Copper Canyon

February 22, 2009

We've dined at Copper Canyon in Atlantic Highlands, NJ before, so our expectations for dinner last night were extremely high. I am pleased to say that the culinary feast that we experienced did not disappoint. Copper Canyon has a trendy bar with 150 plus tequilas on the menu and lots of variations on the margarita, as well as a full-service dining room, serving up delicious southwestern fare, small plates and large plates, but all good for sharing.

Our group of 4 started out with 2 flights (3 different shots) of tequila, one reposado and one blanco, a Grand Canyon Margarita and a Corazon Cosmpolitan and of course Copper Canyon's delicious freshly made warm chips with salsa and guacamole. It is hard to pinpoint what makes the guacamole so good but if you like guac, it is not to be missed. We ordered a bunch of small plates to share as well as a few large plates.

In the small plate category, we LOVED the Warm Brie with roasted garlic and tomato salsa served with flour tortillas, as well as the Ancho Grilled Baby Lambchops with pineapple mango salsa and the Southwestern Spring Rolls with chorizo, black beans and jack cheese served on Asian slaw with chile sauce. We also had the Grilled Andouille Sausage Quesadillas which got mixed reviews at our table more than likely because the sausage was a little overpowering for us- they also came last which we felt was a little out of order so that may have impacted our taste for those. Next time I might try the Grilled Baby Spinach Quesadillas instead.

Another round of drinks...

Onto the large plates, we ordered the special which was Braised Pork Shank on Jalapeno, Parmesan & Baby Spinach Risotto with Mole Sauce and we thought it was unanimously amazing. The pork fell right off the bone and it was soft, juicy and very flavorful...and very big portion-wise! Equally delicious and cooked to perfection was the NY Strip Steak with pasilla, pepper-hickory crust and Canyon fries which were crispy, shoestring-style that we couldn't stop eating even though we were quickly getting stuffed. We also had the Tuna Avocado Salad which was the only real miss for us- the tuna seemed fresh enough, but the salad greens or dressing was really salty. This was also the last dish served, at the very end with the quesadillas so again, maybe if we had the salad closer to the beginning, it would have gone over better. No real worries though, there were at least 5 other choices that looked appealing (for next time!) including the Tuna Carpaccio and the Canyon Fish Tacos.

Last but not least, we did manage to force down 1 piece (with 4 forks), of Chocolate Ganache which was just the right texture, super rich, with really good crust and out of this world!

And yes, if you are wondering how we possibly ate so much, we did over-order by probably 2 dishes but it was worth it to be able to try so many things.

We didn't dwell on it, but don't be surprised if any special requests to the hostess or staff such as changing tables or for the food to be paced a bit are not overly accommodated, especially on Saturday night.

If you are in the area or even if you aren't, Copper Canyon is worth the trip.

Check it out!
Foodie

Restaurant: Copper Canyon
Location: Blue Bay Inn, 51 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Phone: 732.291.8444
Website: www.thecoppercanyon.com