Coupage
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
29 Reviews for Coupage
The kind chef and his staff didn't make up for the small portions and overpriced fare...cool neighborhood, cool building, cool chef and staff but the food and the prices make this a pass for me in the future.
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Disappointment... Wish they stop suggesting that it's Korean/French fusion.. If I walked in there without reading any reviews, I'd not have realized that it's touted as one. I didn't see/taste anything with hint of Korean foods there.
With that said, the food overall was well executed and seasoned with right combination of sauces. But, it should be when I hand over my credit card for $150 for two (tips included).
I had dinner at Coupage last Saturday for my 30th birthday and was looking forward to finally eating here given all the great things I've heard and read about the place. I had a reservation for 14 people.
The food was quite good and everyone enjoyed it. The restaurant was a bit on the small side and the tables were a bit close together for my liking. I think the proximity of tables is great if you have a party of 4 or less, since the conversation will naturally be quieter. However with a party as large as ours, or actually any party greater than 8, it might get uncomfortable given how close the other tables might be. I couldn't help but feel that everyone in the restaurant could hear every word of every conversation.
Following the meal, we asked for the bill from our server which included an 18% gratuity.. He was an absolute dream all night and very courteous. However, when it came to the bill, we were told they could not take more than 2 credit cards. Given our party size, it's unrealistic to expect everyone except 2 people to have that much cash in hand, or us to piggyback tabs on top of only 2 credit cards. We kindly asked our server to take more cards at which point he went to talk to the owner. He then got "permission" to take up to 6 cards, which was still very hard for us to do. We tried to be as flexible as possible, and got it down to 7 cards which in itself is an amazing feat for 14 people to do considering there was only 1 couple at the table that could join tabs.
We asked them to take the 7th card, and were given a complete hassle. One of the members of our party asked to speak to the manager, and kindly talked to him about how we were disappointed they wouldn't take the 7th credit card given the party size, the bill total and the obligatory 18% gratuity that was tacked onto the bill. The owner first tried to explain that the credit card fees are too expensive for him, and when challenged on that point, the conversation degenerated to what was effectively name calling where the owner declared that he "runs the 3 top restaurants in Seattle and we should be thankful for our experience".
I always write very balanced reviews and would normally be understanding when I have a negative experience. However, in this case, I'm not at all writing about the credit card limit or their inability to take more than 2 (or 6) credit cards. Instead, I'm reviewing the owner's extremely poor attitude towards his customers. The specific conversation we had indicates something more fundamentally wrong with his customer service and his perceived right to verbally abuse his customers.
Not only did this ruin our evening, but it will ensure that we will never eat at Coupage ever again nor any of his other restaurants.
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My local hamburger joint. Except the hamburger costs $28 and comes with foie gras and truffled fries.
I dislike the red walls..and thus tend to sit at the bar with a friend. It used to be more Korean-y...not sure what remains. The food is good. I sit at the bar. The wine selection is good enough, Kevin, the bartender always remembers my favourite drink and has it ready without me asking, which makes it feel neighbourhood-y.
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Very negative experience. Went with a large party that couldn't be accommodated, despite the efforts of our waiter who tried his best.
Many glitches throughout the night:
-the bar ran out of a few types of booze (?!) which is really strange, especially on a Saturday night. Waiter explained that the manager ordering didn't order enough stock for the restaurant.
-a dish which was a main showed up as an appetizer
-a main was forgotten and arrived when everyone was finished eating. -Food was good, but a couple greasy dishes (ie. fried rice).
When expressing disappointment about the experience, it was not taken very kindly. Not sure why customer service is so poor when customers are paying good money (more than for a casual restaurant).
Overall, I would not recommend eating at Coupage.
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Easily the best burger in Seattle, but beyond that, this has got to be one of the most interesting and compelling menus in the city. Everytime we've been there it's paid off huge dividends. Nice service. Great drinks. Best foie gras, seared scallops & mache salad I've ever had.
Great little quaint neighborhood and spot as well...
This place is very tasty and underpatronized. On a Friday night, my friend Jay and I ended up there and it was mostly empty. Cremant was packed to overflowing, as was everything in Madison Valley.
Food and service both excellent. This was the first meal I could taste after my recent surgery, so the aromatic duck and the pungent wine were very very welcome.
Everything was cooked perfectly. The waiters were attentive but not obtrusive.
