Bill, Kim and I decided to try out the latest hyped-up suburban restaurant, Copper Bleu. It opened two days ago but we were asked by their staff twice if we had been there before. Ha. It’s 20+ miles away from downtown Minneapolis in a land of strip malls and chain restaurants where everything seems less than 5 years old.
Designed by Jordan Mozer and Associates, Copper Bleu feels trendy. Not warm, not comfortable, not fun, not even all that interesting. The whole building was a bunch of strange angles and curves that cared more about form and less about function. The copper exterior is an expensive gimmick. Light fixtures on the ceiling looked like massive collections of test tubes held in place with a sheet of copper. The lights on the table along with a wall of plates separating part of the restaurant looked like they were melting and droopy. The windows outside showed a patio and the landscaping tries to hide the supermarket and strip mall outside. The best part was the strange blue and brown blocks that looked like a bunch of plush furniture from IKEA placed into the far wall. They made it all look sharp, though. Trendy.
After waiting twenty minutes to get seated, we started by getting a bottle of Echelon Pinot Noir. The wine glasses were obnoxiously large and our waitress struggled with the procedure of opening the wine and having me taste it. Otherwise she did well for her first week on the job and treated us very well. Also large was our coconut shrimp to start with which tasted fantastic. Largest shrimp I’ve ever had. Our food overall was great and even better was the dessert. Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake… arr num num. Bill wrote more about what we ate on his post about Copper Bleu.
We were surprised to find such good food in the middle of Lakeville despite the fact the menu was made by a “Consulting Chef.” We were also surprised that it was decent considering the owner being involved with Champps restaurants and the name “Copper Bleu” being chosen as a result of market research.
They’ve made a strange but decent product with their $5 million investment. Although it doesn’t have much personality and in a few years the freshness and trendiness of the place will wear off, my guess is with all the new money that’s moving to these outer suburbs, the great food and otherwise lack of “fine dining” in these parts, Copper Bleu will stick around.
UPDATE: Less than two years later, Copper Bleu is closed:
To all valued Copper Bleu guests
We are deeply saddened to inform you that Copper Bleu in Lakeville has closed it’s operations.
Thank you for your support. It has been a pleasure serving you.
Copper Bleu Management-
Comments 6
ha! that place is about a mile from my in-laws. thanks for the review
Posted 23 Dec 2005 at 11:14 ¶I found Copper Bleu to be delightful. I disagree with s4xton, I found the building, the furniture, and the lighting to be very interesting and fun. Would you rather sit at a card table with folding chairs? Get over yourself already.
The food was great. The menu has a ton of interesting options, even cheeseburgers for those of you Minnesotans that think ketchup is spicy. I highly recommend the bacon wrapped scallops. The chicken BLT is also pretty amazing.
I can’t wait to get back to Copper Bleu!
Posted 04 Jan 2006 at 08:20 ¶The french fries were horrible and I have heard that from at least 10 people. Please improve on the Fries!!
Posted 12 Jan 2006 at 23:18 ¶I have been to CB twice. The first time was lunch. It was just okay. All of us had some type of sandwich (pork, walleye, and burger). All of these were served on buns made of too much bread. I have to agree with the comment about the fries. They must have been made with some type of mini potato. They were almost closer to hash browns. Make bigger fries.
I really wanted to like the place so I went back for dinner last night. The place was jammed, but we had a reservation and were seated quickly. We had a great waiter (Vanh). He was knowledgable about the food and like everyone else at this place very enthusiastic about this restaurant. I have been to Enjoy!, the other upscale south of the river restaurant, and have always felt they were doing me the favor by allowing me to eat there. Not here. This place is very welcoming.
We had two appetizers. The waiter recommended the scallop flatbread. The flavor was awesome. The flatbread was a little soft, but the flavor so good, I would encourage everyone to try it. Our other appetizer was also great. It was a seared hamachi. Again, outstanding. All 4 of us ordered beef entrees. I had the bone-in 20 oz. ribeye. The temperature was as ordered, perfectly charred outside and wonderfully seasoned. Two people ordered the flatiron steak. Again perfectly cooked. This had the more beefy flavor of a flatiron and was served sliced. The last beef ordered was the “bistro” steak. I asked what the cut was and was told it was a suppliers secret. I wouldn’t keep it a secret, I would get rid of it. It was the cheapest on the menu and was probably some part of sirloin, but it was tough and not very flavorful. Again though, it was cooked as ordered. We also ordered the tableside prepared mash potatoes. It seemed kind of gimmicky and totally unnecessary. Just give me a side of fresh hot potatoes and skip the presentation.
We skipped dessert so I can’t comment on that.
I was happy to see that the place was really hopping. They don’t have a happy hour yet, but was told maybe by the summer. I’m looking forward to going back soon. There are a lot of things left to try. Our bill was $175 including tip and a bottle of wine. Seemed fair to me.
Posted 14 Jan 2006 at 12:10 ¶I am so bummed that they are no longer open. My husband and I ate there three times, and my sister and girlfriend once, all four occassions were great!
Posted 17 Nov 2007 at 07:02 ¶This fine place is in an area where folks settle into homes worth a half million dollars and up, then can’t afford to enjoy such an awesome place, let alone even furnish their homes. I see it everyday, greedy Minnesotans who want to have the biggest house and then not a penny to spend on good taste. Unfortunately, most families living in Lakeville and the surrounding area will eat at the nasty fast food chains and a place like CopperBleu simply cannot survive. I am so sorry to see CopperBleu close.
I think the majority of people cannot or are not willing to pay $40 for a steak, $9 for a abowl of soup and $6.50 for a side of creamed corn. Ridiculous! In this economy we need nice but affordable and reasonable restaurants. Im not surprised Copper Bleu is no longer here.
Posted 27 Jun 2008 at 14:34 ¶Post a Comment