NEWS FLASH - December 25, 2019 - Seems the Copper Moon Bar and Grill has permanently closed - out of business.
Initial Review - September 27, 2019
Star Rating: 2.5
You’ve heard the old adage…Don’t judge a book by its cover. On the one hand if you visit Copper Moon’s website and check out their mouthwatering pics of some of the most scrumptious food you’ve ever seen – you’d be hard-pressed to expect anything less than gastronomic heaven. The menu is extensive, leaving you with a sense of excitement and anticipation that this place is something special – something out of the ordinary – something that compels you to suddenly close out a browser session and immediately head out to feast on a superb meal. On the other hand - nothing could be farther from the truth.
On a Friday evening not too long ago, we called up a few of our friends and decided to meet up at the Copper Moon to make an evening of it. Upon arrival we were cordially greeted and asked if we’d sit in the garden patio since the main dining room was full. And considering the overall ambiance was warm and inviting, just like home, and with a chance to enjoy some “live” music as well, well, the offer was too good to refuse.
Once seated, it took close to 20 minutes before a young waitress finally introduced herself. With little more than a halfhearted smile she proceeded to take our drink orders, but no sooner seemed annoyed when we requested, she clean our tables first. Suffice it to say, when it comes to reviews, the service that an establishment provides is seldom a deal breaker, but in this case, it was poor customer service – simply unacceptable.
Now let’s move on to the food... Here’s what we ordered from the a-la-carte menu: For “Starters” the table shared Jumbo Lump Crab Spinach & Artichoke Dip – good but nothing worth tweeting about; Then we ordered enough “New Orleans battered Calamari” to feed an army, again, OK, but the batter was tasteless and the squid wasn’t rubbery, but the meat was not as firm and chewy as it should be.
For the entrees (Moonlight Features) we ordered: Lunar Crab Cakes – they were good, but nothing to shout about. The “Celestial Stuffed Chicken” a chicken breast stuffed with spinach, mushroom, bacon, Monterrey jack cheese, lager, cheddar grits, and sautéed kale, topped with a mushroom cream sauce – sounded good but it too was OK. The “Caprino Lemon Chicken” another chicken breast with goat cheese medallions, sun dried tomatoes in a lemon beurre blanc sauce, served with Linguini pasta – sounded tantalizing, but the overall flavors just didn’t add up, something was missing. We also tried the Blacked Salmon: An 8-ounce Atlantic salmon topped with two jumbo shrimp in a chipotle cream sauce over a bed of sautéed veggies and jasmine rice garnished with house pico relish – sounded exotic but from our vantage point simply salmon with some Pico de Gallo.
And, for the sides we ordered enough Mascarpone Mash Potatoes and Hand Cut French Fries/Chips to surpass our daily carb intake.
Finally, for dessert we sampled enough of their sweet concoctions to be satisfied and in a food coma, but somehow, left feeling that these desserts were probably not prepared by an in-house pastry chef. The quality was good but somehow left with the impression their selection was purchased from your local Costco frozen dessert shelf.
All in all, what we’re really saying is that the food is good, but not good enough to meet the expectations created by their marketing image. As the RGV continues to grow and attract people with a more sophisticated palate, the pressures will mount and the demands will challenge local restaurateurs to raise the bar in order to succeed and remain in business. Ultimately when it comes to “image vs. reality” facts trump hype.
We respect restaurateurs Bernard Watson and Joseph Salinas for their love for food – their gumption to take risks and bring something better, something more than what is usually the norm. For this we thank you, and look forward to another visit and a chance to re-evaluate our initial review.