But ... here's the weird thing. I left thinking "That was really tasty but it seemed just slightly over priced. Like by a dollar or two for each thing. How weird." But I did not voice this thought.
Then we drove to Jay's house and when we got there Anastasia asked how the food was. Jay said, "It was really excellent but it seemed like the prices were just slightly too high, like a dollar or two. Like so slight you wouldn't not order something, but just enough so you notice."
Wow.
So, Coupage is great but just slightly overpriced ... like by a dollar or two.
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Where's the Korean? Do we all really look same? Describing things as 'korean chili oil' or kimchi beets' is great and it's more classy than 'glutenous red bean' or 'dried fish cake'. I get it. But you're not even a quarter Korean on the menu- so stop faking!
This place is soo on the concept/fusion side. And we did eat here - we ordered the steak tartare, the scallops, mac and cheese and yakisoba (again, that is Japanese..not Korean). Polished off with a gateau that was really creamy and french press coffee... All in all, good food, really nice presentation and good atmosphere (although their heater wasn't working so they put a heater near us, thanks!). But it was just not enough Korean to advert as such.
Minus two for being a poser. If you stopped billing yourself as a Korean Fusion restaurant, I promise to take it back.
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OK, so the food* is great, the service is wonderful**, but most importantly, they HAVE THE JAMES BOND DRINK***.
You know, in Casino Royale, the only 007 flick worth the admission price, how Daniel Craig (rrrrrowr) orders a drink that he sort of makes up on the fly?
'Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?'
Coupage has this drink. It's called The Vesper and it's delectable and I feel glamorous drinking it.
*I think calling this "fusion" is kind of pushing it - without looking at the menu, you could eat pretty much anything here and just feel like it was neo-American fare. Delicious, yes, but Korean-inspired? I don't believe so.
**I've been assured that service is not always so great. I will mention that when I went there with me mum, it was a VERY slow night.
***I realize now that everyone and their mother now serves The Vesper. I am SO behind the times that I can't even kiss the zeitgeist on the ass.
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I was really excited to go to Coupage- It was on tap for me to try it out since early last year. Finally got the opportunity w/ a group of friends for the 3 for $30 promotion last month through NW Urban Eats (Love those deals!)
My rating would actually be a 3.5 but i dont have that option!
I may have been a little nit picky about this review. I had too high of expectations b/c I wasn't wowed by the place. Not to say that it wasn't good. The coupage burger was something!~ It was huge! Juicy meat & fluffy bun but I didn't taste the kimchi? And the truffle chips were an added bonus. But $28 bucks? I had to do it once- My friends had the scallops & beef egg foo young. Again, they were good- but not great. I'd rather have my egg foo young at Purple Dot or somewhere in the ID. And def. not a part of a $30 mealdeal.
Hm...and I thought Coupage was meant to be French/Korean~ but didn't really see that combo play out on the menu.
Overall, the service was great though!~ and the owner/chef came out to personally introduced himself to see how our table was doing. I thought that rocked.
Oh and our seating area! We had a table of 8 and had a private area. It is actually a garage! Which is sorta cool? I think in the summer, when they open it up it'd be more appealing.
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I have put off writing this review because I was disappointed and it seemed like too much effort to write so soon after the experience.
We were excited to do the 3 for $30. We have been doing anything French the last couple of times it was offered and Coupage was next up... maybe we should have done Portage?*. I made reservations that upon arrival appeared to not be needed at all. The restaurant was relatively empty. Our server was gracious and let my less adventurous and new to the foodie scene dining friend order her meat well done.
Our food-
My starter was kimchee asparagus... Very lightly flavored... I wanted a punch... It came with egg and porcuitto... The porcuitto was very tender and salty... The egg was just cut up plain whites... What in description sounded amazing was OK
Friends starter was salad... good flavor with spring greens... seemed to by oil dressed with infusions... great opener.
My main was white fish with rhubarb and other accomplishments... it was fall apart tender, well flavored, and delicious... the flavors surrounding it were textured and paired well but did not shine.
My friends main was hanger steak ( 2 petite portions) with a side of pickled beets and something else we couldn't make out... the steak was extremely dry- but I do not feel that is the chef's fault... the side(I would call it a salad) was colorful and fresh tasting... too bad my dining partner doesn't like beets.
Desserts= beignets with vanilla dipping sauce that needed a stronger flavor and tough cream puffs (3 small) with a vanilla bean filling(which she like and I was like ehhh... at)
Critiques...
