First Impression: Coa
A mall restaurant that makes you forget you're at a mall
Your dining options at a shopping mall tend to be either food-court pizza or dinner at a department store-sized chain restaurant with middle-of-the-road food and servers who sit down with you to take your order. Even if you want to get as far from the mall as possible for dinner, sometimes a rumbling stomach will steer you toward the dismal offerings. Because we end up in a mall from time to time, we were delighted when Milwaukee restaurateurs Marc and Marta Bianchini, who own Osteria del Mondo and Cubanitas, recently opened up their new Mexican restaurant, Coa (5750 N. Port Washington Rd., Glendale, 414-967-1451) at Bayshore Town Center. How does a local eatery fare at a mall? The A.V. Club paid a recent visit to find out.
The space: Coa occupies the spot where Cameron’s Steakhouse was and the interior remains much the same. There isn’t the slightest hint of a stereotypical Mexican restaurant here—no colorful walls, sombreros, maracas, or paintings of peppers. Coa is dark, sleek, and contemporary, filled with muted browns, wood, and brick.
The service: It wasn’t very busy, but it still took a while for our server to show up at our table. Once she did, she was friendly and knowledgeable, and the initial wait was redeemed by the prompt delivery of an enormous plate of house-made chips and salsa.
The A.V. Club’s food: While there’s everything from tortilla soup and enchiladas to baby-back ribs and a Friday night Dos Equis-battered fish-fry, the menu hinges on its affordable, “street” tacos. The taco options are huge, too, ranging from vegetarian to tacos filled with ribs, bacon, veal, shrimp, or other meaty things. We had the veggie tacos, and although smallish, they were full of flavor. Our accompanying Coa rice sounded heavenly, made with saffron, garlic, cilantro, peas, and tomatoes, but it was a bit on the bland side—a minor disappointment but not a tragedy. We tried the unusual side of roasted spring onions with jalapeno, and although we felt a little silly gnawing on an onion in such a sophisticated environment, the fresh, savory flavor made it worth it.
The verdict: Mall food can be good, and this spot might even be worth a trip to Bayshore alone. The best part is that you can have a large dinner and a margarita, or a small bite—depending on your degree of shopping-induced hunger.
