Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About
    • About Me
    • Tiny Urban Kitchen’s Favorite Equipment
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Malaysian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
    • Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Salad
    • Pasta
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Vegetarian
    • Meat
    • Sweets
      • Baking
      • Ice cream
      • Cookies
    • Misc
    • Kawaii (Cute)
  • Travel / Restaurants
    • United States
      • Boston
        • Jen’s Picks
        • Boston
          • Allston
          • Back Bay
          • Brighton
          • North End
          • South End
        • Cambridge
          • Kendall Square
          • Inman Square
          • Central Square
          • Harvard Square
          • Porter Square
          • North Cambridge
        • Somerville
          • Davis Square
          • Union Square
        • Greater Boston
          • Brookline
          • Arlington
          • Belmont
          • Watertown
          • Newton
          • Lexington
          • Concord
          • Burlington
          • Natick
        • Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshires
      • Vermont
      • Maine
      • New York
      • Washington DC
      • Philadelphia
      • Orlando
      • Chicago
      • Las Vegas
      • California
        • Los Angeles
        • San Francisco
        • Napa
        • Sonoma
      • Seattle
      • Hawaii
    • Canada
      • Montreal
      • Canadian Rockies
      • Toronto
    • Argentina
    • Europe
      • United Kingdom
        • London
        • Oxford
      • Italy
        • Rome
        • Piedmont
      • France
        • Paris
        • Bordeaux
      • Spain
        • Madrid
        • Barcelona
        • Catalonia / San Sebastian / Girona
      • Germany
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
      • Switzerland
      • Greece
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Denmark
    • Japan
      • Japan Guide
      • Tokyo
      • Osaka
      • Kyoto
    • China (Mainland)
      • Beijing
      • Chengdu
      • Shanghai
      • Shaanxi
      • Shenzhen
      • Xiamen
      • Yunnan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Australia/New Zealand
  • Michelin
    • Formerly had a star
    • Michelin Recommended
    • 1 Star
    • 2 Stars
    • 3 Stars
  • Jen’s Eating Guides!
    • Boston Restaurants
    • Boston Dishes
    • Tokyo
    • Hong Kong
    • Las Vegas
    • Napa / Sonoma
    • Taiwan (night markets)
    • Taiwanese (casual eats)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part I)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part II)
    • Kitchen Equipment
  • Trip Reports
    • All trip reports
    • New England
    • New York
    • Washington DC
    • Las Vegas
    • California
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Florida
    • Japan
    • China

Coppa Boston

March 3, 2015 by Jennifer Che 2 Comments

wpid15249-DSC9491.jpg
Congratulations to Elizabeth (#17) for winning the Giveaway! Elizabeth said “My favorite casual place is Picco – always fun and great food. And, they’ll be at the event!” 

Bryan and I have a tradition that we started years ago. We’ll take vacation from work on our birthdays and spend it together somewhere. Certain years, we’ll actually go on a trip (e.g., Paris, Sydney, or Tokyo), while other years we’ll just explore Boston together for the day.

It’s during these times that we finally get around to visiting some of those places that are typically hard to access. For example, this past year we finally visited James Beard Award winners Ken Oringer’s and Jamie Bissonette’s Spanish restaurant Toro on Bryan’s birthday. We showed up about 15 minutes before the restaurant opened so we could ensure a table without the crazy up to 2+ hour long waits.

For my birthday this past year, we stayed local (no trips since our Hawaii trip was coming up in a week!), and explored Boston for the day.  This time, we decided to stop by Chef Oringer’s and Chef Bissonette’s other collaboration, an Italian enoteca called Coppa for lunch.

wpid15265-DSC9504.jpg
Coppa is located in Boston’s vibrant South End on a cute little corner surrounded by quaint brownstones and narrow tree-lined streets. The whole area is just charming, and there’s no question why this neighborhood is so popular (and thus so expensive!).
wpid15267-DSC9505.jpg
Step inside, and it’s equally charming and warm inside. The dining space is cozy and small, with exposed brick walls and a rustic feel.
wpid15253-DSC9493.jpg
We knew we had to get the salumi, or cured meat. After all, the restaurant’s called “Coppa”, an Italian cured meat made from pork shoulder or neck. Furthermore, our friends had visited the restaurant a week prior and had raved about the salumi selection, telling us we had to try it.

There are many different choices of salumi on the menu.  On the day we went, there was Coppa, Mortadella, Lingua, Prosciutto di Parma, La Quercia Prosciutto, Beef Heart Pastrami, and Toscano.

You can get one plate for $10 or the sampler plate (5 different varieties) for $35. If you’re hankering for variety but don’t feel like eating an entire huge plate of cured meat, you can get half and half on a single $10 order. We ended up getting four half orders for $20.
wpid15251-DSC9492.jpg
One one plate we had Beef Heart Pastrami and Mortadella. Our server called the Mortadella an adult version of bologna. It was delicious.
wpid15247-DSC9490.jpg
We also ordered the Lingua (tongue, in front) and the Coppa (in back). Our favorite was the Lingua, which was not only beautifully soft and tender, but also had phenomenal flavor. I especially enjoyed the crunchy fried garlic, chives, and sea salt sprinkled over the top, which really made the dish shine.
wpid15255-DSC9494.jpg
The menu is divided into several sections, including Stuzzichini (small starters $5-$9), Salumi ($10 each), Formaggio (cheese, at $15 for 3 or $25 for 5), Antipasti ($8-$14), Piatti (plates, $11-$15), Pasta ($16-$27), and Pizza ($14-$18).

