The Copper Onion

It seems some restaurant locations are just cursed. That despite their menu offerings, once the public starts to equate the spot with failure they're reluctant to try anything new that dares to occupy it's doomed walls. Like the old Oceans location on Van Winkle and the former Snelgrove building on Fort Union. So needless to say when I first saw signs of a new restaurant about to inhabit the space next to the Broadway theatre I was skeptical. But after reading some initial write-ups on the owners of The Copper Onion, I started to get excited. If I remember correctly, it's a husband and wife team and the wife did a stint at one of my favorite restaurants in New York, the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station.

That bit of background coupled with some good early reviews bubbled this restaurant up to the top of my list of places I wanted to try for my birthday last night. The Copper Onion is very much part of this new trend of combining seasonal and local ingredients with a nod to a more rustic take on classic american cuisine. I'm going to forgoe a full-on review here because that's not really my intention with this site, but I will say that we really liked what we had, aside from Steph not being crazy about the pork belly salad we shared. What she did seem to enjoy was her wagyu steak with a side of redwood-sized asparagus spears. Even ordered medium well per her state of pregnancy, the steak was incredible. In fact, you might say that all that marbeling in wagyu benefits from a longer cooking time as the fat melts away resulting in a very juicy and tender cut of meat. I had the Utah trout which was prepared very simply, as I imagine most of their dishes are, with just a light fennel salad on top and drizzled with lemon and chili oil. It's probably the best fish dish I've had in town - definitely the best trout I've had this side of Hungtington Canyon.

I wasn't able to take too many photos since it was a bit dark and I just had my iPhone. But here is a shot I got of our cheese and cured meat starter. The one in the back was a Praire Breeze white chedder, the other was a really creamy and mild blue that benefited from the fennel-studded honey in the center and some cantimpalo salami with paprika in the foreground. Great Stuff.



I will definitely be back, especially if they keep High West Distillery's whiskey on the menu. It will save me the trip to Park City. Thanks baby! I had a great time at our adult night out.

You can check out The Copper Onion's website here:

http://www.thecopperonion.com/