Very large plates with extremely small portions- OK but interesting...
Prices seemed to high for flavor pallet and offering... Kick it up a notch!
I was blown away by nothing and wanted to fall in love with something... it was like a search that kept almost making a discovery that never quite happened.
They seem to be struggling... only offered the 3 for $30 the night we were there and no other menu... plus it was empty...
I liked the ambiance of the restaurant. The service is gentle and understanding. Our server set the tone for a nice evening. It is tucked in a cute neighborhood and the decor is simple and stylish. It would be a good date place for a drink at the bar. I saw that they have pumpkin crusted crab cakes... and I love pumpkin. Maybe I will give it another shot but do drinks and apps at the bar.
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If I hadn't noticed this restaurant in the Seattle Best Restaurants magazine while checking out at Safeway, I'm not sure I ever would have found it. Even once I had the address and directions, navigating to Madrona proved to be one of the more confusing experiences of my life (I'm not actually positive I could get back there).
Something about my meal at Coupage seemed strikingly Atkins-y, which I normally would find somewhat alarming but this restaurant's execution was really quite phenomenal.
The Mache salad is something I wouldn't have tried without recommendation (for which it seems to have many.) What is Mache, anyway? Apparently it's a leafy lettuce that looks a little like large pieces of clover and it comes with a side of mushrooms and miso. (Miso being one of those mysterious tastes that's in so much Asian food without you ever knowing what it actually looks like - this was like meeting the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz!) The whole thing is drizzled in delicious, delicious sauce and something about the flavors goes perfectly together. Normally, $15 is a bit pricey for salad, especially salad that isn't your entree; seriously, though, if you're here for dinner, you really shouldn't leave without having tried it.
Looking at the "Coupage favorites" section of the menu we found the meat platter irresistible. And true to its word, it really is a meat platter! I've never been to a restaurant that served me pretty much just meat...the closest thing to starch on the table at this point was the tempura batter found on the bok choy side...let me jus tsay though, this was some of the best hanger steak I've had in Seattle, seared to perfection (we noted that the waiter didn't even ask how we wanted it done!) and sided with two Asian soy-like dipping sauces and one blue cheese mustard dip. Delish. The Korean short ribs were very good, too, though I might say that I actually prefer these prepared straight-up Korean style. In total, though, I have to say that the overall execution of said meat platter was excellent (mmmm, red meat.)
I was actually pretty surprised this restaurant didn't serve any kind of carb with the meal -- you'd think between two cultures they would have come up with something? Baguette? White rice? Some kind of fusion potato dish?
Obviously we couldn't pass up the opportunity to look at the dessert menu, but were a little appalled to see that we understood almost none of the words on the menu! If you're going to mix exotic ingredients with an audience who is probably unfamiliar with either Korean or French or both, you've GOT to do a good job explaining what each is! We ended up asking the waiter for a rough translation, and as long as the menu doesn't change, the more complicated items are a layered cake, a set of donuts, and a really intense chocolate "bomb" cake - apparently he's only seen parties of four or more actually finish it (fine, I know these descriptions don't have half the mystique but at least you know what you're getting!)...we went with the layered cake which was like a slightly fancier version of yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
I give this four stars and not five because though the fusion food was perfectly executed and delicious, the drink menu lacks any similar creativity (read: nonexistent) and even on a pretty empty night, we had to do a lot of work to get our server's attention for service.
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Made it here for the New Urban Eats (3 courses for $30) promotion, through the snow and hail. Literally. I tend to hate fusion restaurants, but 94 Stewart wasn't open on Mondays, so Coupage it was... the trick? Don't order the fusion food.
Seriously, I managed to eat a three course meal that resembled neither French nor Korean food, and I loved it. Deliciously rich mac & cheese to start, which is awesome because most places make you order an entree portion. Then seared scallops with a side of salad and really flavorful, juicy bacon. And "beignets" for dessert. I'm from Baton Rouge, and they were nothing close to beignets, but that's ok. Can't really go wrong with little sugar-covered balls of fried dough. Service was good, too.
My main complaint is that it's too expensive for what you get, something that is pretty common with fusion food. One of the people in my party took a chance and ordered the beef chow fun and was extremely unimpressed, finding it completely bland. 3.5 stars, would be a full 4 if everyone else with me was as happy about it.
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Coupage is a French-Korean fusion restaurant. Sounds interesting? Sounds delicious!! After reading all the reviews, we too decided to order the Mache salad. The soy black truffle vinaigrette was generously drizzled over greens and paired with maitake mushrooms. It was simple and very flavorful.
We were slightly torn between the burger and the beef platter. Short rib burger or a plate o' meat? In the end, the plate of meat won....shouldn't it always though? The platter was served with hanger beef, short ribs, and bak choy. I don't usually like bak choy, but when you dip it in tempura batter and deep fry it, it is delicious. The hanger beef was great with three different dipping sauces. The flavor of the kimchi short ribs were unexpected, interesting and awesome.
Next time I come back, I will definitely try the burger....unless the beef platter wins again.
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I came here for dinner with a friend during the middle of the week. We were celebrating a new job for her and were starving by the time we got to the restaurant.
The place was completely empty for dinner. Not a good sign. We ordered drinks, which took quite a long time and an appetizer. They're out of mint so no mojito for me. The appetizer took forever and we were milking the drinks waiting for the food.
We had the foie gras appetizer, which was good, but not great. For entrees, she had the scalllops and I had the pork loin. Her scallops were good, but my pork loin was dry and salty. Not very tasty at all. Presentation on unique shaped plates was quite striking.
However, the service was very poor. Long lags between dishes and drinks. Bread didn't hit the table until after the appetizer came. Considering we were the only couple in the place, it was pretty disappointing.
Food was meh. Service was poor. We should have gone to Cremant.
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Coupage is a lovely restaurant with an interesting menu. We recently dined there for brunch and had the Coupage Burger and the Egg Foo Young omelet. The Coupage Burger is amazing! Short rib meat, fois gras and kimchi on a bun - a daring combination that really works! The truffled chips were also fantastic. The Egg Foo Young....there were some interesting flavors, but it isn't really a stand-out in any way. The service was friendly, efficient and professional and the ambiance is simple but very pleasant.
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First off, I'd do 4-1/2 stars if possible.
I went there last night (valentine's day) for the first time and was charmed.
From the first moment I felt very taken care of. In fact, even before the first moment. I was stuck in the 520 westbound traffic and called to say I was running late, and instead of being met with attitude (I would have understood... one late reservation just snowballs) I was met with total understanding and no "hurry up and get here"s.
The maitre d' was attentive and when we were seated too close to the front door (and frozen every time the door opened) he was very sweet and moved us to a warmer table.
We never had to wait for our water glasses to be filled, never had to look at empty plates and didn't have to wait long for drinks or food.
Everyone was so friendly!
And the food... very good!
We like small plates, so, first, we shared the Kobe tartare (the way beef should always be!) and 1/2 dozen oysters. Both were excellent.
Then we shared a small order of the mac and cheese. Yum!
Finally, desserts! We shared an order of the baby banana tempura and the beignets. The tempura was done perfectly but it was served with some kind of almost-tasteless ice cream... it didn't take away from the dish, just didn't add to it. The beignets, though... SO GOOD. Definitely recommended.
All in all, it was a gamble trying a new restaurant for Valentine's day, but Coupage surely rose to the occasion.
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This is the most exciting restaurant to open in Seattle in quite some time. The unexpected flavors of Asian ingredients cooked in French methods produced some wild and stunning results.
I second Dave's recommendation on the mache salad. Unbelievably simple and elegant with a powerful end result. I also tried a quite flavorful lamb chop that was excellent, if not a little overcooked. Dessert was a superb chocolate flambe with an interesting side of red pepper ice cream.
I went here with three guests, two of which had been traveling the US from Paris for two weeks, and they both proclaimed this the best restaurant they had eaten at during this trip... better than some of the hot spots in NY, Boston, and SF. Good on you Coupage.
The waitstaff were beyond gracious and very good at reading the correct time to interrupt (this was a business dinner). They also made a phenomenal wine recommendation that fooled the two Frogs at the table, self proclaimed wine connoisseurs, into thinking they were drinking the fruits of their homeland when in fact, it was a good ol' Washington Cabernet.
The interior suffers from the same ills as its neighbor Cremant; high ceilings with brick walls that echo every little noise, but Coupage has installed higher booths, which help, and is not nearly as stark which muffles the noise somewhat. I quite liked the space, which seemed sexy and intimate with low lights in general but brighter spots above the tables for those of us who can barely read menus in the avant-garde "light is for losers" style restaurants.
I must go back soon with my wife so I can try some of the even more interesting looking "gotta have" options for two ("gotta halve", get it? Me either until somebody pointed it out... I'm slow like that). If you're looking for something new and unique, I highly recommend Coupage.
*****Update****
I've been back twice since and never been disappointed. Unfortunately, I understand the owner and the chef had a falling out, and the chef has left with her spouse the sous chef to start her own restaurant. The owner is now cooking, and I haven't tried the food subsequently. Buyer beware.
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I was looking for something different from the normal downtown scene, and really was attracted to the creativity of Coupage's menu as well as its unpretentious setting. As others have mentioned, this place isn't really Korean at all, they should just call themselves fusion. But that didn't detract from the experience at all.
We shared the Pumpkin crusted crabcakes for a starter, they were crisp and flavorful - not your run of the mill crabcakes, something different. For mains we had the Duck Confit and the Short Ribs - both excellent choices with creative accompaniments. I really liked it how the accompaniments were a generous portion, not the size of garnish as is common at many places. The duck confit literally melted off the bone and was moist and flavorful. For dessert, we had the lemon tart (yum...creamy and not too sweet, with a nice thin pastry) and the beignets.
For a Saturday evening the restaurant wasn't too busy, so service was "just right" - attentive, but not overbearing, and our waiter was a superstar by telling us his thoughts about different dishes, instead of reciting from a script. Definitely try this place out for a different experience, you won't have regrets.
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So I finally made it out here. What was proclaimed as the great French and Korean fusion!
So I had a guest over for the weekend and as today was the last day he was in town and the first day in two weeks where I wasn't pulling a late night working session, in appreciation for letting him crash at my pad, he wanted to take me out to dinner before he left back for NY. I thought why not Coupage?
First off, the interior is a bit off...the color combination threw me off a bit as the walls were a light blue and did not go very well with the dark wood bar and wine racks. I thought to myself, well interiors are not everything.
As we sat in a booth, the damn seats were too close to the table and the optimal seating distance must have been arranged for anorexic people. I thought to myself, maybe I should start exercising more.
Well, all that aside, the floor manager in the suit was doing his best to accommodate and seemed unnaturally nice. Almost to the point where I was getting confused. I wasn't used to the "nice".
Okay, on to the food. The two of us were a bit torn as the best items seemed to be designed for two. I knew I wanted to try the Kobe beef with Foie burger for sure, but the hanger (onglet) steak with Korean style short ribs looked appealing as well. We decided to share the beef and the burger. Other options included a ubiquitous NW menu item of Salmon and Ahi Tuna along with a duck breast dish and some other stuff.
The burger...juicy...flavorful...this may have been the best damn burger I've ever had! I looked over to my friend who had the other half of the burger in his vise like grip. There was no way either of us were going to give it up. The burger came with 3 condiments: an aioli, a mustard and a ketchup all house made and a pile of home made potato chips sprinkled with a little truffle oil. Although a bit pricey, this burger is sure to please and the missing half is haunting me...
The hanger steak and short rib platter...to be fair was pretty good. This dish also came with 3 sauces which were not really all that special. Actually the sauces were a bit on the bland side...the ribs which typically are marinated in a sweet soy based sauce were not marinated...they had a nice light flavor, but it was all overshadowed by the burger.
I will definitely go back, but probably only for the burger, everything else was just alright...this restaurant has fallen victim to it's own creation. I don't think anything else on their menu could have matched it. I want to give this place a 3.5, but the star system won't allow it, and it's definitely not a 3, so I'm giving it a 4.
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This new entrant to the Seattle scene has been called "Korean-European fusion," and is one of the few places I've visited that manages to successfully pull off the (slightly tired) fusion play. Interesting and sometimes unexpected flavor combinations are the draw at Coupage, and the talented kitchen staff comes through with very well executed and nicely presented dishes.
On our visit last night, the mache salad with roasted maitake mushroom and truffle oil vinaigrette sounded too delectable to resist, despite the $15 price tag. It definitely outshone a fairly bland yet more moderately priced romaine salad, and the crispy/chewy/earthy toasted mushroom scores highly both in novelty and flavor.
Broiled black cod (moist interior with just crispy edges) was served surrounded by a few manila clams and propped just out of a deliciously light broth by a small bundle of steamed pea vines. Cilantro and a few chili slices rounded out the flavor palate for this dish.
