Disclaimer: Copper River Fish and Chop has had been open under this name for about a week at the time of our visit. While some may forgive service and food issues at this point of a restaurant’s opening, I do not. That said, this restaurant is simply a revamp of Molly Cool’s with a change only in menu and pricing putting it in the same class as high-end downtown dining. This change did not alter a majority of the staff or ownership. You can feel free to take this review with as much salt as you deem necessary.
On Saturday night we tried the third restaurant to occupy the $5 million dollar copper building at the corner of Cedar and Dodd in Lakeville in the last 6+ years, Copper River Fish & Chop House. With reviews posted all over the Internet about how below average and incredibly overpriced the food was I just had to risk it and try it for myself. I made reservations early in the week for Saturday at 5 PM so The Wife, The Rooster, and Josh headed over there to try it out and celebrate Josh’s birthday a bit early.
The restaurant is a hybrid of the beautiful ambiance that Copper Bleu put on display back in December of 2005 and the Long John Silver’s-esque decor Molly Cool’s decided was appropriate back in 2009. While certainly not what I would like to see in the space, it wasn’t unpleasant by any means and thankfully the red plastic, pizza parlor, Coke glasses and baskets were gone and replaced with silverware and cloth napkins. Some of the fancier and modern decor adorning the bar area which made Copper Bleu the South Metro standout it was were back according to The Wife and gave us high hopes for the place’s future success.
We were seated near the windows overlooking the patio with its stacked chairs and roaring fire for those who enjoy a cigarette while drinking at the bar. Honestly, I found the stacks of chairs a bit tacky for a restaurant which is attempting to purport to be of downtown quality while being located 20+ miles away. The staff delivered grilled and thin, but still soft, pita wedges with what seemed to be a play on homemade guacamole without the tomatoes and/or lime infused hummus. I would have preferred bread myself and based on the fact that I was really the only person at the table eating it, I’m guessing everyone else would have as well.
The menu which has not yet been posted online was a uncomfortably large single sheet of paper with food on the front and I believe were alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor) and possibly desserts on the reverse. There were entirely too many options to be placed on one page and I had a difficult time making a choice because my eyes were lead all over the place. The waitress highlighted a few items which I only partially paid attention to because she kept referring to them as what she had to offer us tonight and that is a huge pet peeve of mine. I asked where the seafood was sourced from and while she did not know she did send the chef out to tell me that they source from Coastal based on his experience at Oceanaire. We apparently became so very good friends during this less than one minute interaction that he felt the need to give me a pat on the back as he left our table. Thanks for the informative visit but please keep your hands to yourself, thanks.
Based on the Coastal sourcing I placed an order for six (6) oysters, one of each option offered. At $2.50 each ($15 total) these were not inexpensive but I hoped they would be executed perfectly for the price. There were three each from the East and West coasts (Pickering Pass, Jorstad Creek, Little Scookm, Well Fleet, Salutation Cove, and Kussshi). The Wife ordered the “Angry Lobster” ($28.95), Josh ordered the Surf and Turf ($38.95) and I went with the 10oz filet ($32.95) with a side of Lobster Shells and Cheese ($9.95) figuring that The Rooster would eat some of it with me.
The oysters came out on a platter and were tagged with a computer receipt, in order, letting me know which each one was. There was a little ketchup with what appeared to be horseradish on top but neither provided any of the bite I prefer so I avoided it aside from tastes with my fork. Copper River also provided a mignonette ice option which wasn’t as pleasant as it should have been and really reminded me of slamming my face into the ice in a school parking lot when I was a kid and tasting a rich conglomeration of blood, rock salt, and snow on my swelling lip. Each of the oysters were floating in too much water to help them fill out their shells and after draining them and adding a few sprinkles of Tabasco they went down the hatch. My sole complaint aside from the general dislike of the mignonette was that 50% of the oysters had little bits of shell in with them. I don’t particularly care for shards of mother of pearl ending up in my mouth and gums as I eat $7.50 worth of oysters.
Contrary to the complaints of other reviews online, our meals were out quickly and aside from The Wife’s Angry Lobster were anemic in their display. Josh’s Surf and Turf had a fairly petite lobster tail and an even more petite steak accompanying it. The lobster meat was a little overcooked on the one bite I had of his and the butter did little to help it go down. He ordered his steak medium-rare and while he said he was fine with it, it was definitely cooked medium instead. He seemed to enjoy his meal and said that he was fine with the size of the steak as he was quite full from the lobster.
The Wife’s angry lobster, described as “Roasted, Sweet Corn-King Crab with Mashed Potatoes and Creole Crayfish Cream,” was a disaster on a plate. Two halves of a lobster tail char-grilled and dry, The Wife had to do much more work to get the meat out of the tail than Josh did on his. The mashed potatoes were loaded with garlic and had turned an oddly sickening brownish color. My two bites of the meat and the potatoes left me wondering why anyone would “roast” a tail in this way and kill everything that’s great about lobster. The Creole Crayfish Cream was more cream than creole or crayfish. In fact, tasting it without knowing it’s official name left me thinking it was a pretty thick and sloppy sauce without much taste. I’m not really sure what it was supposed to do for the dish but it certainly wouldn’t have been something I would have put on top of a $29 lobster tail–even one as dry as it was. This is a definite pass at $29.
The $9.95 Lobster Shells and Cheese, something our server raved was a favorite of her’s, was disappointing at best. Expecting discernible lobster meat and some tasty cheeses, this pile of overcooked shells, tasteless cheese sauce, mushrooms and spinach with what appeared to be the leftovers from lobster meat not fit for plated consumption was not even good enough for The Rooster. With The Rooster normally clamoring for more mac and cheese at any restaurant, including BW3, the fact that he refused to touch this should be a testament to how awful this stuff was. I tried to salvage it by adding some of the Creole Crayfish Cream on top but two wrongs don’t make a right I guess. They later asked what they could do to fix it. While I told them use cheese that had some flavor and offer a visible pile of lobster, the real suggestion should have been: stop serving it and contact everyone who was duped into eating it already and give them their $10 back.
My 10oz filet, which I ordered solely because 6oz filets are just silly to put on a menu especially when the description underneath is completely and utterly demeaning to women (something about your wife wanting to order that one), was of course ordered “blue”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with cooking a steak “blue”, it means that the meat is seared and is basically uncooked throughout (think “super rare”) and after a short clarification conversation with the sever whether I meant with bleu cheese or cooked blue, we settled on cooking, not cheese. Unfortunately somewhere between our conversation at the table and the kitchen the ticket was done up as medium-rare and with bleu cheese. My much larger than 10oz steak arrived with a side of strangely reformed bleu cheese in a cup on the side and would have excited me greatly had I ordered it mid-rare. Unfortunately by the time the server arrived back at our table to check on us 15 minutes later I had decided to give up and just eat the disappointing $33 piece of meat. After explaining the situation to the server, who didn’t apologize, the assistant manager came out as I was 3/4 of the way done with the steak and also offered little apology and instead seemed to insinuate that because we’re in Minnesota I should be more understanding that kitchens just aren’t accustomed to cooking a steak in that way. He did offer to recook the steak at that point but I saw no reason to wait for another, especially after it took so long for him to get around. While I appreciate them sending him out to chat, I don’t think it was an adequate response to the situation and certainly not timely. Based on my recent experiences at Technique, a cooking school with a kitchen full of aspiring chefs let alone one who throws around the Ocenaire name like it’s something that should impress people in 2012, who were able to cook a fairly small piece of steak perfectly blue and Cafe Lurcat who appropriately rectified the situation, I’m going to say that Copper River missed the boat on handling this one properly in each and every single way.
