Copeland's

We decided to go on over to Copeland’s.  It had been on our list for a while, but we kept passing it up.  No idea why.  So we fixed that and went for lunch.  It should be noted, their lunch steak offerings are the exact same as the dinner menu steaks.  That’s a huge plus in my book.  All restaurants should operate like that.

If you read the menu, Copeland’s says about their steaks “At Copeland’s, we use only the finest hand-selected, USDA approved, 100% corn-fed Midwestern beef that has been naturally aged 28 days – ensuring a perfectly flavorful steak each and every time.”  Well that certainly sounds good to me.

Copeland’s of New Orleans
3920 Ambassador Caffery.  Lafayette, LA.  70503.
http://www.copelandsofneworleans.com/

13 oz Ribeye, medium rare.

1.  Price.  $26.99.  Steak plus salad, one side, and biscuit.  My total price increased $1.50 to $28.50 because I added bleu cheese topping.  Copeland’s has a variety of steak toppers available for between 1 and 5 dollars.  This is another plus to me, there’s nothing wrong with offering some variety and letting a costumer personalize their steak.

2.  Look

My first impression was pretty positive.  The color was deep and the seasoning and bleu cheese looked appetizing.  The size of the steak was a nice middle ground between too thin and a hulking 16+ ouncer.  The 13 oz size makes for a full lunch or dinner.  Very versatile.

3.  Cooked to Doneness

That warm, rosy red should say it all.  This perfectly reflected my preference when eating a steak.  Definitely medium rare, not too cooked through to be heading towards medium, but still having a warm enough interior to not be rare.  One of the best cooked steaks I’ve ever had, easily.

4.  Taste

When you have a steak that looks good and is cooked right, it’ll rarely not taste good.  This steak was good.  Maybe it was the aged ribeye, but it was perfectly meaty with a little but not much ribeye fattiness.  Also very consistent.  Each bite as delicious as the last and that might have been because of the bleu cheese.  That’s my personal take, but I think the right bleu cheese adds a welcome creaminess to the steak and blends well with the juices to combine for perfect bite of steak.

5.  Seasoning

In terms of pure seasoning, it was kept simple, but had enough to develop a very distinct steak flavor.  The drawback of the bleu cheese, it will overpower any subtle seasonings in the steak.  Even with that said, there definitely wasn’t a lack of seasoning.  Perfectly seasoned to let the flavor of the meat itself do most of the talking.

6.  Bang for the Buck

Now is where the money talks.  Cash is king, etc.  At 27 bucks(28.50 for me, because of the bleu cheese), was the steak worth it?  I think it easily was.  And when you’re paying about 30 bucks a steak, there’s not a whole lot of room for error.  Copeland’s does it right and they’re to be commended for it.  I haven’t tried many of their sides, but the biscuit that came with the steak was reminiscent of dense, southern buttermilk biscuit.  My favorite kind.  At under 30 dollars, even 40 with drink and a tip, this is a steal.  You can find places where you can pay 20 dollars for a steak dinner, but you’ll be lucky to get close to half the quality of the ribeye I had.  In the truest sense, you get what you pay for.  Copeland’s simply delivered everything I could ask for.

--Aaron A. Aaronson




Al's Favorite Filet (8 oz, Medium-Rare) with loaded Macaroni  Cheese

1.  Price: $27.99.  Filet comes with caramelized onions.

2.  Look

As will be a common theme in this review: perfect.

3.  Cooked to Doneness

When you approach Ruth's Chris or Charlie G's money, it has to be right. Copelands answered the bell and then some.  The cross section was gorgeous.

4.  Taste

Perfection. This thing was melt-in-your-mouth good. I loved the caramelized onions,  too. If you're a fan of carne asada at all, this is your fantasy steak. As the meal wore on, my focus shifted more to savoring each bite than speeding through to my sides. That's not a frequent occurrence.

5.  Seasoning

Also great. Salt and pepper not needed.

6.  Bang for the Buck

You're in big boy territory when you creep up to $30 for a steak. Copeland's can relax, however, because the steak I had was just as good as any I've ever eaten.

The side was pretty good too. You probably already know how good their biscuits are, and their version of the blooming onion was also above average.

I don't think many can afford to eat here often, but as a treat or a no jacket required date, I think you're doing really well. I'll be back as soon as the blog and my wallet permit a return visit.

--Optimus