Captivating Cold Cuts at Coppa - Boston

Upon entering and taking a seat at one of the few tables, you will find yourself consorting in the cozy-but-not-too-crowded Coppa. You sip your water, munch on the mixed fruit (a brilliant alternative to bread!), and place your order from the brunch menu, which includes at least one of the myriad meats. After you order, you furtively scan your surroundings, bathing your eyes in the atmosphere of relaxation that only accompanies Sunday brunch, and your eyes rest on the decorative head of a boar that protrudes above the doorframe. From its lofty perch, this omniscient mascot overlooks the entire dining area and ogles your table as you and your fellow diners eagerly devour its delectable body. If that doesn’t creep you out, I don’t know what does…

We started with two cured meats – the Duck Proscuitto was too cool a concept to pass up, and why not try the Coppa, the neckmeat of the boar after which the restaurant was named? The duck was impossibly melt-away light, just ignore (and savor!) the huge ring of fat around it…The coppa carries a lingering sweetness, which the server described perfectly, and these thinly-sliced treats were enough to convince me that you could close your eyes and point to the cold cut menu and fall in love with wherever your finger lands.

Unfortunately, Coppa lost major star-points due to the fact that everything was doused in olive oil. Cured meats do NOT need to be topped with oil. There was clearly plenty of fat in the meat already, and the greasiness coats your savory receptors to wash away the lingering savor the meats leave on your tongue.

Our next indulgence arrived in the form of fantastically fresh filets with little circles of radish that added an appetizing splash of color. The Fluke Crudo was a beautifully prepared dish that tasted like…well…nothing…I awaited the apocalypse while eating this dish because I actually had to ask for extra sea salt. I never ask for extra salt. I could be dying of salt-wasting CAH, and I still wouldn’t add it to my food! I don’t even like IV saline! Major points lost. Oh, and where was that chili vinegar? Clearly still in the bottle and not on my food…

My friend and I figured that man (and woman!) was not made to live on cured meats and antipasti alone so we shared the coolest-looking main dish. The Orecchiette con Trippa was a delectable dish with al dente orecchiette containing a perfectly even coating of cream combined with chewy tripe, bulky beef tongue, and a pinch of pork belly. This was my friend’s fave dish, and IMHO, second to none except Via Matta.

So when it comes down to grading, Coppa is just not Toro. For now, I’ll give a tentative 4 stars for incredible selection of cured meats and consider the fluke crudo a mere fluke, but I’ll need to come back for dinner to fairly judge the cooked food. But if everything is like the orecchiette, Coppa, there just might be a way to atone for the fluke.