Before our bill arrived our friendly assistant manager offered us, free of charge, some desserts apparently hoping that would suffice for his, the kitchen staff’s and the server’s poor customer service earlier. We declined and soon after the bill for $95.45 arrived at our table. I refused to pay more than $100 for that meal and as such I tipped the server, who I blame for the mislabeled ticket on my steak, her complete lack of taste regarding the Lobster Shells and Cheese, and the fact that she didn’t come by right away to see if my steak was cooked properly like they did at Lurcat, $4.00 pushing us to a $99.45 tab for two. Please note: this was for one appetizer, one side, and two entrees. No dessert, no alcohol, and three poorly executed dishes.
Overall, even though Copper River Fish and Chop has only been open for a week or so, it’s not a new restaurant; instead a newly revamped decor and menu for Molly Cool’s. Unfortunately this change was nothing more than lipstick on a pig and while I really wanted it to work out and offer residents South of the River a closer option to restaurants charging similar prices in Minneapolis and St. Paul, this is little more than a poorly executed and overpriced farce.
Have you eaten at Copper River Fish & Chop in Lakeville? If so what did you think? Had you ever eaten at Molly Cool’s or Copper Bleu prior? How do you think Copper River compares? Do you think that it’s appropriate for Copper River Fish and Chop to charge downtown prices and not deliver downtown service and food levels? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Address:
Copper River Fish & Chop House
17516 Dodd Blvd
Lakeville, MN 55044
Phone:
952-432-2722
Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Friday: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
See all the pictures from Copper River in Lakeville on Flickr here.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
February 6th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Well that’s disappointing! (sigh!) The building so begs for a good restaurant to fill its space. With those prices the establishment just has to deliver – that it doesn’t spells doom for our Milwaukee visitors.
The first time I encountered a $30+ steak was at St Elmo’s, in Indianapolis. It was worth every penny! (I just checked their menu – they now have $48 steaks!) Now days a $30+ steak is fairly common, but expectations are high at that price point and you just have to know what you’re doing and deliver. The best 10 oz steak bargin in town may be at erte’, IMO. Their “House” coulotte cut sirloin is just under $18 – and they know how to cook it! (I bet lefty would even approve.)
Anyway, I’ll check with friends who loved (?!?!) Molly Cools and get their take on Copper River – although I don’t know that I trust their opinion very much.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:11 am
People who appreciate Molly Cool’s would either:
1. Love it because they’d think it was better than Red Lobster and Outback.
2. Hate it because it’s too fancy and too expensive.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:16 am
If you don’t want your tab to top $100, you should think about that during the menu-pondering portion of the evening.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:20 am
Patrick,
Stop being stupid. Thanks.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:40 am
I was going to go here for dinner tonight. Now I am never going to go there ever. Thanks for saving me the money.
C&V. I will however take you up on your erte’ recommendation. I have not eaten a restaurant steak in Minnesota in over 3 years (Manny’s-August-2008) and I have not eaten a decent steak in Minnesota in almost 7 (Manny’s-April-2005).
Thanks for the advice, both of you.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:40 am
I meant to say an excellent restaurant steak in Minnesota.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:41 am
I think I officially give up on south of the river restaurants. Last night, we wanted to go out to eat, couldn’t stand the thought of anything close to AV where we live. Drove to Minneapolis and ate at the Birchwood, it was fabulous. Why can’t we get something like that out here? Just one restaurant like Birchwood, Blackbird, French Meadow Cafe, etc….
February 6th, 2012 at 9:01 am
Seriously, parsley? Could those plates be less creatively plated?
February 6th, 2012 at 9:03 am
I went there the first week it was opened with friends and our food was fantantic. I work in downtown Minneapolis and take clients to restaurants downtown a lot and felt like I was in a downtown Minneapolis restaurant, but only had a five minute drive home. We all raved about the pita’s with the avocado hummus, it was so much better than having just bread and very tasty plus felt healthy. Our server was very friendly and knowledgable about the menu, she explained more about the items and picked out a few of her favorites. The menu is large. The salads were very tasty and our meals delicious. I had a fish with sweet pototoes from the speciality menu and would order it again.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:04 am
They could have served me the steak directly on the table for all I cared as long as it had been cooked right.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:13 am
“the assistant manager came out as I was 3/4 of the way done with the steak and also offered little apology and instead seemed to insinuate that because we’re in Minnesota I should be more understanding that kitchens just aren’t accustomed to cooking a steak in that way…”
LOL. Send the manager to Twin City Grill…where ‘blue’ is actually an option listed on their steak menu. (I’d never even heard of it until I saw their menu!)
February 6th, 2012 at 9:20 am
Sal, have you been to Perron’s Sul Lago in Prior Lake?
I can’t give any credible reaction having not been there, but my first thought – that “Angry Lobster” is an abomination. It should be called the “Angry Customer” or “Angry Sous Chef”. Who the hell does that to a lobster tail??
Here’s what I don’t get. Copper Bleu was a good, if not “very good” restaurant. But they failed claiming the surrounding development didn’t happen, the economy was in decline, etc. They executed the meals well and failed.
Why does this place, with a similar menu and dumbed down interior, expect any different outcome?
Restaurants like this have to understand that when you’re charging $25, $30, $35 for an entree, you’re competing for diners that don’t mind driving up into Minneapolis or St. Paul for a meal (or are already up there working or going to entertaiment venues). I consider myself in that category. If I’m dropping $50-100 on a “dinner date” with Mrs. MSPD, I’m going for the $35 Thousand Hills, grass-fed NY Strip at the Strip Club or something similar. For $30+ steak, I want to know for damned sure I’m getting a top-notch cut of meat cooked by a chef who will get it precisely right.
Just for comparison purposes, last night we ate at the Bachelor Farmer up in Minneapolis. For $25 (give or take), I had a plate with a pork loin slice that had been cured in-house, a sausage that had been scratch made, cabbage/sauerkraut that had been braised in-house, mustard that had been made in-house, and a cup of silky split pea soup. There were probably 40 hours worth of work and cooking into that one plate (not to mention it was all perfect). THAT is what Copper River needs to understand it is competing with when the unapologetically put up mediocre $30 entrees.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Lori, what are your go-to Minneapolis restaurants? I would be SHOCKED (for the reasons I post above) that you found the food comparable to any of the top….oh….30 places in Minneapolis.
I’m curious what else you consider “fantastic”, especially given the prices these guys are charging.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Wow. Thanks for the fantastic review! Steaks just how I like them and servings that bring new meaning to the phrase “portion control!” Throw in a back slap full of Minnesota Nice and who cares how the food is cooked? It just feels good to be home.
Signed,
Mr. Average Minnesotan Palate
February 6th, 2012 at 9:49 am
I was so looking forward to a newly revamped Molly Cools and was incredibly disappointed when we ate at Copper River last week. Our server was great, but the meals were not good. My scallops were gritty, the sauce was broken and the asparagus was overcooked. Everyone at my table had a poor experience and we won’t go back. I don’t mind paying for good food, but our bill (even after my meal was comped) was over $60. Way too expensive for what we received.
February 6th, 2012 at 10:29 am
I would have sent that lobster back if that was served to me. I will not pay that kind of money for crap food.
February 6th, 2012 at 11:15 am
If I’m going to drive south of the river for steak, I’ll see you at the Farmington Steakhouse.
Yikes I add an initial to my name and I start my comment count at 1!
February 6th, 2012 at 11:22 am
I can’t believe they couldn’t even get oysters right. All you have to do is open them up. What a fail.
Back when the Oceanairre was good, I was asked if I wanted to learn how to shuck my own oysters that we had just ordered. It was pretty fun, and they even showed me how to make sure I was not serving shell bits to myself. It’s really not that difficult to do right.
February 6th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
“I’ll see you at the Farmington Steakhouse…”
Is that place still around? I used to go there back in the 90′s and for the money it wasn’t bad, a little gristley perhaps but certainly not horrible.
February 6th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Bill, was the place busy on Saturday when you went?
February 6th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
This is disappointing. I definitely didn’t love everything about Molly Cool’s, but there were a few things I greatly enjoyed. . .which they promptly took off the menu afterwards. To find out it’s changed its name and gone more downhill just makes me sad. Ah well, I’m with MSPD and I’ll go to Perron’s if I want a fancy meal south of the river. I still dream of gorgonzola gnocchi .
