We were on our way back from the Greenwich Wine and Food Festival and needed some dinner, so we took a short detour off of Route 95 to Ivoryton and stopped at the Copper Beech Inn. This has been one of our favorite destinations in this neck of the woods for some time, and we have both stayed at the inn and dined in the restaurant several times. In the past the food has always been good. That was when they had both the formal dining room as well as Brasserie Pip.
The bar area
Now they have opened up a bit more space in what used to be the brasserie and have renamed the area as the “Oak Room”. Basically the bar area is twice the size it used to be, which is good as it is a beautiful, copper topped bar.
Since we like bars we sat there. Everyone was very friendly, and we settled in for a nice meal with a cocktail up front. On the food side we decided to share several items to get a better feel for the Chef’s approach and decided on oysters on the half shell for me and lobster bisque for Cheri as starters, as well as some calamari. As an entree the halibut sounded intriguing, so we added that.
The oysters were maybe the best I’ve ever had, but that means they sourced some nice fresh oysters as this is not a cooked item. Still, two thumbs up on the oysters. The bisque was good, but there was something about it that didn’t really register until later. The calamari was very lightly battered and crisp. It was also pretty much
Hallway high tops
devoid of flavor except for a high amount of salt. The marinara was somewhat acidic and not pleasant. We ate a bit but left most of this on the plate. I went back to it a few times but it didn’t change, and was still salty and flavorless. They get one point for perfectly frying it, but take away a bunch for everything else. The marinara would return to greet us later that evening unfortunately.
Still there was the halibut, and that was perfectly cooked and swimming in a broth that tasted like a salt lick. The salt overpowered everything else and we could not eat it. So in the end we had a few oysters and some lobster bisque. Afterwards we realized what had been off with the lobster bisque. Can you guess? It was too salty! We shared our displeasure with the waiter, and they took the halibut off the bill, but needless to say we left very hungry. Later that night both of us had heartburn problems, something very rare for me.
This is not the same chef we have experienced previously. Based on the meal we had, there is little chance we will return anytime soon. It’s unfortunate, because we really did like the place, but this was not good. It has a very nice atmosphere, and is a good place for a drink. That’s about all we can say based on these dishes. We might have just drawn the unlucky straw and hit a bad night or even a bad couple of plates. You never know.
The inn does sport some beautiful rooms, complete with fireplaces and large soaking tubs. It’s generally not cheap, but sometime you can catch a special deal. If the restaurant has gone down hill then it loses a bit of its appeal to us, as we loved to hole up in the evening with a a good meal and after dinner drinks on premises. Everything changes eventually. Maybe it changes back.
The Inn’s website is here if you are interested.
A votre sante!
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