Copeland - Restaurant Review

With New Jersey's restrictive liquor licensing laws there are too few good restaurant - bars.

Diana and I love to to go out for dinner at the bar. Since our former favorite "Dish" in Passaic Park closed we have been looking for a new hang out.

Ventured out to Morristown to try Copeland.

Copeland. located in the Westin Govenor Morris Hotel, is Early American Decor meets Nouvelle American Cusine and Martini Bar. I find the concept confusing. I remember the old classic Governor Morris which was redecorated when Starwood chain converted it into a Westin. The rehab was sorely needed but the mix of old and new design, to my taste, does not quite work. Not sure if I'm in a W or the Four Seasons.

It was a cold and rainy night and Copeland was pretty much empty, perhaps we just missed the 5-7 happy hour crowd.

We sat at the stylish bar and anticipated the experience.

The menu of cocktails is creative and extensive. I picked a Caipiroska, Citrus Vodka, Muddled Limes, & Raw Sugar, expecting a freshly made cocktail. It tasted of pre-made cocktail mix. Diana had her usual Grey Goose annd Tonic, nothing could go wrong with that.

We were impressed with the elaborate raw bar, manned by a dedicated shucker. The Oyster choices on the menu were not all available and it was challenging to understand what was, due to the oysterman's and the bartender's challenge with the English language. After a few attempts and intervention by another bartender, the sexy aloof blond, we finally came to know the origin of the oysters we ordered. They were delcious in the end.

We enjoyed a salad of mache, frisse and boston bibb lettuces with a pumpkin seed vinaigrette and marinated squash and the horseradish crusted crab cake snow pea shoots and mustard-seed  vinaigrette. Fortunately the Executive Chef ,Thomas Ciszak's, inffluence extends to the bar menu.

Then we got to the reason I went in the first place the Copeland Burger. Tommy author of the NJ Food Blog Tommy Eats made the recommendation. It was delicious. Ground Wagyu Beef served on a Brioche Bun with Cheese, BLT and Homemade French Fries 

With the burger I had a Pinot Noir, Chalone Vineyard, Montery. It was OK. It is always dissapointing when a restauarant like Copeland that has an award wining wine list, serves just OK wines by the glass.

The staff seems to be trained to sell drinks, which is all well and good, but that mixed with the English challenged guy and the aloof blond gal resulted in a bad experience, we had little attention except when they were pushing another drink.

This place has some potential if they worked more on the service, that missing it goes on the list of "well we tried that place."

Copeland Restaurant
2 Whippany Road Morristown, NJ 07960
Phone 973-451-2619/973-539-7300

http://www.copelandrestaurant.com/

Review: November 4 2006

Comments

[tommyeats]

I should say that it was the pig (blackeyedpig) who first mentioned this place. he should take the credit. :)

I'm sorry to hear that the bar service issues still exist.