Martina in Mpls. will showcase seafood in former Upton 43 space

The latest project from former Burch Steak chef Danny del Prado has a new home: the old Upton 43 space in Linden Hills.

Martina (4312 Upton Av. S.), an Argentine/Italian seafood restaurant meant to celebrate Del Prado's heritage and upbringing, is expected to open next month.

Originally, the eatery was set to land at 54th Street and Penn Avenue S., with a second Del Prado project, a barbecue restaurant, aimed at debuting in the North Loop. But after necessary upgrades to the North Loop space made an opening notably more expensive and Upton 43 announced that it was moving, Del Prado jumped on board in the Linden Hills space.

Diamond, the barbecue shop, will now open instead in the 54th and Penn area, in a former gas station.

At Martina, patrons can expect a blend of Argentine cuisine — inspired by Del Prado's upbringing in that country and his father's cultural background — and that of southern Italy, where his mother is from.

"My father was always grilling outside on some weird construction, sometimes using train wheels as grates," Del Prado said. "And my mother loved to cook, also.

"This concept is really about combining those things, and about my parents and my heritage."

The menu will consist of a lot of small plates (beef tongue with sardine mayo and blood sausage) and chilled appetizers (goat tartare, raw oysters) along with pastas (lobster with roasted fresno sauce), vegetable side dishes and seafood plates, such as cockles in white wine and chile flakes, grilled octopus with bone marrow and blowfish tails — a dish Del Prado explains as a combination between chicken wings and frog legs.

Most items will be under $20, he said, but there will be some more expensive options such as a whole lobster and a shareable bone-in New York steak.

Another nod to his heritage? A cheap ($5, perhaps) bowl of gnocchi on the 29th of every month. The gnocchi will honor an Argentine tradition that came about because it was an inexpensive plate to have in the days before the first of the month, when people got paid. Usually, Del Prado said, it is served with grappa.

Del Prado brought on Sam Miller — who worked at Burch and the former Brewer's Table — to act as executive chef, a title Del Prado wants to be clear about since he plans to go back and forth between Martina and Diamond. Joe Rolle, a pasta-making specialist and the chef at the former Il Foro in downtown Minneapolis, will be the chef de cuisine.

Besides an extensive wine list Del Prado describes as "funky," off-the-beaten path and focusing on small producers, Martina will have Linden Hills' first liquor license. Marco Zappia, formerly of Bittercube, will run the cocktail program.

As for Diamond, Del Prado plans for an early December or post-­holidays opening. And he's got some tricks up his sleeve there, too.

"If you think that [Martina's] concept is weird, then this [Diamond's] is just bananas," he said.

Think "Miami Vice"-style decor and Tex-Mex flavors with unlikely ingredients — such as oysters, escargot and beef tartare.

Two smokers that Del Prado acquired from Texas will handle the meats. And don't expect a big vat of potato salad — Del Prado plans to make all sides to order, taking inspiration from his journeys through Texas in which he found the barbecue accompaniments to be a significant drop-off from the main attraction.

There's no liquor license at Diamond, but the restaurant will have beer and wine, including a significant sparkling wine selection. There will be about 90 seats in the 2,500-square-foot space. Del Prado expects to do a big takeout operation, as well.

Gori Gori Peku (GGP for short), as owners John Gross and Shigeyuki Furukawa call it, is tucked into a corner on the second floor at 33 1st Av. N. (the former Origami location) in the North Loop.

The bar doesn't have a sign of its own, but it can be accessed through Kado No Mise's main entrance. The eight-seat bar and accompanying lounge are located across the hall from Kaiseki Furukawa. For now it is open only Fridays and Saturdays, from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Coup d'Etat (2923 Girard Av. S., Mpls., coupdetatmpls.com) in Uptown will shutter its doors on Oct. 1 after 3½ years in business.

After remodeling, Pourhouse Uptown (thepourhousempls.com) — an offshoot of the original Pourhouse, a downtown bar and nightclub — will open in its place by the end of the year.

Another Pourhouse will open in the former Library Bar (1301 SE. 4th St., Mpls.) location in Dinkytown. Owner Deepak Nath, who is a partner in the parent company Empire Entertainment, expects that outlet to open this fall.