February 6th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
N52,
We were there at 5 PM. It wasn’t “busy” but it wasn’t empty.
Clarie,
I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s gone downhill. It’s not quite as disappointing as MC was but due to the expectations set by the menu prices it’s just not any better.
February 6th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
There’s the key, I think. At $30+ entres your expecting top shelf food, prepared expertly, served by a A Team player, in a pleasant atmosphere. Not some half-hearted pretender.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
C&V, that was the most heartening, exhilarating and top of the line comment for this particular subject…………………………….. Now staying home to “hone” my cooking skills :)
February 6th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Wow, what a disappointment Bill… How is the quality at the Porterhouse in Lakeville? I hear the steak prices are in that range. A friend of mine who lives near says it like commenters had said already… for that price i can go into the city for better meat and preparation …
Sul lago: i dont like to engage in hearsay , but another friend who really is a regular at Sul lago says his last two visits there in the past 60 days have been below standard. He seems to think something has changed in the kitchen and no longer recommends it. I repeat this is not my own comment, but it is from a regular there who has probably spent alot of $$$ there over the years and knows all the staff well.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
@ MSPD, been to Perron’s Sul Lago once a while back. It was good, but rich, heavy food…and my husband ordered fish that came deep fried but wasn’t listed as deep fried on the menu. It takes as long to get to as Mpls for us from Apple Valley, which is why we haven’t given it a 2nd chance. Gotta go, driving to Mpls for dinner…AGAIN! Bryant Lake Bowl for a $10 comedy show at 7pm and excellent cheap food and drink before the show. :)
February 6th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
WOW ! What a surprise. The owners are still clueless ! I guess I will never be stepping inside. NEXT !
February 6th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
Thanks for the review, and saving me some money.
Had lunch at the Lion’s Tap today and enjoyed it.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Chad,
I used to work in Eden Prairie and would venture down to the Lion’s Tap time and time again hoping to taste what everyone who said it was good was tasting. Even back in the days before April of 2006 (I haven’t been back since) it was just not that great for me.
What did you like about it?
February 6th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
I remember Farmington Steak House as being totally divey back in the day, but okay for the low price. Sort of like Best Steak House. Can’t speak for it nowadays, since I have not been there since the 90′s.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
sigh… poor decision making by management… what a shock… In contrast wife and and another couple went to outback a few months back. My wife orders well done steak, as usual, and it came medium, not even close. So what do they do? They re-fire the steak, the manager comes out and comps her meal, and gives the whole table free desert. Outback folks… for the money this place sounds like it needs, their response to their mistake was inexcusable.
Going to a place that expensive requires some savings, and this review has indicated we should keep our savings targeted towards Porterhouse.
February 7th, 2012 at 6:34 am
Bill,
Lions Tap is not my favorite burger in town, but we found ourselves in Shakopee, so it was a logical place for lunch. While not my favorite, I do enjoy that the burgers are consistenly quite good.
They are, first of all juicy. They ask how you want it done, and while I have never ordered mine different than the normal Medium, they always come out medium. Juicy with some pink in the middle. They are mildly seasoned, and really a simple burger. The bun is nothing fancy, the fried onions are VERY fried (brown mess really) and the pickles are dill.
Its a good, simple, consistent burger. And they cost $3.70 for what is a fairly large 1/4 or possibly 1/3 pound burger with cheese, fried onions, and pickles. Also, they have mayo as a condiment, which my wife likes.
I would welcome anyone elses opinion on the place, but for me, if I am in the area, I know exactly what I am going to get, which is an inexpensive burger, decent fries, and great service, consistently.
February 10th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
We had a wonderful dinner last evening at Copper River. They were busy and the service was still exceptional. Our food was delicious. We had steak, walleye and the fisherman’s platter. We were all very satisfied. Too bad people are so critical when a restaurant is just starting out. Good grief, give them a chance!
February 10th, 2012 at 7:43 pm
M. Erickson,
MSPD’s comment above: http://www.lazylightning.org/copper-river-fish-and-chop-house-lakeville-mn#comment-168246 also applies to you. I am particularly interested in what restaurants you have recently visited at this price point and how you feel Copper River compares to those.
February 10th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
I don’t care how long you’ve been in business, you can’t screw up the food. Service issues can be forgiven early on; poor food quality can’t.
Glad you liked the food M. Erickson. Hopefully for their sake there are others with your taste buds. Hopefully for your integrity you aren’t also Mrs. Copper River.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:21 am
I have not been there since it was Molly Cools, but based on M. Erickson’s and Lori Kearney’s reviews I don’t need to go myself as I now know it’s the best! So I’ll just add my heartfelt endorsement to the Copper River Fish and Chop House as I’m sure it’s fantastic despite what Bill wrote. After all, how can you not trust two reviews by people who have posted a combined total of 5 comments?
February 11th, 2012 at 9:52 am
I have been a happy hour regular at Cooper River ever since it opened it’s doors as Molly Cools. I have always found their food , then and now, to be hit and miss. They have some wonderful things on their menu and they have some pretty mediocre stuff on it as well. I have only eaten off the dinner menu there once since it has been Copper River and I have to say the food was great! I had the salmon and have to say it was the best piece of salmon I have had anywhere in the cities. I was there with a group of 4 and everyone loved their meals. The service was outstanding, but I should add that I knew our server so I knew our service would be top notch.
All that being said I won’t eat dinner there very often. I thought their prices were a bit on the spendy side as Mollys and was shocked to see that as Copper River their prices are now even higher. Quite honestly, I don’t think they did their market research very well. I live in the neighborhood and I know what the people around here want. Lakeville is not Edina or Minnetonka. This is not a rich suburb. This is a nice middle class burb and the people here like their bar food (burgers and sandwiches) and pizza. People around here don’t want to spend much more then 15 dollars on a plate of food. 20 if they want something like steak or sea food. Unfortunately, they went from a being mid priced sea food place as Molly’s (that wasn’t going over well) to an expensive, high price sea food place as Copper River. I really don’t understand how they think that will go over well when there are a lot of options in the neighborhood. There are lots of good bar food and pizza places such as The Ole Piper Inn, Carbone’s, Panino Brothers, Old Chicago, Wild Bills and The Valley Tap House that serve good food at reasonable prices in the neighborhood. If people want something a little more fancy there are some really good places such as Rascals, Osaka and Rudy’s Red Eye Grill close by for that charge reasonable prices for that too. I really think Copper River missed the boat. All they had to do was drive down Cedar a few blocks and see places like the Ole Piper Inn and Carbone’s that pack them in every night to see what goes over well in this market.
I will continue to go to Copper River for happy hour (and their happy hour prices as Copper River aren’t very good either)! and maybe some apps because I have gotten to know so many of the employees there over the years. They really do have a wonderful staff and I like being able to walk in the door, sit down and have a couple and have every one there know my name and what I’m drinking. I will probably only have dinner there once a year on a special occasion, like my wife and mines anniversary. As good as I find there food to be I just don’t want to spend that kind of money on a meal very often. It’s just way too expensive for this area when I can drive a couple of minutes down the road and find good food at half the price.
As Molly’s, I was a regular who went there maybe 2-3 times a week for happy hour, and ate dinner or lunch there 2-3 times a month. As Copper River I will go there for happy hour about once a week and eat dinner there about once a year. I have already begun to hang out at some of the other establishments around here more. Cooper River is just too expensive now, especially with the other options available. I hate to say it, and I am echoing something I have heard from a lot people who live around here, and I really don’t want to see it, but I would be surprised if Copper Rivers doors remain open long. They are just too expensive now. But, who knows, maybe I will be wrong (and I hope I am) because Enjoy (another overly expensive place around here) seems to be succeeding and I never would have thought they would.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:54 am
M. Erickson, why don’t you please enlighten us on your friendship with the chef’s wife Sue?
Same goes for you Lori Kearney.
If you are going to try and win favor for this place, YOU NEED TO DISCLOSE THAT YOU ARE FRIENDS WITH THE CHEF BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING FOOD/TREATMENT THAT IS NOT THE SAME AS THE AVERAGE PERSON.
It’s great that you guys like your friends’ restaurant/business venture, but don’t try and fool us by acting like you are just regular folks who are getting regular treatment.
Deceptive astroturfing/shilling for your friends’ restaurant = I will not dine there.
February 11th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
None of this really matters. No way a place with these price points and mediocre performance is going to make it. No way.
February 11th, 2012 at 12:38 pm
MSPD, M. Erickson is not “Mia” nor appears to be related.
February 11th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I have removed M. Erickson’s negative votes as we cannot prove at this time her relationship to the staff/ownership. If we figure that out I will reinstate the -5.
February 11th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
I asked Lori Kearney who is the National Account Executive at Meet Minneapolis, Official Convention + Visitors Association to apologize publicly or be banned. Instead of doing the right thing she decided to unsubscribe from post notifications without an apology. My response:
February 11th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
This is so great.
Tons of shitty reviews and two astroturfy positive ones. Do these guys realize that a pretend good review is way worse for them than just a normal negative review?
M Erickson may or may not be who MSPD thought it was, but that review was clearly not real.
February 11th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
Well, he or she can confirm the connection or lack thereof.
February 11th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Interesting comments on this trend of restauranteurs asking their friends to post positive reviews right after an opening. To bad she didn’t address how its not such a good idea if the restaurant isn’t putting out a good product.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/music_blog/archive/2012/02/dining_with_dar_75.shtml
February 11th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Yup. That’s another reason why my visits to restaurants in the first week is awesome.
February 12th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
February 12th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
M. Erickson, you didn’t answer the other question. Are you friends with the owners?
As for the “grow up”, you don’t seem to be seeing the complete picture here. Lori Kearney showered the place with glowing praise but left out a tiny little detail — she is friends with/has a working relationship with the executive chef and his wife (to the extent that they’ve recommended each other on LinkedIn).
This is why that’s important (and slimy). People like me who are not good friends with the chef and the chef’s wife are going to go there on our hard-earned dime expecting the “Lori Kearney Level of Service” because we’ve read her disingenuous review. Frankly, I think there’s a good chance Lori was dining WITH the chef’s wife or on a personal invitation not some random “friends”.
This happens on sites like this all the time, sometimes perpetrated by friends like Lori who probably just want their friends’ business to do well, and sometimes perpetrated by the restauranteurs themselves or others with a financial interest in the restaurant.
We, as a community, are insulted. We come here to have lively and HONEST discussion about restaurants to enhance our dining experiences and those of our friends on here and elsewhere.
Now….if you’re just a random patron who has no relationship whatsoever with the folks at Copper River, say so and we’ll take your review at face value. But, I have to say, it follows perfectly the template of someone who is showering a suspiciously large amount of praise and superlatives on things like walleye and a “fishermans platter”.
Let us know.
February 12th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
We live in Minneapolis and I have no idea who even owns the restaurant. I do not personally know any owners of any restaurants. We go to nice places to eat and enjoy an evening. We had a wonderful evening at Copper Blue and have no complaints about anything. I have no connection with anyone there!
February 12th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Sorry! I meant Copper River.
February 12th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
OK, well, glad you enjoyed it then. Fascinating.
February 12th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
February 12th, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Josh’s meal was another $53 on top of our $95 meal. His was not included in the total listed in the review.
February 12th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Oh and I never presented myself as a critic, because I’m not. And seriously? Anonymously? Thanks for the great laugh. It was a great way to end my weekend.
February 12th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
The tag beneath the headline reads: “…Restaurants, Reviews”
Your a restaurant critic.
As for the laugh, I guess your welcome.
February 13th, 2012 at 12:33 am
Paul, there are a few things you should know about this site and the community of people who comment here (and we are a community…MSPD is someone I’ve met, not just a username).
1. We care very much about our community. Nobody is interested in running a business into the ground.
2. We care very much about how we spend our money. You talk about the toll it takes on business owners and restaurant employees when people don’t go to a restaurant. We talk about the toll it takes on our wallet when we go to a restaurant that delivers a sub-par experience in food and/or service.
3. Bill doesn’t single-handedly shut restaurants down. If he did, Chianti Grill would be long gone, along with a host of other restaurants that he’s reviewed poorly and which many of us dislike.
4. We aren’t uniform in our opinions. Believe it or not, we think for ourselves and many of us frequent restaurants that don’t get approval from Bill.
5. Bill runs this site on his own time. He’ll never get paid as a food critic because that’s not what he is. Sure, he writes reviews of what he thinks of his dining experiences, just as a whole lot of anonymous people do on UrbanSpoon, Chowhound, and numerous other sites. He just happens to do it on his blog (which, you may have noticed, covers a lot more than restaurants).
I started to write a 6th and other points but I think that’s enough already. I have 2-year-old twins and a 2.5-week-old infant. I don’t get out nearly as often as I’d like and when I do, I’m very interested in making sure I’m not wasting my time. I’ve found that my tastes tend to line up pretty well with Bill’s (though I’m probably not quite as selective) and I trust his opinion like I would any other friend’s. His opinion of a place doesn’t make or break it for me, but it definitely influences it, especially if I’m going to blow $100 eating there.
In any event, thanks for being up front and straightforward with your review (and no, you don’t have to be a professional critic to call it a review). That’s really all we ask for around here. Disagreement is welcome. (Just ask Lefty…)
February 13th, 2012 at 12:40 am
Mr. Davis:
I think you meant you’re not your in post #55.
You’re a restaurant critic.
I guess you’re welcome.
February 13th, 2012 at 1:54 am
If one blogs about the police, does that make them a crime reporter? I don’t think so.
This is a blog. Maybe you do not know what that is. According to Wikipedia,
“A blog (a portmanteau of the term web log)[1] is a personal journal published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first.”
A personal journal. Personal opinions. The web is full of them.
Restaurant reviews have changed in the past 20 years. Anyone can write one on the sites Joey mentioned above. You don’t have to like it but there is no going back to the way it was in the days of the restaurant critic.
I just now read all the online reviews I could find about this place. Some were very similar to Bill’s evaluation; some were better and some were worse.
Based on EVERYTHING I read, there is no way I will ever set foot in this restaurant. JMHO
February 13th, 2012 at 8:42 am
Paul Davis,
Thanks for letting us know that Lori Kearney is positive all the time. That makes her opinion of this overpriced mediocre restaurant basically worthless, but we had that figured out before you helped solidify that reality.
Personally, I trust the reviews on this site and the supporting comments a whole lot more than I do from a restaurant critic. The individuals commenting on this site are ordinary people going out to eat (including Bill) and not “foodies” eating at a place 3 or 4 times on a expense account.
For example, if Joey does not like a place, it is probably pretty good.
We also don’t take kindly to people who climb up on their high horse to let us know how the fuck things are supposed to be done. Most of us will have a good laugh at your idiotic post and it will be here to laugh at for as long as this site is active. You probably won’t respond and will forever be another “lesson teacher” that stops by every month or two to educate Bill on his methodology and will be saddled with the one or two comment tag for good.
If you are really concerned that the this place can shut a restaurant down, go read the review of Theresa’s and then stop there next Friday night at 6:00 to see how much damage was caused.
lefty
February 13th, 2012 at 8:45 am
M Erickson,
Why would you drive from Minneapolis to eat in Lakeville?
That makes no sense to me. I wouldn’t drive from Eagan to eat at this place.
February 13th, 2012 at 8:56 am
It’s really unfortunate that Paul’s comment won’t get voted up enough to be in the running for comment of the year. It’s comedic gold. I’m still ROFLMAO over the bullshit about using a pseudonym to make reservations.
