You might remember in my last post that I’m collaborating with OpenTable during Portland Dining Month. This year there are over 100 restaurants in the Portland area participating, bringing you a three-course meal for $29.
My friend and I decided to check out Coppia, an Italian restaurant located in the Pearl District. Neither of us had been there before and we were super impressed.
Each restaurant has a specific menu that correlates with Portland Dining Month. Coppia offered two courses for each course, so we ordered one of each (6 total) and split them. We were also offered a complimentary glass of Prosecco, which was lovely.
Menu:
Complimentary glass of Prosecco
First Course:
Insalta — lettuce, hazelnuts, blood orange and gorgonzola crumbles
~OR~
Artichoke flan with shaved fennel, chervil and caprino goats cheese
Second Course:
Handmade gnocchi with pistachio-arugula pesto, garlic chips and Bra duro cheese
~OR~
Lamb and pork meatballs with aged fontina polenta, pickled mustard seeds and pearl onions
Third Course:
Blood orange tart with a brown butter pastry and blood orange curd
~OR~
Vanilla bean panna cotta with olive oil and raspberries
The food was delicious. Each course was presented beautifully and each bite was full of flavour.
First Course: The salad was simple but so flavourful, anything with hazelnuts involved is good with me. I’m not a big artichoke fan, but oh my goodness was that tasty. They used just the right amount of fennel so as to not overwhelm the dish with a licorice taste.
Second Course: When these plates came to the table, Taylor and I were so excited. I don’t think I’ve ever seen gnocchi presented as beautifully as this was. The gnocchi was light and fluffy and the pistachio-arugula pesto was to die for. And those garlic chips on top? Yum. Now about those meatballs. Whoa. They were amazing and the polenta was so cheesy and creamy. Each bite was perfect.
Third Course: Dessert time! I’m a baker that doesn’t really like dessert. Crazy, I know. These desserts might have changed that though. The blood orange tart with brown butter pastry was amazing. You could taste the nuttiness of the brown butter and blood orange might just have become my new favourite citrus. The panna cotta was fantastic. So smooth and flavourful. Don’t be weirded out by olive oil in your dessert — it pairs with it perfectly and the raspberries provide a nice burst of colour to the plate and slight tartness to the taste.
I would totally recommend everyone in Portland or visiting Portland check out Coppia. It’s a good place to go for a glass of wine, would be great for date night, or just a nice, relaxed place to hang out with friends.
