Copperjohn's

Another 9 weeks gone by and time for N's and my blood date.
Our house is full right now (I'm loving having both of the girls around-truly) and yet it was good to have our date night. Once a week would probably be even better.
I took another clue from an anonymous comment on the blog and decided to give Copperjohn's on 195 Commercial Street Northeast a try. It's situated in one of downtown Salem's picturesque old buildings. I can remember a group of our family sitting at a window table during a particularly rainy Festival of Lights parade several years ago. It was the Night Deposit then and the brass plaque on the door still sports that name.

It was easy to find a parking space on Court St. Wednesday evening. We walked up and opened the big, old, wood and glass door. The smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air. I told myself it could've been worse if they didn't have good ventilation and I didn't have some generic sudafed in my purse.
We sat down at one of the copper topped tables by a window looking out on Court Street. The bar area had a semi-large group and a couple of smaller groups, ranging in age from 25 to 30 something (women outnumbering the men about 4-1). It wasn't noisy, but being a Wednesday it wasn't even close to being full either. It has the appearance of being a hopping place on the weekends. They have a stage, dance floor, an impressive display of spirits and several Oregon beers on tap.
Just seconds after we sat down, a waiter appeared asking if we wanted menus and what we wanted to drink. We both ordered a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. He brought out both the menus and beers promptly. He was back just as promptly to take our dinner orders. I ordered their Chicken Cordon Bleu and N ordered a 10 oz. New York steak, medium rare.



Our waiter served us salads of Romaine lettuce, slices of cucumber, 3 tiny, lovely, yellow, pear shaped tomatoes, croutons and our dressing on the side. I had to take a brief moment to enjoy the beauty of the Chicken Cordon Bleu before digging in. I don't know if the vegetables were sauteed or roasted, but the combination of herbs, mushrooms, carrots, red onion, cucumber and ?? was delicious. I could've eaten an entire plateful. The chicken was tender, not overcooked. The thin slice of ham inside the breast of chicken was deep in color and full of flavor. The sauce was a nice subtle compliment. My first bite of their tender, sliced, house potatoes brought to mind that "gee, these taste healthy". My code for "hmm, kind of bland". But after another bite or two I could detect a bit of rosemary along with the pepper.
N commented that his steak was done just right and filled with good flavor. He also said it was mostly tender, with the exception of a small vein of gristle in one spot.
The prices were very reasonable and the quality of the food was worth revisiting Copperjohn's more often.
Plus the service was just right.
Open Monday through Saturday 11 to 2:30 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.