It’s a bustling Saturday night in Silver Spring at the Copper Canyon Grill. Across the street from the AFI Theater, a diverse crowd in relatively casual dress sits at the large central bar and its surrounding booths with cocktails in hand. The open floor plan with a modern dark cherry wood and stone interior makes you feel like you’re at a party with just the right number of people. Not too crowded, not too wild, just a lot of people having a good, relaxing time. While it by no means feels like a boutique restaurant, the atmosphere is a great combination of casual and trendy, perfect for date night, dinner and drinks with friends, or a family dinner.
Our server Daniel described the menu as being “American comfort”, and boy did it deliver. My date and I started off our Copper Canyon experience with drinks from their cocktail menu— a Wildberry Lemonade made from Firefly Moonshine with fresh rasberries, blueberries, fresh squeezed lemon juice, rich honey syrup and our house sour mix; and a cucumber rose cocktail. And yes, my date got the pink drink with the flower in it. I got the moonshine.
Appetizers came shortly after the cocktails, breaking out the classics: Spinach Artichoke Dip and Iron Skillet Cornbread.
Both were delicious but dangerous choices, since we finished both, and we had some very heavy, delicious entrees in our future.
Per the recommendation of our server, I went with the Chicken Pot Pie. Described as a “home-made crust fulled with rotisserie chicken, carrots, peas and potatoes.” Living a long ways from my family, this was exactly the comfort food I needed. The crust was, I kid you not, one of the best chicken pot pie crusts I’ve ever had. It was so filling, I only had a few bites, and got 2 more meals out of the leftovers. Reheated extremely well.
My mystery-date ordered himself the (very manly) Hickory Grilled Tenderloin Filet to make up for his extremely girly before-dinner cocktail. Covered with gorgonzola bleu cheese butter & cabernet sauce, and served with a side of redskin mashed potatoes & sauteed spinach. While I loved my Chicken Pot Pie, I managed to sneak a few tastes of the steak, and I can attest to its mouth-watering deliciousness (I am quite partial to blue cheese and cabernet sauce), and that it was cooked perfectly.
While absolutely stuffed, devoted to the craft that is writing a restaurant review, we made the bold decision to order dessert. El Mystery Date chose the “Chocolate Uprising” , best described as a brownie ice cream cake covered in caramel, hot fudge, and topped with whipped cream. We’re both huge chocolate fans, so this was an excellent option for us both.
My own dessert choice, I learned, is the most popular item on the menu–The Bread Pudding. They package 40-50 of these to go before the night even begins, as the seasoned customer knows they’ll never have enough room to eat this dessert after meals like the chicken pot pie, or a corn bread appetizer. As a first timer, however, I did not know this rule. I had a few sumptuous bites, and could have no more. I was however, thankful that I had these leftovers, as the bread pudding functioned as a sweet breakfast for the rest of the week. No kidding. It’s that filling.
Americans love their large portions and comfort food, and Copper Canyon Grill delivers just that. With locations in Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Orlando, and Glenarden, there are plenty of places to get your comfort food on. Have dinner or drinks, and then hit a movie at the AFI. Strong recommend.