Coup des Tartes - Any updates?

[danieli10]

I'm thinking about a nice pre-NYE dinner at Coup des Tartes. In the past, the food has been excellent. Anybody been there recently? Is it still a solid bet?

[Dapuma]

ok finally got back there and used the groupon before it expired, they were nice enough to extend it through the weekend

I would change my overall recommendation of yes to a maybe or a no though

The first course was the onion tarte, which was great as always, i believe every table that i saw ordered it

The main courses we had the lamb, which was a bit overcooked and had too much cinnamon spice on it and was very average at best and i had the lobster risotto which was good the lobster was maybe just a bit over cooked but the risotto had a great texture and the dish had asparagus flavor throughout, however it was not a huge portion of lobster for the price and i had a lot more rice than lobster and for dessert we had the pumpkin tarte which was more of a custard with a ginger cookie crust (which we ordered because it was the only thing we had not tried) and it was not very good - the crust was decent but the filling part was lacking flavor and the whip cream was too dense and not light or airy, very disappointing

The service was ok, not exceptional, for the price i think you can do better at a lot of other places unless you have a special bottle of wine that you want to crack open or multiple bottles which might make it a steal for NYE

[danieli10]

I would agree with Dapuma, my last two meals there were uninspired. I think this spot has past its expiration date, unless they can reinvigorate the menu, service, etc. I've been steering friends and family away from Coup des Tartes for a while now.

[mwest9]

Almost three years since OP, I have an update on Coup des Tartes. Basically, its still solid, if not overwhelmingly great. As you would hope, their tartes are exceptional, both the savory and the dessert ones. The three-onion tart uses the same sweet pastry dough as the dessert tartes, and while that may put some people off, I find it delicious. There was a good, basic vinaigrette on the little house salad that comes with the dish. The next standout was the poached pear tarte with creme anglaise and caramel sauce, really fantastic and the pastry dough again is a big part of what made it so.

Entrees were not as solid. There seems to be Yukon Gold potatoes in several different presentations on most entrees. All most all entrees had something that kept me from readily ordering. They had lamb, but it was a Morrocan style. They had duck breast, but it was in a curry sauce. They had pork, but it was in a raspberry chipotle sauce. Those complaints are highly personal to me, mainly because they are less wine-friendly flavorings than most traditional European flavors would be and I'm just not as much of a fan of spicy. I ended up with the filet mignon with sauteed spinach (delicious!) and hash browns (which were fine, but not exceptional like their mashed potatoes). The sauce was lemon-caper, again not my favorite for filet and a bit piquant to go with many wines. My wife had halibut in a latin tomatoe-based sauce. It was a tad overcooked and underseasoned. The highlight of her plate was the mashed potatoes, wonderful! Other than the fish, the execution was excellent and the service was good. The kitchen got backed up and our server let us know what to expect and delivered some bread and butter for our wait, so a job well done.

It is a tight space and a bit crowded with little privacy, but its homey and comfortable and friendly.

[Dapuma]

last time i was there i thought the moraccan lamb style (instead of regular lamb) would not be that good, my wife ordered it - i had wished i ordered the lamb after i tried her's - i will remedy that mistake shortly

mwest i agree with you for the onion tartes and the dessert tartes they are all great (at least what i have tried)

I have a groupon we have to use in the next few weeks so will report back then, but i would never hesitate to recommend someone to go there

[PennyLayne111]

My fiance took me for my birthday dinner, in early November and we had an amazing experience. The food was extremely good, and I loved the ambiance. I had the filet, and he had the lamb shank. We tried two different tartes for dessert (the chocolate/caramel was delish). We brought our own wine. I think this is a great option for NYE.

[DebitNM]

Not too recent, but had dinner there a few days before Christmas last year. Food was good, but the place is small, crowded and it feels like you are all dining together. We were in a little room in the back with just 4 tables. It was quieter but still felt very crowded.

Deb