We started with a Panino di Riccio di Mare ($9) from the Stuzzichini section of the menu. This was a pressed sandwich made with sea urchin, roasted tongue, and pickled mustard seeds. It was well executed and pretty enjoyable.
wpid15259-DSC9497.jpg
From the Antipasti section of the menu, we ordered Forno a Legna Brussel Arrosto ($11), wood-oven roasted Brussels sprouts with sheep’s milk feta and fattoush tossed together in a sumac vinaigrette.
wpid15257-DSC9495.jpg
We also ordered Polpo e Broccoli ($14), a plate of braised octopus, broccoli rabe, olive oil potatoes, and Castelveltrano olives with fried lemon and a tahini sauce. The flavors were nice, though the texture of the octopus was not as good as what we’ve had at Juniper or Craigie on Main.
wpid15261-DSC9501.jpg
From the pasta section, we got Linguini Nero con Trippa ($16/$24), squid ink linguini with tomato-braised tripe, bottarga and garlic. The texture of the pasta was excellent, though the sauce was quite salty, right on the edge of comfort for me. Perhaps I would ask them to reduce the salt next time?
wpid15263-DSC9503.jpg
And then – lo and behold – guess who were BOTH at the restaurant that day during lunchtime? I was a bit shy, but Bryan encouraged me to say hi to them. Both Ken and Jamie were super gracious and were so nice to me, despite the fact that I think they were having some sort of business meeting with each other at the restaurant.

They warmly wished me a happy birthday and were kind enough to let me take a photo with them.

Thanks so much, chefs!

It was a memorable birthday, to say the least, and I had an enjoyable meal at Coppa. I still prefer my favorite Italian places in New York (or Italy, for that matter), but it’s definitely one of the best in Boston. My favorite was the salumi, especially the lingua. I would be tempted to order a whole portion of that the next time I return! I’d love to try some of the other pasta dishes. My friend says the Spaghetti Carbonara (which has smoked pancetta, sea urchin AND a farm egg) is out of this world, and many of the other pasta dishes look really interesting as well.

Hopefully I won’t have to wait until another birthday to return!

Coppa Boston
253 Shawmut Ave
Boston MA 02118
Coppa on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Boston, Restaurant, Review, South End

« Reflections During a Snowstorm + $100 Visa Card Giveaway! {Thanks to Milano® !)
Hiking the Na Pali Coast, Kauai (Kalalau Trail) »

Recent Posts

  • L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong January 18, 2021
  • Nostalgic Reminders of Home: Five Guys Hong Kong January 6, 2021
  • Elementary Hong Kong January 5, 2021
  • Happy New Year 2021! A Look Back at 2020 January 1, 2021
  • Restaurant Le George Paris December 29, 2020
  • Nice Yakiniku and Fine Wine Hong Kong December 28, 2020
  • Merry Christmas 2020 December 25, 2020
  • Sushi Shikon Autumn 2020 December 24, 2020

Latest Chinese recipes!

Trackbacks

  1. Little Donkey Cambridge - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    August 16, 2016 at 12:50 am

    […] this year. Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, both James Beard Award winning chefs with several successful restaurants under their belts, have joined together to open their first restaurant in […]

    Reply
  2. Jen's Top Restaurants to visit in Boston - 2017 update - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    December 21, 2017 at 2:12 am

    […] Bissonnette and Oringer’s other restaurant, Coppa, focuses on cured meats, house made pastas, and other Italian specialties. Try the Spaghetti […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Categories

Awards

Saveur
PFB

BostonGlobe

Most Recent Posts

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong

Five Guys Hong  Kong

Nostalgic Reminders of Home: Five Guys Hong Kong

Elementary HK

Elementary Hong Kong

Happy New Year 2021! A Look Back at 2020

Restaurant Le George Paris

Restaurant Le George Paris

Great Yakiniku and Fine Wine

Nice Yakiniku and Fine Wine Hong Kong

Merry Christmas 2020

Sushi Shikon Autumn 2020

Foodhallen + Amsterdam Eats and Museums

4850 Restaurant Amsterdam

4850 Amsterdam – Nordic Inspired Creative Food

France!

Yam'Tcha Paris
David Toutain Paris
Divellec Paris
Breizh Cafe Paris
Clamato Paris

Kawaii! (Cute)

Norway!

Food Advertising by logo

Chinese Recipes

Okra with Chicken
Food Advertising by logo

Shop & Support us!

Spain!

Girona Spain
Amelia San Sebastian

Japan!

Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Sukiyaki Imafuku Tokyo
Sushi Ishimaya Tokyo
Disney Sea Tokyo
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen

Cambridge restaurants

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress