Urban Eats

Well hello there, July!

AKA My Birth Month, AKA I TURN   T H I R T Y   IN TWENTY DAYSSSAHHHH!!!!

You wouldn't think it but I'm cool as a cucumber.

During The Final Countdown of my days leading up to the big 3-0, I managed to experience my favorite meal so far of 2015, and it was absolutely glorious. My mom met me at the new(ish) Washington Ave spot, Urban Eats for lunch the other day. And with a motto like, "feast + drink + love," I should have known I would adore it.

We ventured upstairs to the full service bistro, and it was insanely packed. I think we grabbed the last free table before there was a wait. In terms of the environment, it's super cool - The walls are adorned with paintings from local artists, making the brightly-colored, brick-accented interior even more hip and exciting.

We decided to go splitzies and just share a bunch of stuff to get the most out of our experience. Also we were starving because my mom is training for the NYC Marathon and had run something like 37 miles that morning, while I...was famished after my walk from the valet stand to my seat.

First up was the baked goat cheese crostini & toasted pine nuts salad.

This salad was incredible. Sweet golden currants contrasted beautifully against plump, ripe, red pear tomatoes, and crunchy, toasted pine nuts. The herbed, silky goat cheese crostini gave the crisp, light salad underneath just the right touch of naughtiness. And the rosemary balsamic served with the salad was tart, full, and velvety.

But I have to say we felt sorry for this salad. If I had only ordered one thing that day at Urban Eats, and it had been this salad, I would have been completely blown away and satisfied. But for as amazing as this salad was, it didn't stand a chance against the other three Dishes of Love that graced us with their presence, and it was relatively neglected.

I have no idea which dish was my favorite, and I guess I'll just have to go back and sample them again to put a proper ranking in my head (which is necessary?). This little beauty above is the eggplant Napoleon. Thinly sliced eggplant crusted with herbed bread crumbs is layered with ricotta, mozzarella, and sharp provolone, and it is topped with their house-made marinara and parmesan cheese.

I couldn't even.

This cute little portion was the perfect size for two hungry gals. The tart marinara went wonderfully with the oozing beautiful cheeses and fragrantly herbed eggplant, and the result was one of the most playful eggplant parmesan-esque dishes I've had. It certainly was rich and indulgent, but split between the two of us it was the perfect amount of decadence.

Okay, next on the docket - Urban Eats has an entire section of the menu dedicated to French fries, so...

You will eat these, and you will die, and you will be happy, and you will not even be bitter about the fact that you didn't catch this year's season finale of The Bachelorette (just me??) after your death-by-amazing-fries.

We ordered the Napa black & blue pommes frites, which are some of the fanciest French fries on God's green earth. Lightly tossed with blue cheese crumbles, truffle oil, black pepper, and fresh sage, these delicate, aromatic carbs could should be served on a silver platter.

I couldn't. stop. eating them.

They were served with a side of red wine vinegar and pepper jam dipping sauce, but I thought they were better left alone. Why try to perfect perfection? And that's exactly what these fries are: perfection. The strong flavors of the blue cheese, truffle oil, and sage did not compete with one another, as they easily could. Instead the exact right amount of ingredients was applied, and the triplet of  bold flavors came together in an absolutely delightful way.

Last up on the Ogonosky Women's Tasting Menu of the Day was the skillet seared cauliflower. Seasoned with sea salt and combined with caramel-y shallots, toasted pine nuts, and golden currants, this dish was outstanding. The sweetness from the shallots and currants beautifully accented the earthy cauliflower. The crunch from the toasted pine nuts was just an added bonus. Once again, another phenomenal dish that didn't stand a chance with the likes of us.

Now do you see why we felt sad for the salad?

Urban Eats is outstanding. It lives up to the hype. I cannot recommend it enough. Please go! And try many things! Because they're all awesome! And not only is the food great, the restaurant is intent on supporting the Houston arts scene by featuring works by local artists, which is freaking great. Oh, and the service? Awesome. My mother would kill me if I didn't mention how great our server David was!

30 is when your metabolism starts to speed up, right?

4 comments food, houston, lunch

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