FIRST EATS: coup d’état Minneapolis

Coup d’état is a very sexy restaurant. Dark walls, cool chandeliers, it’s got a vibe that feels elegant but not stuffy. We had a 7:15pm Saturday reservation: the tables were filled with people in their 30s and 40s, there was much discussion of babysitters on our second level perch.

THE EATS (recommended in bold):
Oysters ($13 for 5)
Octopus ($12 for 3 toasts)
Pork Belly ($11)
Beets Salad ($9)
Scallops ($24 for 4)
Arctic Char ($23)
Broccolini ($8)
Brussel Sprouts ($8)
Donuts ($7)

THE DRINKS (all recommended):
Duck, Duck, Grey Duck ($10)
Not as Cool Hand Luke ($9)
Negroni ($10)

THE DERUSHA EATS TAKE:

coup d’etat is rock solid. The room feels great, the service from Kelsea was spectacular (it was very busy, she kept coming back to inform us that the kitchen was back up so we might be delayed a bit. We had paced out our ordering so it wasn’t a problem, but the communication was really appreciated).

Everything was on the high-end of good, but none of the food we tried was knock my socks off spectacular. I really enjoyed both of the sides, the broccolini has anchovy and red chili flake plus a healthy dose of lemon – and I really liked the spicy/acid combination. The ubiquitous Minnesota winter brussel sprouts had candied walnuts plus bacon, so that was a really nice twist.

My wife and I were split on the octopus: I really liked it, but Alyssa found an intense citrus flavor that overpowered the harissa. (It came out with three servings, a pet peeve of mine. I wish more restaurants would tell you – this comes with three pieces, I’d be happy to add an extra piece for an extra charge.)

The seafood entrees were perfectly cooked and prepared – but I think next time I’ll explore more of the cold and hot small plates. That’s where coup d’etat’s sister restaurant Borough shines, and frog legs, bone marrow, arancini with duck confit all sounds intriguing.

The drinks, designed by Jesse Held, were awesome. (lots of great bartenders here – I saw Trish Gavin who used to run Heidi’s bar.) I loved the Duck, Duck Grey Duck – a take on an Old Fashioned with tequila and some tropical Caribbean notes. They also made a perfect negroni.

Our total bill came to about $100 per couple, cheaper than I had anticipated. By the time we left around 10pm, the bar had transitioned to more of what you’d expect in Uptown: lots of pretty, young people. If coup d’etat can keep that combination going – adults buying full dinners early, kids keeping the bar hopping at night – it’ll be a huge success.

Uptown hasn’t been on my radar for eating for some time: coup d’etat is on track to achieving a coup, indeed.