Pan-seared branzino (sea bass) was good, but a little bit of a let down; a concept like Coupage's sets your expectations beyond just well-prepared fish. You come here looking for a bit more creativity that just didn't come through with the Branzino.
The ambiance at Coupage is classy but calm, and retains a neighborhood feel that matches it's rather humble location at the foot of E. Union st. I noticed a "garage door" instead of windows in front of one streetfront booth, that ought to be quite nice on a long, beautiful Seattle summer evening.
Service was friendly and appropriately paced. I don't usually criticize restaurants for their prices, but the New York bill didn't quite match the Seattle environs and spa-like portions. Then again, I rationalized the expenditure by convincing myself how good it felt to leave a delicious meal not feeling sickeningly stuffed.
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Foie Gras burgers at Dicks? Probably not. But if the amazing burgers made with short rib meat,and topped with foie sweep the nation it could happen. Can I have a bag of truffled potato chips to go with that?
This place is really as good as the hype. The food is amazing and the staff is friendly and efficient.
The mache salad, which sounds boring is beautifully presented like a small zen garden and topped with a delicious black truffle vinagraitte. The cod was cooked perfectly so that it was almost custardlike inside with a delicious broth. And of, course there's that amazing burger.
Update May 2008 I'd heard that things had gone downhill since the original chefs left. But the food is still rock solid. I actually think the Foi Gras burger was better this time. The Mache salad with trufffle oil is gone but there are several very good salds including one with a wasabe vinaigrette that's very pungent. Dessert is solid with a good creme brullee and hot, delicious beignets as well.
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This was one of my best restaurant experiences in Seattle in a long time. It's new but they really have their act together in terms of service and quality of food. The service was impeccable. We ordered a bottle of white wine. They then came out and said that that bottle wasn't chilled to the right temperature yet but they had an alternative free glass they could offer us until our bottle achieved the right temperature. Ok, we felt welcome after 5 minutes. I had an Arctic Char carpaccio that was very refined. We also had an octopus and mussel starter that was incredibly fresh. Two of us had a grilled Branzino which i hadn't seen since a trip to Sicily and within one week had it at Coupage and Tavolata...
It wasn't overly asian or overly european but a fresh PNWest combo of a little of each with hyper fresh ingredients. Totally hip decor, little attitude...the prices were very fair for the quality and quantity. Can't wait to go back.
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Went here for valentines day. It was just okay for me. Wait staff was attentitve although one asked us if we wanted to eat at the bar because of the wait. I had the famous 30 dollar coupage burger. An interesting combination, kimchi, ground shortribs, and seared foie gras. The combination works our fairly well, althouh the patty itself was way too huge for me to eat. We also ordered the mac and cheese and a salad. The really need to up there flavor with mac and cheese. It tasted really bland to me. The salad was quite good though.
Too me the menu was a bit odd to me. Alot of the dishes just seemed out of place, and I didnt really see anything on the menu that was korean except for the kimchee on the burger. Instead that some rather chinese dished like "beef chow fun," and peavines in garlic. Also they were out of the crab cakes which was the thing i really wanted.
Another note it is to dress warm when you go to this place. It was cold!! and the place was packed. I was wearing a short sleeve polo, so it could have been my fault. But still when a place like that is packed youd expect it to be cozier.
Ooooh....fusion....that's SO amazing....rarely. This is a culinary concept that seemed to catch on more with local restauranteurs than Seattle diners. Perhaps because it is done poorly SO often. But perhaps Coupage will set a different standard? Now, the reality is that we were there for brunch and more or less scooted around any serious investigation of their fusion vision. I had the "Coupage Breakfast" with Chinese sausage, bok choy (Good god! Why are we not eating this for breakfast more often?!), and their version of "hash browns" which basically amounts to a mashed potato egg roll - delightfully and strangely delicious!!! Other choices at the table were the Steak & Eggs (great) and these citrus crepes that seriously warranted a change of underpants - they were, indeed, THAT good ;) Been around the world and, I, I, I, I think I found my baby! (That's "old school" Lisa Stansfield in case you didn't know - oh c'mon, cut me some slack!)
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I'll be unusual and spare you the long winded, self important review and get right down to it - the food here is great. Great flavors and perfect execution. Try the burgers, mache and fried rice - you won't regret it, and if you do, say hi to Mayor McCheese for me...
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Another French restaurant in Madrona?
