I resisted the urge to hum the namesake Barry Manilow tune as we pulled into the frenetic valet scene at one of the city’s newest and most anticipated new restaurants, Coppa (5555 Washington). After Chris Shepherd departed Catalan to start his own restaurant (Underbelly, to open this fall), the space was slated for a transformation taking it from Spanish-inspired straight to Italy, via the talents of the highly successful restaurant duo, Charles Clark and Grant Cooper. As you know, they also operate Ibiza Food & Wine and Brasserie 19.
Changes include a significantly enlarged bar area and a delightful partially covered patio with yellow and white striped awning, cute lights and comfy lounge seating. It’s more casual than you might imagine with butcher-paper-covered tables and servers wearing jeans. With a throbbing soundtrack playing everything from Broken Bells to Michael Jackson, this is the perfect backdrop for the pretty young things on display, as Coppa is clearly this moment’s place to see and be seen.
The team wrangled Houston chef Brandi Key, former R&D chef at the Pappas group, to take the helm in the refurbished kitchen, which now includes a handcrafted Mugnaini oven, made of clay unique to the hills above Florence and capable of reaching temps upwards of 900 degrees. Go figure, pizza makes up a large part of the menu, which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned. We tried the “Coppa ham and eggs” pizza topped with spicy dried pork shoulder and quail eggs, and I was mightily impressed by the crust, crisp with nice yeasty pockets of air and an almost sourdough essence. I loved the wonderful sootiness on the bottom. Alas, I found the pork a tad salty (and I love salt), though the bites including the creamy quail eggs were nicely balanced. On another day, I had the margherita pizza, which I liked better. Next up for me will be the lamb sausage pizza with feta and mint.
Other categories of the dinner menu include small plates and creative pasta dishes, along with a few salads and grilled items. Sandwiches and calzones are on the lunch menu. While I enjoyed the flavor and consistency of the spicy fennel sausage and parmesan polenta pudding, my dinner companion thought the polenta too much on the sweet side. The ravioli filled with goat cheese and served with shaved zucchini, mint, Fresno chile and Marcona almonds was deemed a real winner with fresh, straightforward flavors and wonderful textures.
The dessert menu includes a variety of Italian favorites including the fabulous zeppole – fried Italian doughnuts served with a dark chocolate sauce and berry conserva for dipping. They are a cross between a beignet and a cake donut, and I became an instant fan.
Service was warm and gracious and there is a nice, value-driven wine list. All in all, the vibe I got from the atmosphere and cooking is that this is contemporary, laid-back approach to Italian cuisine. No big fussy menu and probably more casual than folks might expect, but quite good. Open seven days a week with lunch on weekdays.
COPPA RISTORANTE ITALIANO, 5555 Washington Ave. at TC Jester, 713-426-4260, copparistorante.com