Homes & Lifestyle: Dining Spotlight — Cave into your cravings

Copper Canyon
Where: 113 13th Ave. S., between 2nd and 3rd St., Nampa.
Hours: Dinner 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.
Reservations: Recommended, but walk-ins welcome; phone 461-0887.
Seating: 130 in main dining room, 30 in private dining room.
On the menu: Mix of Northwest flavors. Influences include French, Chinese, Japanese. Entrees include broiled salmon, braised breast of duck, grilled ribeye steak, peppercorn filet mignon, grilled Portobello polenta; honey hazelnut chicken and seafood linguine.
Prices: Range from $12 to $27 for dinner; $7 to $10 for lunch.
Extras: Five-course wine dinner on second Monday of each month for $60 per person; catering services.

“My fire is still there.”
That’s Brian Inaba, executive chef of Copper Canyon, the cozy, yet refined restaurant he founded in downtown Nampa in 1999. The Nampa High graduate’s culinary experience goes back nearly 30 years and includes stints in bigger cities like Portland and San Francisco. His return to the Valley in the late ’90s coincided with a desire to live closer to his aging parents, as well as a wish to bring his accumulated knowledge about great food to his hometown.
“You’ve got to like what you’re doing to do this,” said Inaba, 52. “And I’ve got a passion for it.”
Prior to launching Copper Canyon, Inaba lent his talent to help establish the menus for The Plum Tree in Nampa and Café Jacques in east Boise – fine-dining eateries that have both since closed. Starting his own restaurant has proven more rewarding. In 2003, he relocated Copper Canyon two blocks into a larger downtown Nampa space, jumping from nine tables to nearly 40.
The restaurant’s name surfaced after Inaba first considered calling it Canyon Club, reasoning that the name would invoke a private-club feel that might appeal to diners.
“But some people started thinking Canyon Club might sound too much like a bar,” he said. “So we switched.”
The conversion proved successful, as did Inaba’s decision to fine-tune his menu to appeal to a broader number of people.
“It’s straightforward with a flair,” he said. “It’s not comfort food, but flavors that people are comfortable with – and portions have to be ample. When I was younger and working in larger metropolitan areas, I added a lot more garnishes and extras like that. Here, those kinds of things go unnoticed. It’s made me be a little more creative.”
Menu favorites including anything with red meat, halibut or shrimp scampi. An ahi dish with sesame and chili butter is so popular as a special that Inabi said he plans to bring it on as a regular menu item this summer.
“At lunch time, everyone loves our salads,” he said. “They’re the best in Nampa.”
Salad choices include a traditional Caesar salad with options of grilled chicken or shrimp; a Mediterranean style with olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumber served on crisp romaine spears and accented with a creamy roasted red pepper dressing; an Oriental chicken salad with grilled chicken, shitake mushrooms, red peppers and scallions over spinach with a spicy peanut and soy vinaigrette; a chicken cobb with grilled chicken, tomatoes, blue cheese, smoky bacon and avocado on a bed of spring mix.
Dinner entrees range from honey hazelnut chicken with honey citrus to grilled ribeye steak with tempura onion rings. You’ll also find filet mignon and scampi; braised breast of duck with sun-dried cherries and glazed with a port wine sauce; broiled salmon with a lemon citrus and butter sauce; Alaskan halibut encrusted with fresh herbs and served with a shrimp and tomato saute; and a “Copper Canyon Grill” – a hearty combination of a five-ounce filet mignon, lamb chops and pork tenderloin.
Looking ahead, Inabi plans to develop more tapa-style appetizers under $10 later this year to appeal to diners craving a lighter meal choice – and a smaller bill. He’ll also cater more events, aided by a recent contract inked with the new Hampton Inn hotel in Nampa near the Idaho Center.
“With all the franchise restaurants out there and coming, I’ve got to diversify now,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
Inabi admits it takes a lot of time and dedication to make a restaurant work well in such a competitive environment, but he’s confident about the future.
“I take a lot of pride in what I’m pulling off,” he said. “I enjoy the work – and I’m very fortunate to have a solid crew in the kitchen. It’s working.”

To reach the author of this story, email: [email protected].