Copa Kitchen and Bar

Not the first thing which comes to mind for a vegetarian when choosing a restaurant, this sports bar at Ballston has surprisingly good food. One of several stops this summer to explore DC's gazpacho options (American Son was sadly a fail when they neglected to have the gazpacho listed on their menu at lunch last week) the various options were fresh, well seasoned and thought-through. Keeping to their Spanish roots, not only was there gazpacho on the menu but many other items one might find at Jaleo and similar establishments. Bottom line -- the gazpacho was some of the best I have had. Creamy, presumably without the help of dairy products, and containing just a hint of hot pepper, I really had to slow down and savor every sip. I also had the Brava Potatoes, which had an anglicized name but were simply Patatas Bravas. This dish is typically about the garlic aioli, which in this case was very good. The star here, however, were the potatoes, which were high quality (think Yukon Gold) and ever so slightly browned as to be crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The one mistake was putting the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. It meant that the potatoes on the bottom layer got soggy and the tomato wasn't infused throughout the dish. This was a minor complaint. I also had the Arugula Salad which was very simple and quite good. Just arugula (a lot of it), a lemon dressing with currants and pine nuts. My companion got the Salmon Crudo which was basically a decent amount of Salmon Cerviche served in a glass surrounded by fried plantain chips. My friend rated the dish quite good, saying that the salmon was well-sliced and not overly salted. The bar was as expected, extending the concrete floor found in the rest of the mall throughout and employing industrial lights with various woven covers. The open kitchen completed the contemporary look. There are even barn door windows, although I have yet to see them opened. Would I go to this restaurant again? Absolutely, assuming no major games were taking place. Previous to this visit I had strolled by a few times to see screaming beer drinkers facing down one of the many TVs scattered around. That being said, this might be a sports bar but it is definitely unexpected. Choose a non-sporting event time and check it out.

Spanish-themed Sports Bar off the food court in Ballston Quarter
4238 Wilson Blvd, Arlington
https://www.copakitchenbar.com/

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