese pulled in long strands and the sauces oozed out of the sides. The pairing of flavors was on point, but the actual patty was pretty dry. Without the sauce, it would have been hard to swallow.

I also ordered the dinner special, which was the new Guinness braised short ribs. The homemade mashed potatoes had been cooked to crispy edge perfection, stacked with the braised ribs and smothered in a thick, stew-like gravy.

The dish was embellished with three deep-fried onion rings, and on each side of the mashed potatoes was a generous helping of steamed carrots, broccoli and green squash in garlic butter. I was surprised to find them cold while the rest of the dish was hot.

The mashed potatoes were heavenly and complimented the rich, hearty flavor of the gravy. Unfortunately, the ribs, like the burger, were slightly dry and hadn’t been left to stew for long enough to achieve the juicy, succulent texture I was hoping for.

CopperTop Tavern serves such a large variety of flavorful dishes that it’ll be hard not to find something that doesn’t make your mouth water. It’s not groundbreaking quality or exotic food, but it has generous proportions, a cool restaurant space and friendly waitresses.

It’s a classic American staple.

Published on April 5, 2015 at 9:12 pm