When we first visited The Copa, service was struggling but the menu was promising. Located in the end-unit of a north Hayden multi-purpose corner lot, The Copa intrigued us if for no other reason than it was the second local restaurant run by a local politician. Although returning Idaho state Rep. Vito Barbieri’s place has gone belly up, former Sen. Mike Jorgenson’s Copa seems to be holding its own.
An eclectic menu blending such comfort foods as beef stew ($5/cup, $9/bowl) or fish and chips ($16) and the more esoteric tempura avocado ($7) reaches across the aisle to embrace a variety of tastes.
The menu, by 40-year veteran chef Everett Fees (Pasty Clark’s, Beverly’s, Coeur d’Alene Casino), features an affordable range of seasonal lunch and dinner entrees. Try the signature four-cheese mac ‘n’ Cheese with truffle oil ($11), chicken Florentine crepes with red pepper béchamel ($16) or fresh catch, like the sea bass en papillote ($16). Their under-$4 happy hour menu and kickin’ martinis give new meaning to the grand old party line.
