Location: 660 Main Street Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: 765-427-8166
Cuisine: American
In this week’s installment of Lafayette Eats, we headed downtown to try out a quaint little spot called the Copper Dog Cafe. I’ve been by this place a few times before, and hadn’t been able to try it because they weren’t open the times I’ve tried. It’s located downtown, north of 6th Street in a small little space. I’ve been by before and seen outdoor seating, although this is not the season for that anymore.
I had never been inside before, and I was surprised by how nice it was. When I’d been by and viewed people eating outside, it seemed like everyone eating there had their dog with them so I was under the impression it was a lot more casual than it actually is. The inside is small but very tastefully decorated. with a light jazz music playing in the background. Upon being seated, our table was brought a large glass bottle of water with cups of ice, so we could server ourselves water if we wanted and we were offered an assortment of beverages including wine, cold and hot tea, coffee, and soda.
The menu is very small, and I assume changes seasonally since the menu I found on their website was different than the one I saw in the restaurant. It consists mostly of a few various sandwiches, salad, and soup choices. They also had fresh hummus and pico de gallo. I was starving, so I ordered some hummus and pico de gallo for the table and an iced tea.
There was only one other table occupied the entire time we were there, so it certainly wasn’t busy with any kind of lunch rush, and I’m not sure if that’s due to location or if it was just an off day. Our server was very polite and attentive. My tea glass was frequently refilled and he had lots of information about the menu items.
For lunch, I ordered a turkey sandwich that was advertised as a turkey and Swiss on Rye. I did this with some trepidation, because I’m generally not a fan of Rye bread. However, the Rye was light and the sandwich was good. It was server with potato chips on the side. I really liked the Swiss they used on it. The hummus and pico de gallo was also quite good. It came with pita bread, which was nothing special, just the kind you can get at the grocery. It was cut into triangles and served with a slice of cucumber on each triangle, which was something I’ve never seen before. I really enjoyed the hummus/cucumber combination, as well as adding the pico de gallo to that combo as well. Very yummy.
One friend ordered the “signature sandwich,” which is a portabella sandwich with melted cheese, tomato and avocado. It was served with veggie straw sticks. She reported that the sandwich was delicious and the sauce on it was a little spicy in a good way, but that the veggie sticks were mostly flavorless. (She let me try one, they were.) My other friend ordered the soup and grilled cheese, and reported both were quite good.
While we were munching on our appetizer, we heard the server telling the other table about their dessert offerings. Because of that, I knew I was going to want to get dessert so I only ate some of my sandwich so I would have room. When we told us the dessert offerings, there were several but I forgot what they were after I heard “pumpkin cake.” So my friend and I shared a piece of pumpkin cake. I did ask if it was made fresh there, and he said it was not, they have it made and shipped in from Indianapolis. I’m glad we opted to share a piece, though, since it was HUGE. Delicious, but huge.We were also offered complimentary coffee to accompany our dessert, which is nice because I really like a good cup of coffee with my meal, and the coffee was very good.
They have odd hours, only open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch only, and opening for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights by reservation only. So don’t run out there unless you check that they are open first, because you might arrive to find them closed.
According to their website, they only serve meals with all natural, whole ingredients and use only fresh, locally grown produce. I do like a place that tries to stay local in their offerings so I give that a plus.
Kid Friendly: Not kid unfriendly, exactly. The menu had grilled cheese, but there was no kids’ menu and no other children in the restaurant.
Price: A bit pricy for cafe fare. In this neck of the woods, $11 is high for a turkey sandwich and some chips.
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