Walking into Copper Vine for a recent meal we were greeted by four people by the time we were seated. That’s a far cry from our days living in New York when the first question asked by a host is usually, “Do you have a reservation?” It simply reinforces what we love about moving here to New Orleans, a city where locals say, “Welcome Home” when they find out you have moved here.
With so many independent restaurants all over this city, one of the things we love to do is spotlight the really good restaurants located inside hotels. Too often hotel guests don’t realize the dining gems on-site. One such establishment is Copper Vine, located off Poydras Street in New Orleans’ central business not far from the Super Dome and the French Quarter and next door to the popular Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. The restaurant is inside a sleek new boutique hotel by the same name. We took a pre-opening tour during the Summer and earmarked it to recommend to friends.
The building is historic. After all, this is New Orleans! It formerly housed two restaurants. One was called Maylies (1876-1986), known for its creole cooking. We knew it later as a Smith & Wollensky steakhouse which closed after Hurricane Katrina. Current owner, Brechtel Hospitality, has given the facility a welcome makeover.
For many years this building was home to Maylie’s Restaurant, which served creole dishes.
Copper Vine’s menu is overseen by Executive Chef Amy Mehrtens, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. The daughter of both an army major and a chef, Merhtens was introduced to global cooking traveling the nation and the world with her family. After graduating culinary school, she worked in the kitchens at the historic Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn in Rhinebeck, New York; the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, N.C. and in New Orleans at Commander’s Palace and Café Adelaide. She joined the Copper Vine team in 2018 and has served as Executive Chef since 2020.
Copper Vine Executive Chef Amy Mehrtens
The menu is hearty, elevated Louisiana pub fare. During our two visits we tried several dishes. Our favorites included starters: Louisiana crawfish beignets with Meyer lemon aioli and chow chow, Cajun caviar deviled eggs with chicken skin crackling and pork belly and corn-fried oysters. Mains we tried included seared thinly sliced duck breast with pickled blueberries and an eight-ounce Wagyu hamburger with fries.
Caviar deviled eggs with crisp chicken skin- Photo: Copper Vine
On the lighter side, the redfish amandine with champagne tarragon cream offered a marriage of tender fish and nutty crunch. From the ample salad selections, we chose the balsamic beets, fresh Feta, cucumber mash, avocado and arugula topped with pumpkin seeds. This salad will also work well as a vegetarian entrée. The menu also offers a range of flatbreads with various toppings for snacking and sharing.
Cajun carrots with buttermilk ranch dressing and pumpkin seeds
Redfish Amadine- Photo: Copper Vine
Desserts in New Orleans tend to be very sweet and generous. The chocolate pot de crème with amaretto whipped crème was the lightest and good option for chocolate lovers. Bananas foster rum bread pudding is more of a pan perdu with vanilla ice cream and bits of caramelized sugar and was big enough to be sharable. It was our favorite of the two desserts we tried. There is also a cheese board with fig preserves and nuts as a savory ending.
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
We ordered wines by the glass. The beverage menu offers by-the-glass options ranging from a 2.5-ounce half-glass to an 8 ounce pichet. Around us, we saw several people sipping rose sangrias and other cocktails. The cocktail list offers an alcohol-free version of each drink for $8.
Copper Vine is opened for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and offers a happy hour of wine flights and small bites Mondays through Fridays from 3 – 6 p.m. There is a small patio for dining al fresco.
The Copper Vine Inn
As noted, Copper Vine is both a restaurant and an inn. Each of the 11 guest rooms has its own style utilizing hand-crafted furniture and locally made fabrics selected by NOLA design firm, Studio West. We were impressed by the high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Rates for a standard room start at $250. The top floor Terrace Suite with a kitchenette, reading nooks and a private patio overlooking downtown New Orleans starts at $650.
Each guest room at Copper Vine has floor to ceiling windows. Photo: Jacqueline Marque
Copper Vine Rooftop Terrace
Website:
www.coppervine.com