The Wife suggested “Tony Bourdain” but that’s just too obvious. I think I should go as “Sandra Lee” or “Jeffrey Steingarten”. Those are both just as funny to me as the idea that I shouldn’t let restaurants know who I am.
February 13th, 2012 at 11:27 am
Paul,
You mentioned that you find my response “Telling”. What exactly is it telling you?
My short comment to M. Erickson was sincere. I’m glad she enjoyed her meal.
The “fascinating” part was also sincere. I know very, very few discerning diners as she seems to be, that would travel clear out to the far reaches of the south metro from Minneapolis, bypassing hundreds of well-regarded restaurants, to try a brand-new, unknown, high-priced place during its first week of business.
Maybe she was out that way to visit family or do something. But she doesn’t mention that so I can only infer that she and multiple others made this unique sort of trip to eat at a fish and chop restaurant.
Most Minneapolis residents would hit tried-and-true places like Manny’s, Ruth’s Chris, Murray’s, La Belle Vie, Erte, Jax, Firelake, Capital Grille, McCormick and Schmick, J.D. Hoyt’s, Seven, Sea Change, Red Stag Supper Club, Restaurant Alma, Nicollet Island Inn, Butcher Block, Haute Dish, 112 Eatery, and so on for your basic “new American fish and steak”. That’s not even mentioning inner-ring suburbs like St. Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, etc. where you have places like Kincaid’s, Redstone, etc. nor St. Paul all playing in this same (or lower) price point, with similar menu offerings.
To me, it is fascinating that they drove from Minneapolis to Lakeville, passing all those well-known restaurants including JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING chefs for walleye and a $30 steak! $60 combined for walleye and steak and burning 1/5 tank of gas. That is fascinating to me.
As someone with 20+ years in the restaurant/hospitality/beverage business, I would think you should find that curious as well. Certainly you should figure out her motivation and bottle it in your professional life.
For $30 per plate, you could dine like a king at Piccolo in south Minneapolis or Travail in Robbinsdale (closer than Lakeville), both of which are garnering attention nationally from world-class reviewers, nationally known publications, and fellow chefs.
Fascinating.
Next…..
Interestingly, my intention WAS to apologize to “M. Erickson” once I could confirm that she was genuine in her review and not another subversive friend/family member of the owners.
I’ve done that time and again on here. (Check out the “D-Spot” thread and the conversation with “Jimzilla”). Eventually we sussed out that he was only friends with the owner due to his passion for the food (although you get a discount if you mention Jimzilla “sent you”) which still makes that a bit shady.
I do admit that initially I made an assumption (and mentioned to Bill) because the owners have a friend named Mia Erickson. My mistake. Again, it would have been posted in an “apology” consistent with my 1700+ posts on here. But we aren’t at that point yet.
Now….
I’m sure Lori Kearney is a delight. We all love positive people with great intentions.
Look at my post #13. That was a gentle way to get more information, even for her to follow that little voice in her conscience and disclose her relationship with the owners (AND her dining partners’ relationship). It’s my belief that Bill also gave her a chance off-line to make it right.
Unfortunately, she decided to decline. After being told why her post was deceptive, she voluntarily left it out there, instead deciding the site just isn’t her cup of tea. She CHOSE to leave her deception out there.
It’s simple, and it’s happened dozens of times here. Owners/friends/shills post, “Oops….I understand and I didn’t mean to mislead. Chef X and his wife are great people, they are friends, and I want them to succeed. My review was earnest, not due to special treatment.”
That’s all it would take to make this right.
Finally…..
Yes, I do post under a pseudonym instead of my real name. The reason for that is because “MSPD” is an online persona that has sort of taken on a life of its own. Part of the fun of “MSPD” is that people that have only read some of my posts are sort of wondering what’s real and what’s not. MSPD is an outlet for me to be off-color at times, say stupid stuff, and (yes) play around with idiots who show up here.
Do you read “The Onion”? I find it brilliant. MSPD is sort of like that (albeit not nearly that brilliant). You’ll also find that one of the traits of MSPD is that I make fun of myself relentlessly.
Like any community, once you acclimate, you will gain a great understanding of the members. After a very short time, hopefully anyone will understand that MSPD is not very much like the person behind it.
That said, if you Google “MSPD” and “restaurants”, you will find that I have about 15 years worth of online presence in the restaurant/food space. MSPD began on Chowhound where I probably have several thousand posts. I am more true to the “real person” on Chowhound.
I take food and restaurants very seriously. I’ve devoted a part of my life to introduce my friends and family to great, eye-opening food. I have a reputation in that regard and I will do everything I can to foster it HONESTLY, giving people a clear picture with details, comparison, etc.
I take it personally when someone has a bad meal at a place I recommended and they feel it was a waste of their hard-earned money.
So either as MSPD or my real name, I won’t glorify my friends’ restaurant, ESPECIALLY at $30 a head, without full disclosure. Lori, in her best of intentions, doesn’t seem to care about this….she would just have everyone blow a large sum of their money on a false expectation without knowing what they are getting into.
Anyway…..
Folks on here have come to know that I would gladly introduce my “real self” in person. If you want to meet me or talk to the real person, send Bill and email and he’ll hook you up with my email address.
Like you, I’m an everyday guy, Burnsville resident, and (I think) and all-around good guy. I’m also a youth sports coach, prolific volunteer, and professional. So…I keep distance between that and my creative outlet (MSPD).
February 13th, 2012 at 11:40 am
That was 1,035 words in case anyone is wondering.
February 13th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Paul,
I thought your post was interesting, and provided a nice counterpoint to some of the other information in this thread.
That said, there are literally dozens of discussions across this site regarding why Bill does the reviews when he does, what his reasoning is, and why different people value them in different ways. I am sure if you want to foot the bill for Bill (funny eh?) he would be happy to go back and spend another $100 bucks to see if they have fixed issues that should have been fixed prior to opening the doors. Absent that, I think its sort of poor taste for you to try to tell him how he should be running his own blog. Start your own and post all the “reviews” you want. See how long it lasts if you just post fluff and not honesty.
As noted many, many, many times in the past, in my humble opinion, an honest negative review is worth far more than a hopelessly optimistic fluff review.
A quick sample of reviews of Copper River on some of the above mentioned sites would seem to support that many diners are not having meals that support the price point, which, given the economy and location would be a huge issue that needs addressing asap if they want to stay open. I might give Bellas Pizza a pass if my 6.99 gyro is not great on a visit. The same cant be said for a $100 meal.
I, and most others on here, would love for Copper River to succeed. Its a beautiful building, and there is certainly a lack of high quality destination places in the south metro. How ownership chooses to respond to some apparent early issues will have far more to do with the long term success than anything written on this blog.
February 13th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
…”What is the toll on our locally owned businesses based on these type of reviews? Is there any consideration of how this affects the livelihood of the employees of these restaurants?”…
Judging by the fact that Bill runs this blog on his own server in the closet in his house with a residential broadband line, I sincerely doubt he’s is causing any restaurant to go out of business due to his reviews.
The fact of the matter is, that it doesn’t matter as people put up with mediocre or crap food 99% of the time. Just go into Outback Steakhouse or Red Lobster on a weekend night at 7:00pm and it’s an hour+ long wait.
This is the ‘burbs, not trendy Uptown, like it or not, people SOTR like dull and predictable. Plus it’s a short drive.
February 13th, 2012 at 12:08 pm
It’s on a business class cable connection actually ;-)
February 13th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I channeled my inner “Jason” (that Lakeville McMansion-dwelling blowhard who comes in here every 6 months and drops a 10,000-word review of Burger Time or something on us).
February 13th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
I thought Farmington had the McMansions.
February 13th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Lefty,
You asked why we would drive from Minneapolis to Lakeville to dinner. We are 76 and 79 year old seniors who would be terribly bored if we ate at the same places all the time. We go to the Fishtale Grill in New Prague and also went to Schumachers when it was still open. We also go to Wiederholts in Miesville. Just a tip – they have delicious Prime Rib on special on Tuesday evenings. And very large portions. We have gone to the St.James hotel in Red Wing for lunch which is always delicious. We have pledged not to die sitting in our chairs and doing nothing.
