Coperta chef Kenny Minton preparing spaghetti at the restaurant in Denver Aug. 23, 2023.
Reilly understood his point. Coperta specializes in authentic Roman-style cuisine – like cacio e pepe, carbonara, bucatini all’amatriciana, cavatelli ragu and ricotta gnudi – which is just one of many regional styles of cooking in Italy. But there is no sign of the “Italian” dishes that generations of people in the United States grew up eating, like spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, stuffed shells, chicken parmesan, and ricotta-slathered lasagna.
So, while Reilly loves and respects the Roman dishes he cooks and serves every night at Coperta, 400 E. 20th Ave., he also wants to bring back “Little Italy-style” comfort food, especially now, when so many of Denver’s old red-sauce joints have closed up shop. That’s what was served at “wise-guy” joints in New York — Mulberry Street restaurants in New York City’s Little Italy, in particular — and New Jersey when Reilly was a kid. And in spite of the fact that his family isn’t Italian, many of the recipes were handed down through the generations.
“The disappearing red-sauce joint of Denver. People keep telling me about it,” said Reilly. “So Little Italy night has gotten a reception that I had no idea how popular it would be.”Still waiting for an invite to Casa Bonita? Some diners have been more than once.