The night before any marathon, my father usually eats Italian food to carb up for the big race. We dined at a cute casual Italian joint called Coppa owned by the same chefs as Toro.

Since we had a very early dinner and ate lunch earlier, neither of us were particularly hungry. Therefore we ordered a few small appetizers and half portions of the pasta dishes.

Small Dining Room.

Polpo e Ceci: Wood Roasted Baby Octopus with Chickpeas and Baharat Spice (7.5-8/10).

We started off with polpo e ceci: wood roasted tender baby octopus stewed in a spicy flavorful tomato sauce with chickpeas and baharat, a mixture of various spices.

Crostini Misti: Uni and Avocado, Ricotta Cheese and Apple, and Chicken Liver Mousse (8.5/10).

The crostini misti were all different and super tasty. The chicken liver crostini, a classic Tuscan dish, was executed perfectly and topped with sweet jam; the fresh apple and smoked Ricotta cheese crostini was surprisingly outstanding; and the smashed avocado and uni was decadent.

Farro Maltagliati with Green Garlic Pesto, Asparagus, and Spring Sausage (8/10).

Rigatoni with Pork Sugo and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (8/10).

Campanelle alla Seppia: Squid Ink Pasta with Castelvetrano Olives and Bottarga (8.5/10).

As for the pastas, all of them sounded delicious on the menu and I loved the fact that you can order half portions in order to sample more. The most traditional of the three was the rigatoni con sugo, homemade extruded pasta with a rich flavorful pork sauce with sage and nutty Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The farro maltagliati was earthy and served with a pungent green garlic pesto, asparagus, and charred pieces of meaty spring sausage. The last pasta, campanelle alla seppia, was a squid ink pasta in a hearty spicy tomato sauce with squid, Castelvetrano olives, and fresh herbs. Super satisfying.

Lemon Ricotta Zeppole with Nutella and Hazelnuts (8/10).

Tiramisu with Chocolate (8/10).

Both the desserts were simple but executed well. The airy lemon Ricotta cheese doughnuts were perfectly fried and dusted in sugar and served with nutella and chopped hazelnuts. The tiramisu was delicious even though the coffee flavor didn’t come out as much and the top was covered in chocolate (not traditional).

Overall, Coppa served straightforward yummy food that satisfied my Italian cravings so I’d rate them at an 8.5/10.