And in spite of all your nasty comments, we would go back to Copper River and enjoy ANOTHER delicious meal. Amen.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
M. Erickson, thank you for that. I apologize for a somewhat rude welcome to Lazy Lightning and I, for one, would love to have you join our community since it seems you have a passion for restaurants.
You were, unfortunately, caught up in a “guilt by association” situation established by other, less-well-meaning first-time posters to this blog. Your post had all of the qualities of an “insider” review (see Lori Kearney’s). You have to admit, very, very few people would do what you did — travel from Minneapolis where there are a gazillion great restaurants to a strange spot in Lakeville.
Anyway, as an “olive branch”, and since you seem to like to journey around, I’d like to recommend a couple places that it sounds like you might like:
- For a very special weekend away: http://www.canoebay.com It seems that money is less of an object for you. Canoe Bay is expensive, but it is world-class (Relais & Chateau, serene, has an incredible food/wine program, and is only a couple hours away from the Twin Cities.
- Hubbell House in Mantorville (just west of Rochester). It sounds like you have a similar dining profile to my parents and the will often take trips down there just for this place.
- Old Village Hall in Lanesboro. Another classic day trip location, outstanding food.
And if you haven’t already, try King’s Place across the street from Weiderholts for burgers. It’s not the biker bar it appears to be from the outside. They have dozens of burger varieties and they’re all great. By the way, I’ve eaten at Weiderholts…prime rib even.
Anyway…take care and happy eating.
- Dave (the “real person” behind MSPD).
February 13th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
M Erickson,
Maybe you eat at all the places MSPD mentioned in his message to you and are sick of them. That would be a nice problem to have, though if that were the case for me I would have to change my screen name to fatty.
I hope when I am 76 or 79 years old that I am still getting out to eat a lot and I applaud you for that.
So, full on admission. Is Chapter&Verse your dad?
February 13th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
We have been to the Hubbell House and enjoyed that too. We are not rich but do believe that we need to get out and find what is beyond our boundaries. There is so much out there and older people, who are able to get around, need to enjoy these things. And we are going to. We often take friends with us so we can all enjoy what is out there.
People are so concerned about driving too far because of the price of gas. We purposely bought a Prius and in the summer get 50+ miles per gallon. What we save in gas pays for part of the eating tab.
We also like places close to home and we usually go to those places in the winter when the weather is bad. But, this winter that is not a problem.
Why do we drive to Lakeville? Because we have a wonderful daughter who lives there with her husband and some very special grandchildren. The first good reason to go there.
My new blog name: “Go get ‘em Granny!”
February 13th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Now that you know I am for real, have any of you eaten at Shantytown in Bloomington? It is stuck in a warehouse district east of Cub Foods on 84th and Lyndale. Best hamburgers in town and very reasonable prices. The portions for the Club Salad is so big that we take it home and get a couple more meals out of it. We enjoy the reasonable places as well as the more expensive. Variety is the spice of life.:)
February 13th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Gotta love it! Granny, you’re a few years ahead of me (not that many, really) and My Current Wife (I married a younger woman) and I share your sense of adventure for life. We drive to Rochester for lunch on occasion, we’ve been to St Peter for coffee, to say nothing of New Prague, Miesville, Red Wing, Wabasha, etc on a whim. Northeast Mpls is also on our list.
Welcome to the LL Tribe!
February 13th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I work in Bloomington and have eaten at Shantytown maybe about a half dozen times. Love the atmosphere (since the smoking ban) and the prices. I have some pretty high standards for burgers/particular “musts” so Shantytown is sort of in my 2nd tier of burgers. Their downfall is that they use run-of-the-mill, store grade buns and the patties aren’t very thick and “beefy”.
Usually when I’m over that way looking for a blue collar lunch, I’m at Wally’s Roast Beef. I assume you’ve been there if you know about Shantytown.
February 13th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Honestly, I probably care a lot more about Copper River then anyone else who has commented on it here. Cooper River is/was my home bar. It’s where I stopped a couple times a week on my way home from work for a couple of drinks. It’s where I somehow always managed to show up on the weekends too. I love the place because I know the regulars. I’m one of them. I also have gotten to known every manager, and bar tender as well as most of the servers who have worked there since they opened their doors as Molly Cools. They all know me and all know I tip well.
Does knowing most of the people who work their have it’s advantages? It sure does. There are perks to being a regular there just as there are at any place
But, all of that does not guarantee me good food there. As I have said before, their food is hit and miss. Some of it is really good and some of it is terrible. Luckily, I know what to order that doesn’t suck.
Being a regular there I am greatly disappointed in what Copper River has become. I have voiced my opinions and concerns to the managers and other employees there and they all understand why I feel the way I do. Most of them don’t even like the direction the business is going either because, like me, they feel it’s just too expensive for this area. But, there is nothing they can do about it. The owner (who I have only met a hand full of times, but never really talked to) is hell bent on doing things his way. They new chef (who I haven’t met) is the owners boy, and trust me, he may be a good chef but he certainly isn’t very well liked by most of the people that have been working there since it was Molly Cools. He has managed to alienate more then a few of his coworkers. Right now a lot of the staff at Copper River is new. A lot of the staff left there when they found out the direction the business was going. About half the staff that works there now has come on in the last couple of months.
At any rate, Copper River isn’t about to change any time in the near future. Part of the reason it won’t is because the owner of the business (He just recently purchased the business) is also the owner of the building I am told. So he does not have to worry about paying rent! He can afford to muck around and indulge his whims of what he thinks will do well there.
As for this disappointed regular. I have pretty much done the only thing I can. I voiced my opinions and concerns to the managers there and have taken most of my business down the road to Carbone’s where I am getting to know the bar tenders and regulars there and am having a fun time doing so. Ironically, I am not the only regular at the old Mollys that is starting to take their business elsewhere. I probably should have done this a long time ago. I picked up the tab for me and a friend at Carbone’s during happy hour one day last week. 8 drinks, 24 dollars. I went to Copper River over the weekend for happy hour and 4 drinks were 23 dollars. Lucky for me the bar tender knows me so gave me my drinks in tall glasses instead of low balls and he mixed them very strong!….
February 13th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
M Erickson, I have not been to Shantytown, but have coworkers who go on a regular basis, and plan to visit soon. Its interesting that it has now come up in conversation multiple times in a short period of time.
MSPD, I eat at Wallys about once a month. I enjoy it, although the atmosphere is not quite the same in the new (not so new anymore I guess) location.
February 13th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Damn, I need to start stocking popcorn in my office for these long threads!
February 13th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Mopey,
I think you drink too much.
lefty
February 13th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Lefty,
I’m just a guy who likes to meet up with friends for happy hour on the way home from work a time or 2 a week.
February 13th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Bill, I think it’s time for the “most words by more than just one poster” measurement. Honestly, I LOVE the impassioned responses the astroturfers coax out of the regulars!
Fwiw, I’ve met MSPD (years ago in college) and he’s always been a stand up guy, so who cares if he uses a pseudonym…?
February 13th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
…Luckily, I know what to order that doesn’t suck.
And that would be what? Why don’t you share that as I’d rather not waste my money if at all possible.
You won’t though.
If it quacks like a duck…
February 14th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Wow…thank you.
February 14th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Have any of you eaten at RedRosa in Bloomington just across the street from the Mega Mall? I would encourage you to try it. We have had very good luck there. The food is good, quiet environment so you can visit, very attentive staff and they are getting busier all the time. They have not been open long.
February 14th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Actually Nurd, I can name several things on the Molly Cools menu I liked. How many are on the Copper River menu I’m not sure. I have only looked at the Cooper River menu once and that was a week before it was finalized. One of the mangers showed it to me since during that last week in December (before they closed down for their re model) they started serving some entrees off it. Just seeing the prices of those entrees were enough for me to know that they pretty much priced themselves out of what I am willing to pay.
