Review of : Copper Grill Lobster and Steak House in Birmingham, Alabama

My husband, and I have gone to the Copper Grill Lobster and Steak House for dinner on several occasions. They are located in Brookwood Village in Birmingham, Alabama. We recently heard they were open for lunch so we were very eager to check their lunch menu.

I called to see if you needed to make reservations for lunch, you do for dinner, but was told reservations are not required at lunchtime for a small crowd but they do encourage larger groups to make reservations.

The Copper Grill has sophisticated and modern decor but with classic twist, padded semi-circle booths upholstered in leopard print, a black ceiling with a star light effect.

After being seated by a very nice waitress, two varieties of bread, white and rye, were served, piping hot, with butter. We ordered a couple of seafood appetizers. Seared rare Ahi tuna ($10.95). It was very good, sliced thin and sprinkled with sesame seeds and served with pickled ginger, soy sauce as well as a small garnish of thinly sliced marinated yellow and red bell peppers and cucumbers.

I ordered the Maryland-style crab cakes ($12.95). They were shaped like balls. I'd never seen then shaped like that. They were very good, lightly browned and seemed to consist solely of crabmeat, with no "fillers" that I could detect. A lemon sauce with capers and bits of diced tomato accentuated the taste of the crabmeat.

Next, were the wedge salads ($5.95) of crisp iceberg lettuce, with perfectly crispy slices of applewood, smoked bacon, diced green onions and sliced tomato, dressed with buttermilk Maytag blue cheese dressing.

My husband chose to have a salad with a bowl of French onion soup ($5.95). He enjoyed Copper Grill's version, prepared the traditional way, topped with bread cubes and a broiled blanked of stretchy smoked mozzarella and provolone cheese. He has tried French onion soups served at several area restaurants but this one was the best. He also said he could eat it right away without scalding the roof of his mouth and his tongs.

Other items on the lunch menu include grilled Atlantic salmon ($14.95). It's served atop mashed potatoes sprinkled with parsley and a couple of asparagus spears laid on top with Hollandaise sauce drizzled over. The New York Strip steak sandwich (14.95) features six ounces of tender char grilled certified Angus beef, served on a large toasted bun. On the side were sliced tomato, lettuce, Onion, ketchup and mustard. Seasoned fries also accompanied it as a side. There is also shrimp scampi, shrimp with pasta, southern fried chicken, and cheeseburger.

In the center of the dining room is an open chef's grill. One of the Copper Grill's specialties is steak. There were a large amount of diners there that had ordered steak. The other member of our party, a coworker of my husbands, order the 8-ounce petite filet ($27.95), this is the lest expensive and the smallest steak they serve, on the dinner menu.
I asked him how it was and he said, "This is very tender, has a wonderful flavor and served exactly the way I ordered it, medium rare. Lots of places, you get rare or will done, no in between" A side of saut�ed button mushrooms ($6.50) were sprinkles with bits of garlic, the portion size probably could of served two.

A dinner salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, Onion, crumbled boiled egg and shredded cheddar was topped with Maytag blue cheese dressing.

The service was excellent; our waitress was very nice, not to hovering, and she new her menu. We didn't wait long at all between each of the course to be served.

The only draw back that I could find was with the wedge salad. The menu said the tomatoes were "vine ripe," but they were pink and crisp, meaning green house grown. In my opinion, unless the summer time when tomatoes are available the salad should simply be served without them.

We were all too full so we passed on the desert. We had to get back to work anyhow. However, the menu did list several options including cheesecake, puff pastries, and my favorite chocolate mouse.