Mark’s Score 8.2
I tend to stay away from chain restaurants, this one is an exception. The Cooper’s Hawk restaurant is part of a chain of restaurants owned and operated by the Cooper’s Hawk Vineyard in Napa. Cooper’s Hawk is a Napa version of the Burgundian “négociants.” Négociants buy grapes from a variety of vineyards to create their own wine brand. The Burgundians in Baune stick to Burgundy, Cooper’s Hawk buys grapes from around the world. In addition to their wines, Cooper’s Hawk owns a chain of restaurants across America.
I had never heard of this vineyard or their chain of restaurants. I stumbled upon their Annapolis location because it happened to be near my urologist’s office. I live nearly two hours from my urologist. So, every trip to the urologist is a day trip, and I have to eat somewhere. Cooper’s Hawk started out as merely a convenient place to eat. I noticed their tasting room on the ground floor of the Annapolis Town Center Mall during my first visit to the doctor. I missed the restaurant completely on my first visit. The restaurant is hidden away on the second floor.
I would not rate this restaurant as a favorite of mine nor would I rate their wines my favorite wines. But it nonetheless has become a restaurant I look forward to visiting. When I go to this restaurant, I always order from the chef recommended menu. The reason I do so is because the chef’s menu food items are paired with a Cooper’s Hawk wine. This company is a négociant first, and a restaurant second. The point of the restaurant is to showcase Cooper Hawk wines. So, I take the same approach here that I take at the Wardroom in Easton. I pick the wine and order whatever food the chef has paired with that wine.
But there is a downside to this approach of ordering. Cooper Hawk only currently scores an 8.2, at the moment, because I was not impressed with the brisket they paired with the Cab Zin. The Cab Zin combination captured my imagination. These wines are not often paired. The brisket was ordinary, though I found the Cab Zin superb. The restaurant itself has that modern, slightly Scandinavian, hip wine bar vibe. The restaurant has lots of light wood paired with darkly painted woodwork. The same can be said of the food presentation, very modern, very hip. I like the ceramic cups housing their French fries. The waiters were efficient, the food arrived in a timely manner, and the food was the right temperature. Though I can’t help thinking, sometimes that the wait staff is a little too busy and distracted to provide really excellent first-class service. I have many more urologist visits so they will have many opportunities to improve their score. The fact that I intend to go back, reflects how I feel about this restaurant.
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