Anyways. 2 things I did enjoy that I know are not on the menu because I asked about them and have lobbied to have brought back were the paella and the build your own burger (my favorite burger this side of Kings Place because they pretty much would put on it what ever you wanted). Some things that may still be on the menu that I really liked were the surf and turf kabobs, the salmon BLT with avocado, Their version of the french dip, which I really the hated the 1st time I tried because I thought they used frozen steak um for the meat, but several months later they got a new manager and he suggested I try it again and told me it would be much better, and it was. It has been good ever since. For appetizers I liked their bull bites and their muscles in garlic sauce. They did Sunday breakfast and made a Cajun skillet that was great! It may have been my favorite dish on any of their menus. My wife liked the walleye sandwich (I was never sold on it, though) and a couple of the salads on their menu as well as their coconut shrimp.
February 14th, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Oh ya….I did have the salmon off their new menu they day before they closed and it was really good. Also 2 years ago I had their steak and lobster special for New Years Eve and was really surprised that they made a really good steak, I ordered it medium rare and they nailed. I never thought they could do steak well, but they did that night!
February 14th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
M. Erickson, yes and like you, I have had good experiences there and have encouraged others to try it. Not what you’d probably order first, but their burgers are actually very well executed (I’d score them about a 75-80 on a 1-100 scale). The salads are nicely put together — fresh ingredients, not low quality crap. I’ve also really enjoyed the “Brasato al Chianti” (braised beef on polenta). I had a pasta dish there once that was a bit uninspired, but I can’t remember what it was.
For full disclosure, a good friend of mine was one of the main chefs there for a while but has since left. It didn’t really make a difference in forming my opinion (he was never working when I went and I never mentioned it/asked about him with our server) and I’ve been there several times since he left. In conversations after he left, he did give me some “inside” insight though that impressed me — they do their butchering/breaking down of proteins in-house there and the cooks are actually skilled, not just glorified package openers/heater-uppers.
Anyway…it’s a refreshing change from the Mall of America options (sub-standard) and especially nice to have a decent restaurant close to my office. Here is a blurb I posted about it on Chowhound:
“As some of you know, I work near the Mall of America/494 Strip/Airport and recognize it as the most culinary devoid bunch of square miles in all of Minnesota.
Over the last few months, I watched with indifference as they tore apart the horribly ugly Best Western next to the Mall and remodeled it into a slightly less horribly ugly hotel. As they did so, they glued on a large restaurant space to the freeway side of the hotel.
Recently, Red Rossa Italian Grille opened there. I researched for about 3 minutes and discovered it’s a Sioux Falls-based restaurant. I asked my Sioux Falls-based friend and she said she hadn’t been impressed with their one visit.
Anyway, I stopped over there for lunch a couple of weeks ago with very low expectations (part the location, part the cheesy name, part the input from my friend).
As it turns out, it’s a surprisingly pleasant place to eat.
They aren’t sourcing from the farmers’ markets, nor do they have a signature chef at the helm, but I have now had (or tasted) about 6 or 7 different entrees, some of the kids’ offerings, a couple appetizers, etc. and universally, the ingredients used are fresh, the dishes are clearly crafted by cooks with culinary skills, and most importantly, the food tastes good.
The menu is fairly extensive, including a back page of wood-fired pizzas (not bad but not going to challenge the VPN places in town or Black Sheep, etc.). They have quite a few gluten-free options for those that care.
It’s equal to, or better than every restaurant in the Mall (although that’s not saying much) and quite a bit less expensive. Certainly, there isn’t a restaurant within a reasonable radius that is as good.
Anyway, if you’re in the Mall or the area of the Mall and you want a meal that won’t make you feel like you’ve just torched a $20 bill, Red Rossa is a surprisingly good choice.
February 15th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
My husband and I enjoyed our Valentines day dinner a day late at Copper River, It was the best experience. Service was incredible and the food was outstanding there is not many places that can cook fish to such perfection!!! Well worth the $$$ Thank you Gary we will be back again and again… by the way don’t forget to get dessert best chocolate cake and ice cream EVER!!!!
February 15th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
I do not have any relationship with the chef only that he went out of his way to see how everything was for us. I have been in the service industry for many years and have been around a lot of chefs and many would never do something like he did it showed he has a lot of pride and took ownership of what he is serving and that says a lot..
February 15th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Hey, that’s great. Welcome to Lazy Lightning and I’m glad you enjoyed your meal. Happy (belated) Valentines Day.
February 16th, 2012 at 10:27 am
Always interesting when someone goes out to eat at a new place and then goes home, logs on to the computer, and starts posting on blogs they have never visited previously about their perfect meal.
I HOPE to someday eat at someplace that is so wonderful that I am moved to run out and blog about how great it is as soon as I get home.
February 16th, 2012 at 10:36 am
Chad, even better is when they have a bad experience and then go home and post on a blog they have never visited and direct their complaints at Bill/this blog.
February 16th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Don’t rain on the parade. I’m excited to go there and order “the fish that shan had” (not having any idea if it was freshwater, saltwater, shellfish, baked, fried, poached, grilled, or what).
February 16th, 2012 at 11:23 am
Chad – I was looking for the menu at Copper River and one of the websites that came up was this one. I read the reviews, ate at Copper River and felt that people would want to know that in spite of what I read, we had a good meal and enjoyed ourselves. I didn’t realize that new bloggers are not welcome.
I did not post as soon as I got home. It wasn’t the absolutely most wonderful eating experience we have ever had but it was VERY good and we were pleased with the service. I thought that people should know that.
February 16th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Argh…post got cut off.
Shan, I’d love to hear more details about your fish.
February 16th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
I miss Mopey SO much. Maybe shan will be a new productive member of society like M Erickson.
M Erickson, ever go to The Nook?
February 16th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
lefty, don’t fret. You can read his tremendously vague impressions of south metro averageness here:
http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/reviews/2028268
Incidentally, shan (aka Tasha Ericksen) copied/pasted her review above right next to Mopey’s on Urbanspoon (and Yelp).
You’re welcome.
February 16th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
M Erickson, new bloggers are always welcome. You have provided some wonderful insight.
Bloggers who are clearly just trying to advertise for their friend/neighbor/brother/husband/etc are not welcome or helpful.
February 16th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Holy Shit MSPD. Nice find. That fucker posted over 3000 words in a manner of two days!
That is batshit crazy!
I couldn’t help but go to the Old Chicago review to learn more about the great burgers, but couldn’t help but notice this excerpt.
“The thing I really like about the place is that I can go there, belly up to the bar have a few beers and lunch and before I know it half the afternoon has gone by. I always have fun when I go there!”
All the while his employer is wondering, “Where the hell did Mopey go?”
February 16th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I see a new game being created, “Where’s Mopey?” To find him, you have to do a South-of-the-River pub crawl, but the person who finds him gets to go to dinner with him at his choice of restaurants!
February 17th, 2012 at 9:37 am
Greg: Gets to, or has to?
February 17th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Well, I guess that depends on what you consider “winning!” ;)
February 25th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Please note: I will NOT EVER approve comments penned with invalid/bouncing e-mail addresses. If you posted a comment recently and it was not approved that is why.
February 25th, 2012 at 11:49 am
Keeping it clean! Nice! [Thumbs-Up]
February 25th, 2012 at 11:59 am
This place is still open?
February 25th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Congrats to C&V on comment #400!
August 8th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
About 2 weeks ago (yeah, I’ve been busy, shut up!) my neighbor came over and conspired with my wife to bring our two families to CR in celebration of her husband’s birthday. While my wife was a bit apprehensive, given our “meh” experience with Molly Fail’s, my neighbor was very optimistic. Given that I had read this review, I just smiled and nodded.
