25598747
Cooper’s Bar and Bistro
Route 70, Cherry Hill, N.J.
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
Solid, new American bistro fare
My husband Edward and I enjoy going to the movies at the Ritz in Voorhees, N.J. The Ritz complex has two restaurants and we figured we could have dinner at either one after seeing Chicago. (Don’t miss it, by the way.) I thought the driving rain, heavy fog and cold temperatures would keep people away. I was wrong. Both places were totally booked.
Several years ago, I met the concierge at the Hilton in Cherry Hill. She told us about the restaurant in the hotel and I made a mental note to try it. As we drove out of the Ritz complex, I remembered the Hilton restaurant, so we decided to go there.
The parking lot was jam-packed. I walked into the hotel and discovered why. A wedding reception was taking place, as was a charity benefit dinner.
The restaurant is called Cooper’s, named for the Cooper River. We slid into a roomy booth, ordered drinks and discussed the menu. I liked the menu straightaway. You can order a full-course dinner or a sandwich or burger. Good-sized martinis were just $5.
An assortment of fresh bread arrived with pats of slightly salted butter. Good, dense Russian black bread, slices of sourdough, French baguette and seeded flat bread were tucked inside the basket.
For our appetizers, we wanted the seafood cocktail and sushi-style tuna, but the kitchen was out of both of them. Edward wanted to try the meatloaf, but this popular dish was not available either. Our helpful waitress apologized and told us the chef wanted to send out an appetizer of lobster cake to us on the house. (She had no idea I was going to review Cooper’s.) This is a perfect example of how the hospitality industry should be. Caring for customers is most important.
We began dinner with onion soup ($7) and the lobster cake ($10). The soup arrived piping-hot and was made with not-at-all-salty beef stock and a range of onions, including scallions, leeks, sweet white onions and red onions. The chef placed a homemade crouton in the center of the soup and topped it with the right amount of Gruyére cheese. It was uncommonly good.
The lobster cake was prepared with sweet claw meat and not much filler. The good-sized portion was topped with crispy, very thin fried leeks — which I found very tasty — and a cool mix of fresh stewed fennel and chopped tomato. I liked the contrast of tastes and textures here, but felt the squiggles of balsamic vinegar detracted from the flavor of the leeks and lobster.
House salads come with dinner. I thought it would be the standard mix of iceberg and romaine with tomato and cucumber, but was surprised to be served a cool glass plate filled with fresh mesclun, topped with a homemade, slightly creamy vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar. The mix included baby spinach, red oak leaf and arugula. We both thought the dressing contained a bit too much balsamic vinegar.
Edward was going to try the Mediterranean snapper, but our waitress recommended the salmon. "The snapper comes in frozen but the salmon is fresh," she said. Tarragon salmon ($17) consisted of 8 ounces of center-cut filet of salmon that was perfectly grilled, still a bit translucent inside. It was nicely seasoned, too. The fish came with aromatic jasmine rice and fresh sautéed spinach. Edward found the tarragon sauce a bit strong, but I liked it. This is a matter of personal taste. The chef wasn’t skimpy with the spinach and rice.
Marinating a steak in bourbon is a Southern tradition, particularly in New Orleans. It gives the beef a nice flavor. Cooper’s version ($19) was well-done. I received 12 ounces of aged New York strip, cooked rare as ordered. I liked the cracked-pepper crust. The menu stated that grilled potatoes are included on the platter. The chef baked a jumbo Idaho potato, sliced it and placed two slices on the grill. The potatoes were cool — a simple baked potato would have been better. My dinner came with properly cooked, pencil-thin fresh asparagus. The steak was so large, I toted half of it home to have for lunch the next day.
The wine list is a combination of Italian and Californian selections, which were very fairly priced for the simple reason that we were having dinner in New Jersey. A glass of Ecco Pinot Grigio was $5; a Robert Mondavi Coastal Pinot Noir, $7.50. Both glasses were filled to the top.
Within the past month, Edward and I have dined at restaurants featuring high prices for small portions and outrageously priced drink and wine lists. I have not reviewed all of them. On one or two occasions, the menu just didn’t speak to me. I found few dishes that were inspiring and would have been more pleased with the simple yet nicely prepared dinner we enjoyed at Cooper’s.
Two tips of the toque to Cooper’s Bar and Bistro.
