http://www.casadecobre.com/Tonight Alicia was in the mood for Mexican. Instead of getting in a car to find a place to eat we walked downtown to try the local Mexican place, Casa Cobre (House of Copper). Getting a seat at 6:30pm on a Friday night was not a problem. The place did fill up though by the end of the meal. The atmosphere is nice, warm Mexican colors and art and a nice looking bar. We sat down at a table for two and it was a little longer than the usual table. Alicia seemed farther away than usual. The area we were seated was on the smaller side so it got a little loud towards the end of the meal when the place filled up.
So after walking in the cold something hot sounded nice. There was a queso fondido on the menu. Melted cheese sounded just right and we ordered that along with the house margarita and a margarita called the Purist. The cheese came out bubbling in a little crock with warm tortillas on the side. It looked nice but was pretty bad. The cheese was very stringy and the chorizo tasted like one you buy at the local supermarket. I should have just burned 8$ dollars out of my wallet instead of ordering that. It was also gone in a few bites so I ordered the chips & salsa as well. You actually have to pay for chips and salsa here (3$) but it is easily worth it. The chips are right out of the fryer and warm. You get three different salsas (all of which are good) and a pico de gallo which honestly was the best pico de gallo I've had anywhere. Pico de gallo is pretty simple so I'm sure the fact that they actually had ripe tomatoes in there helped. (And where the hell do you get ripe tomatoes in January?). Ok, Alicia's house margarita came with key lime juice and triple sec. She enjoyed it very much and I thought it was passable. The Purist margarita was terrible. It consisted of fresh lime juice, agave, and tequila. It tasted like limeade and left me fishing for hints of the reposado that was supposed to be in there. I probably should have said something and I didn't bother finishing it. Alicia said she would finish it for me but had enough of it very quickly and was done with it.
Alicia ordered a Chile Relleno. Out comes her dish and a beautifully presented plate comes out with one of the nicest Pasilla peppers I've ever seen on it. It looks plump and of course is stuffed with a really nice Mexican cheese. It's covered with a guajillo type sauce and served on a bed of rice. This was the perfect pepper with deep dark green flesh and that awesome peppery spice that a ripe Pasilla has. This was by far the best Chile Relleno I've ever had and Alicia liked it very much but it was too spicy for her so I gladly finished it off. For myself I ordered Chicken Mole. Mole is my favorite Mexican sauce and I tend to judge all Mexican places by it. This dish too was well presented and garnished with sliced bits of egg and red onions. It had a nice aroma and I was looking forward to digging in. I tried the first bite and the Mole was missing something. It was mild and had no punch or depth in it. If Estrellita's (Los Altos) puts over 40 ingredients in their Mole then this place must use five. It was certainly edible just really mellow and uninspiring. The worst part though was there was so little chicken in the mole. At times I thought they forgot to put it in but then would see strands of shredded chicken mixed in the sauce. This is unforgivable. This dish is just lacking all around and I'm really disappointed. It is a stark contrast to the Chile Relleno Alicia got. Another thing, the mole enchilada comes a la carte. So I had to order beans and rice on the side (4$) and (3$) respectively. It's not as bad as it sounds because it's enough for two people or three "dainty" folk. The rice was good and mixed with well cooked carrots and potatoes. The black beans were amazing. They were by far the best I've had anywhere at home or at a restaurant. They were not in a heavy sauce or syrup but freshly cooked and served with onions sweated down to nothing but sweetness. Alicia described the beans as melt in your mouth and I can't say enough about them. I didn't know black beans could taste that good. That was enough food for us and we skipped desert.
I should say the service was good as well. A friendly waitress and bus boy brought us the food with good speed, kept the waters filled, and were clearing plates as soon as they were empty to help keep the table neat.
With tip the bill was 84$ and it was not worth it to me. This restaurant leaves me in a strange place. The chips/salsa were above average and the black beans were the best I've ever had. The Chile Relleno was just unreal and a must have for anyone who loves peppers and an awesome vegetarian dish for the non meat eaters. But how can I recommend a place that can't make a margarita? Or a chicken mole? I've never had a meal where such great and poor items were served in the same sitting. Okay so I have the only solution I can think of. This is a good one too for "hoity toity" Saratoga.
Order Chips/Salsa ($3)
Order two Chile Rellenos ($11x2)
Order side of black beans to share ($4)
Enjoy a good vegetarian meal for two people at $29 plus tax/tip
Order anything else at your own risk/reward.
