Can you believe this is the first time I’ve ever visited an Urban Plates? Well, it’s true! And as a first timer, I wanted to take the most advantage in discovering what it has to offer. The menu is pretty extensive, but simple enough to maneuver. Once you pick a protein, it’s pretty much a matter of pinpointing how you’d like that prepared. The menu is packed with great choices for salads, sandwiches, as well as plated meals, which include a protein and a cacophony of great sides to choose from.
Starting off with Tomato Basil Soup ($5.75) – I always like soup if it’s offered, although it is the only soup on the menu, it stands proud and strong on its own. Drizzled with a fragrant pesto, the soup is hearty, with a nice tart finish.
Moving on, Cage Free Chicken Club ($13.50), is a solid sandwich, offering crusty grilled rustic bread stuffed with an herb marinated (antibiotic- and hormone-free, never frozen) chicken, bacon, organic tomato, pickled onion, organic artisan lettuce, garlic aioli, and white cheddar cheese. My son tells me this is his favorite sandwich at Urban Plates!
I wanted to try a salad, so I opted for Crispy Chicken Tender Salad ($13.95), which I’m told is a recently added menu item. The salad is absolutely delicious with mixed greens, tomato, hard boiled egg, among other things. My favorite is the corn, lending a lovely hint of sweetness to all the other ingredients. The chicken tenders were crispy on the outside and relatively moist on the inside. A slice of grilled rustic bread accompanied. This is a very generous portion and also, very tasty indeed.
If you’re looking for something more substantial and low carb, the Chimichurri Gilled Grass-Fed Steak ($18.75) is a definite winner. Grass-fed and grass-finished steak is grilled medium rare, and drizzled with house-made chimichurri sauce (always ask for extra sauce!) served with two sides of your choice. I picked cauliflower and vegetable rice, as well as rainbow carrots and golden beets, both absolutely delicious!
I think Moroccan Chicken Braise ($12.50) was possibly my favorite! Cage-free antibiotic, and hormone-free, never frozen chicken, is slow cooked with squash, yellow onions, preserved lemons, marinated olives, turmeric, fresh ginger, spices and cilantro. I would’ve preferred a little more preserved lemons, but overall, it was so fragrant and flavorful I couldn’t stop eating it. Served with a side of white rice, perfect to sop up all the delicious sauce!
Urban Plates is also running an “Everyday” special which offers up six of their menu items priced at $11, perfect for those on a budget. Included are: Beets + Avocado Bowl, Grilled Cage Free Chicken sandwich, Grilled Portabello Mushroom sandwich, Three Up (choose any three sides), Curry Tofu & Vegetable Braise, and my favorite… Moroccan Chicken Braise.
It is comforting to know that in these times of inflated pricing everywhere, you can still expect a solid, good meal, with reasonable prices.
To find an Urban Plates near you please click here.
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