Executive Dining

Copeland`s, Jackson

Jackson`s newest and highest-flying fad food place, at present, is Copeland`s, having been open for a little over three months now. The new is slowly wearing off, but one still can expect major waits for any given meal.

The Louisiana Blue Crab Cake is, by far, the tastiest appetizer. You get a pair of marvelous-tasting cakes of fresh lump crab meat, minced onions, pepper and celery, all seasoned just right, lightly fried and topped with a lemon-bordelaise sauce for $7.95. Another excellent choice is Al`s Cajun Popcorn which offers you the choice of golden-fried shrimp or crawfish.

For what you get, the Gumbo Ya Ya is over priced at $3.95 a cup or $5.95 a bowl. It has a good taste, but is comprised mostly of rice and liquor with very little andouille sausage or seafood. The menu touts this dish as being “loaded with shrimp, scallops…” About the only thing we`ve found in it is a single cracked crab claw.

For our money, one of the best dishes on the menu is the eggplant pirogue priced at $11.95. Slices of Cajun-fried eggplant interspersed with shrimp, crab claws and au gratin sauce provide a tasty, filing meal.

On the other hand, we don`t particularly recommend the seafood platter ($17.95), which comes with oysters, shrimp, crawfish tails, crab cake and catfish. It gives the appearance of being a lot more than what it is because it is served atop a huge pile of fries and the whole platter is then crowned with some fried onion rings.

USDA prime steaks, prime rib, veal and pork ribs are available.

Sides include fries, baked potato, mashed sweet potatoes, red hot potatoes, steamed vegetables, saut