3 Restaurant Reviews in 1: Coppa & Woodward & Finz

Restaurant Review #1:

Coppa

A few weeks ago, BFF Courtney and I went Coppa in the South End.  We got there early (6pm) and had no wait time.  It's a small restuarant so I heard you had to get there early to get a sit.  We arrived with plenty of time! And it was still light out for good pictures- score!

Coppa is the latest restuarant from Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette and it's the new foodie hot-spot in South End neighborhood in Boston. I had heard great things about this place so I was excited to try it out. It was recently voted Best New Restaurant 2010 in The Improper Bostonian and voted Best Upscale Pizza in Boston Magazine. The menu had a dual purpose- menu and placemate!

For drinks I ordered the:

The drink went down way too fast but it was pretty tasty!  Kinda like a spiked Raspberry Lime Rickey.

Then Courtney and I ordered 3 small plates.  These small plates REDEFINED the word SMALL.  I was surprised.  We first ordered:

We split this slice in half and it was a deliciously tasty white bean spread on a hearty piece of bread.  But for $5 it still was once small piece. 

Next up, we got the caramelized Brussel sprouts with pancetta which we both loved.  I also loved how small these sprouts were- very cute. 

Then we ordered:  

Risotto Balls that were another small dish- but filling.  I enjoyed these but they weren't anything too special.

Next up we ordered:  

We ordered cod, but I don't think the rest of these ingredients listed above was in ours... I'm pretty sure the pile of food closest to you was spaghetti squash with squash blossoms and hazelnuts.  It was a really delicious taste and I asked the waitress if there was a pumpkin spice in there and she seemed pretty clueless.  The cod was cooked rich in butter (butta makes it betta) and it was silky to eat. But it was also pretty small.  It doesn't look that small, but trust me this piece of fish was no bigger than a credit card!

We ordered the pizza special- my favorite combination: Figs, Prosciutto, and Caramelized Onions.  This was a good dish, but I wish we ordered a white pizza instead.  I thought the figs were almost over cooked and dominated the pizza.  I didn't think this was as good as the pizza I made or the one I had at Anthem.  But I have heard amazing things about the several white pizzas Coppa has on the menu!

Overall, Courtney and I agreed that Coppa is definitely worth a try.  It felt good to walk out of a restaurant not filled to the rims but at the price we paid, we probably should have been full.  It's definitely worth checking out but I'm still not completely sold on the "small plate" and "small dish" trend.  What can I say, I like to eat!

Restaurant Review #2: Woodward

On Friday during lunch, a bunch of my work friends decided to head over to Woodward for lunch. Woodward is located in downtown Boston in the Ames Hotel.  The food is fantastic and even though I've already blogged about this place, I wanted to show you how good it was again!

One of my friends got

I tried a small bite and it was very tasty.

The rest of us split the remaining dishes:

My plate- tastes of everything!

oh.. and we also got fries as evident by my plate.  I love Woodward and if you haven't been there, you should definitely give it a try! The atmosphere is cool, the service is great and the food is incredible!

Restaurant Review #3: Finz

Saturday night, we headed to Finz in Salem for dinner.  I've heard really good things about this place so I was SUPER excited.

It's right on the water in Pickering Wharf.  Gorgeous views of the water and right in the center of historic Salem.  Do you know about Salem?  Its where all the witches come from, haha.

Anyway, the menu was phenomenal.  The prices are lower twenties which isn't cheap but for the amount of food you get, its certainly worth it! After much deliberation (which means bribing my husband to order what I want as a second dish) I decided on the Special of Grilled Steelhead Trout with Butternut Squash, Amaretto and Crab Risotto, Spinach and a Lemon Caper Sauce. Can you say umm WOW.

 

This picture does not even give it justice to how good this was. The risotto was SO good, it inspired me to make my own last night.  The Salmon was also perfectly cooked and the addition of capers and lemon butter seasoned the whole thing.  I wish I could have finished this entire portion but could not.  It was such a wonderful dish and I loved FINZ.  True definition of OH-SO-HIP-SEAFOOD (their tagline).

Dave ordered the Seafood Paella.  I was hoping he would order this dish but he said he wasn't going to and THEN he surprised me by ordering it.  Good husband.

So, if you are ever up on the North Shore, check out Finz.  The food and location is fabulous!

 

I definitely recommend all these restaurants but was most impressed with Woodward and Finz.