Across the street from Cremant is Tom Hurley's (of the Portland-based Hurley's) newest incarnation of fusion food. Guess what it is? French + Korean. Surprising? Yes. Apparently Korean food uses a lot of the same cooking methods as the French - braising, long slow cooking, mixed flavors.
Nonetheless, the execution was wonderful. Complex and intense sauces, interesting pairings (not wine pairings - starch and protein pairings) and nice presentation. We had macaroni and cheese spaetzle, blackened squid and a canneloni to start. Two orders of braised short ribs + kimchee and one pork belly later, we looked at each other in wonder. We are still scratching our heads as to what we thought about the dishes.
A look around the dining room; the lights were too bright which unfortunately gave notice to the bad paint job and questionable decor. The service was overabundant and crisp. Maybe a little TOO crisp?
Give this place a few weeks to break in and take off its training wheels (its only been open since 11/24) and it might be a nice addition to the Madrona flight of french restaurants currently gracing the screen.
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caveat: i only gave it 4 stars because the chefs have since left so i can't vouch for what they may be serving now.
while i'm not a big fan of the bland mural, i thought the rest of decor was clean & lovely; very urban chic without being cold. our server was also very nice.
here's what we had:
warm vichyssoise: dungeness crabcake w/sweet mustard bruelee, hint of lemongrass & chinese celery pesto: very nice & much lighter & fresher tasting than expected.
mache salad : roasted oregon maitake mushrooms & soy black truffle vinaigrette: hawesome. beautifully dressed.
slow braised short ribs: "petit" kimchi, creamy chestnut polenta, & hot mustard sauce. a little fatty for my taste but the flavors were good & the polenta especially creamy.
coupage burger: fresh house ground short rib lightly seasoned & grilled w/seared foie gras, red onion kimchee, tomato confit & truffle perfumed potato crisps. hells yeah, this was kick-you-in-the-face delicious. it was give-me-a-moment-alone amazing. if they ever take this off the menu or mess with it, i'm never going here again. if they leave it be, i'm totally going back for this.
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After reading effusive reviews of Coupage in several publications, my boyfriend were excited to go there for Valentine's Day. All in all, we did not have a bad time. However, the sheer crush of people there for the holiday, or perhaps the space itself, made the atmosphere rather intrusive.
For dinner, we ordered the platter of beef, which features Korean-style short ribs, hanger steak and sweetbreads. Of the three, the short ribs were the star. If everything else we had had been up to the level of the short ribs, the night would have been fantastic. Spicy, slightly sweet and salty, the short ribs were amazing. Unfortunately, the other two items featured with the short ribs, while not bad, were less spectacular. The hanger steak, which is fantastic at the nearby Cremant, was merely a fairly good medium rare steak, that was oddly dry for a rare steak. With the three items, three sauces were served, a soy-based sauce, a tarragon au jus and a blue cheese. Although the au jus immensely helped the sweetbreads, I found the sweetbreads to be less on the buttery side and more on the chewy side. Admittedly, the last time that I had sweetbreads was at Daniel in New York, but, still, I was a little disappointed. Also, we ordered sides of the oyster mushroom and pea vines. Both were excellent but uninspiring.
As for the service, our waiter was quite polite and professional. However, he had to check with us to see if our martinis had arrived. In hindsight, it's a little hilarious that he had to ask what equated to, "Have you already drunk and had your martinis cleared in the ten minutes that I haven't seen you?" We had not recieved said martinis. After ascertaining this state of affairs, he immediately retrieved them from the bar. Then, once we recieved the beautifully presented platter of beef, my boyfriend asked for another knife because his had been cleared with the salad course. The knife and waiter did not reappear. Instead, we had to flag down a busperson. The busperson not only found a knife, but found two steak knives for us; which was lovely of her, but made me wonder why the waiter hadn't brought them with the platter anyway.
After electing not to have dessert, we left. Like other reviewers, I felt that the food was somehow overpriced. Yet, looking at the bill, I really have no idea of why I felt that way. For some strange reason, when I ordered a very similar meal at Cremant, I felt positively gluttonous. All in all, I think that Coupage is not a bad restaurant, and that the menu choices are inspired. However, somewhere between french and korean, the velvety textures of much of the french food and the marvelous sour and spicy tastes of the Korean food are sadly lost. Good effort, but no gold medal. Sorry, folks.
As an aside, the bartender there was also the bartender when the space was occupied by Dreys, and if you ask, makes a fantastic Caipiriniha.
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