Last week I was invited to a media preview dinner at COPITA, the new Mexican restaurant in Sausalito from culinary personality Joanne Weir, who partnered with restaurateur Larry Mindel (Il Fornaio, Poggio) on the project. The chef de cuisine is Edgar Sierra, a native of Mexico, who will be working closely with maestra de cocina Joanne, as well as sous chef and organic gardener Dilsa Lugo, a La Cocina alum. The California-influenced menu highlights spit-roasted chicken cooked in a wood-burning rotisserie, all-organic masa made with non-GMO corn, carnitas, and an array of ceviches, tacos, and more (my dining partner and I enjoyed the chopped salad with pepitas and the spicy albondigas). There’s also a list of tequila cocktails, sangrias, wines on tap, beers, and aguas frescas. (Weir is a huge lover of tequila, and author of Tequila: A Guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails and Bites.)
Copita opened in the former Piccolo Teatro space on Bridgeway, with an airy indoor-outdoor vibe (there’s an outdoor patio, and large floor-to-ceiling doors that open into the 47-seat dining room). Anthony Fish of Arcanum Architecture is behind the cheerful design—I enjoyed the tiling, bright colors, woven fabric on the banquettes (my friend and I called it the Bottega Veneta weave), and eye-catching rotisserie that is the heart of the restaurant. There are also 10 seats at the mahogany bar, and quite the wall o’ tequilas. Open daily at 11am. 739 Bridgeway at Anchor, Sausalito, 415-331-7400.
Copita exterior. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