When we got there, the biggest difference I noticed from the experiences I had under the two previous names was the crowd. There wasn’t one. 5:45 PM and we were promptly and cheerfully seated, making us group #7 in the entire place. Yikes.
Cutting to the chase, I can tell you that of the 4 adults and two kids at the table, everybody loved their meals. My tuna was great, the filet was delicious, and my son stuffed himself on the largest shrimp I have ever seen. Most impressive was their ability to take asparagus as large as they have it and make it taste very very good.
The least exciting was what they call “Sea Hogs,” which is essentially bacon wrapped around impossibly gigantic shrimp. They’re actually as yummy as they sound, but the flavor is just too “rich” for an entrée; I think they’d make a great appetizer to share.
Amazingly enough, I’m actually looking forward to returning.
August 8th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
This is great to hear.
August 9th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Here is a recent FaceBook posting from Copper River. I might actually give it a shot. It’s with-in walking distance, so I keep hoping it will be good!
“COME CHECK OUT OUR NEW HAPPY HOUR MENU STARTS FRIDAY
TEMPURA FRIED WALLEYE FINGERS
Spicy Pineapple Marmalade 6.95
PRIME RIB SLIDERS
Horseradish Crème Fresh 6.95
¼ POUND HEREFORD BURGER
With Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Avocado,
Cheddar Cheese and Fries 4.95
CRISPY FRIED CALAMARI
Thai Style Chili Sauce 4.95
BAJA FISH TACOS
Guacamole and Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream 6.95
PANKO-DUSTED CRAB CAKE
Chinese Hot Mustard 5.95
CHORIZO & MUSSELS
Jalapeno-Tomato-White Wine Broth 4.95
OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL
Half Dozen freshly Shucked Blue Points 10.00
FIRE CRACKER SHRIMP
Homemade Buffalo Sauce and Amablu Cheese Dipping Sauce 9.95
RIB-EYE NACHOS 6.95
House Fried Tortilla Chips, Pepper Jack Cheese, Pico De Gallo and Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream”
September 14th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
After <a href="http://www.lazylightning.org/copper-river-fish-and-chop-house-lakeville-mn#comment-247649"Tracy's post above, I visited CR’s website. No mention of the happy hour specials. Weird. So, taking her lead I hit their facebook page and there it was. Awesome!
Then I got to wondering when happy hour was, since that I might be helpful. I asked, and got “3pm-6pm Seven Days a week. Late nightFir-Sat 9pm-11pm.” My inquiry about drink specials yielded, “$3 Domestics, $4 Imports, $4 House wine, Dollar of you call it.”
While it’s a shame and odd that I’d have to ask, this list looks pretty yummy to me and I put it on my to-do list.
Well, last night my neighbor and I were lamenting via IM (we both telecommute) about what shitty days we had. I showed her this list and said “Let’s do this!” So we grabbed our families and tried to beat the 6:00 deadline.
When we got there, the place was nearly empty, which kind of makes me sad. However, it started to get more business as the evening rolled on, which I’m guessing might be par for CR. (And, hence, maybe the happy hour push.)
The same 6 of us that dined here the last time bellied up to a table in the bar area, because that’s the only place the HH specials are in effect. When I mentioned that’s why we came in, a well dressed gentleman overheard me and came up to ask, “Are you Jorn?” When I replied in the affirmative, he said that he was Josh, the (assistant?) Manager at Copper River, and had seen my posts on their Facebook page. He offered me a drink as a thanks for coming in, although I’m not sure what I did to deserve it. I thanked him and gave him a friendly jab for helpful information like happy hour deals and other specials not being on their main website where it belongs. He seemed less-than-happy with the person maintaining their website. Okay.
We decided to, as seems appropriate with “appetizers,” to do this family style and share dishes. We ordered everything on the menu you see above, save for the burger and the oysters.
Highlights: The sliders and nachos are fantastic! In fact, that might be the tastiest plate of nachos I’ve ever had. The sliders are made with very sweet, sautéd onions. The crab cake also got rave reviews from the entire table. The shrimp was also pretty tasty.
Lowlights: The calamari was insanely salty. So much so that it only could be attributed to a horrible error in the kitchen. Nobody would make anything that salty on purpose. We tried to eat them and could not. We shared our feedback with our waiter and he kindly removed them from our bill, which was very nice.
The ladies also took advantage of another special we saw on a chalkboard high on the wall. It’s called the Early Diner Special, and if I recall correctly runs from 4-6, 7 days a week. In it, you get a 3 course meal (I think of your choice) for $30. I’d direct you to their website for the full details, but… you guessed it!… not there. :-/ That being said, they ordered the bacon-wrapped filets and asparagus based upon past experience. Once again, the steak was awesome to point of just producing subtle moaning in delight by everybody who tried it. Yeah, it was that good.
One of the themes of everything we ate was the level of spiciness. While Bill might toss out a “Whatchoo talkin’ bout, Willis?!” to that, some people in my party (wife, son) could scarcely eat many of the selections, including the very yummy mussels. While this is perfectly natural and expected for food on a happy hour menu, just keep that in mind.
The other highlight from our evening was the server. While I have foolishly forgotten his name, he was also tending bar busily last night. He was constantly tending to us, had a great personality, and seemed to know a lot about the menu. Extra credit points for bringing a giant bottle of sriracha without anybody asking.
Josh chatted with us on our way out, and we offered our feedback. He seems to really give a shit about making this a great place to eat, and we all appreciated that. One of the things we mentioned was that the happy hour menu was pretty challenging for somebody with a gluten sensitivity (I would be that somebody) to shop from. On our previous visit, I had requested that the kitchen just sauté/fry the calamari without any breading, and the result was wonderful. Last night, they also brought out a plate of the shrimp sans the breading, which was by no means a step down from the original. Our suggestion was to maybe make those things regular items.
So, while my wife said she wouldn’t do their happy hour thing again on account of the spice, we agreed as a group it was pretty tasty. Plus, the prices aren’t half bad. Again, the calamari was SO bad, I can only imagine (hope) it to be a fluke. We still like Copper River, and it’s bee on our “Let’s go someplace nice!” list for a while.
September 14th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Another note: Copper River, in my amateur opinion, needs to do a little better marketing. While they do a great job of putting fun and frequent posts on their Facebook page, the afore-mentioned omission about the specials on their main website it pretty bone-headed. Josh’s comment of “I know, talk to our web developer.” got a quick, “No, YOU talk to your web developer. It shouldn’t be that tough to write some words on a web page. That’s what it’s there for.” Businesses with websites that never get updated just baffles the shit out of me. What the hell are people getting paid for?
Also…and again in my amateur and limited personal experience… I don’t think people really know about CR. I’ve never talked to anybody and heard “Blegh, hate it!” I just get the “Oh? Din’t know it was there/open/no-longer-Molly-Fails.”
I want this place to succeed, much like many of us here. To do so, they have to be good AND people have to know about them. There’s still work to do.
September 14th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
I am glad to hear the food is better here jorn, thanks for the detailed review.
More importantly, I had forgotten just how fucking awesome the comment section is on this one. Oh, mopey…lest we forget ye.
September 14th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
My husband and I finally made it up there a couple of Saturdays ago and sat outside on the parking lot view patio. I really wish they’d take a page from Porter Creek and landscape better!
The happy hour menu is interesting, but ultimately the happy hour drink prices just don’t cut it compared to Valley Tap House and Wild Bill’s. Even though we mentioned a special that was posted on FaceBook, the first server required that I show him what I was talking about before he’d take our order.
As far as food, we had the nachos and I’m pretty sure they are the best I have ever had.
Of course, I am not foolish enough to get attached to the place since they have been nearly empty any time I’ve been there or driven past.
October 5th, 2012 at 7:34 am
[...] an opportunity to come back and try Copper River Fish & Chop again (we paid $99.45 ourselves the first time), free of charge and with no obligations to write about our experience. We took the restaurant up [...]
December 31st, 2012 at 7:30 am
[...] Copper River Fish and Chop House: Lakeville, MN [...]