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Urban Bistro proves an appetizing choice for dinner, too | |
| By Nancy Hobbs Special to The Tribune |
11/14/2003 | |
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In the seven years Urban Bistro has been in business, it has gained a loyal clientele of courts, school and city employees who drop in for owner/chef Ricc Esparza's weekday lunch.
But since July, there has been another reason to visit. As day turns to dusk, starched white cloths are unfurled, lights are dimmed and tables are invitingly dressed, right down to the newest addition: wine glasses. It took the Salt Lake City's Main Library move less than one block north for Urban Bistro, as well as neighboring eateries on 500 South, to qualify for state-issued liquor licenses. Once empowered, Esparza had all the inducement he needed to start serving dinner Wednesday through Saturday. As restaurateurs know, liquor service not only attracts diners, it goes a long way toward paying the bills. The addition of dinner necessitated deleting "market" from the formerly titled Urban Bistro Market, and meant adios to its cooler of ready-to-go tamales and cannellonis. Instead, those items are among the eclectic dinner offerings that, unlike lunch, are a welcome full-service, from seating to taking care of the bill. Esparza said the concept behind the mostly Mexican and Italian offerings at his downtown bistro is to provide something for all kinds of customer moods and tastes, from simple and light salads to his popular pork ossobuco, served with a green peppercorn, rosemary and red wine sauce. Italian cuisine, he admits, is a favorite to cook (he was the chef at Al Forno's when it first opened), but being a Mexican native, he also is partial to the culinary influences of Mexico and Spain. Given choices that included vegetarian lasagna, chicken enchiladas, pizza and a filet mignon, my dinner partner and I opted on a recent visit for the easy way out -- the menu calls us "adventuresome" -- by choosing to leave our palates in the chef's hands. The last item on the menu ($25 per person for a minimum of two people), is a family-style dinner choreographed by the chef, with his choice of appetizers, salad, entrée and dessert. Our waitress seemed pleased with our order, exclaiming that the chef "really has fun" putting together smaller "sampling" portions of some of the night's best offerings. She asked about our food preferences: vegetarian, seafood, red meat, spiciness? They are questions Esparza requires, so he doesn't send out anything diners are pre-wired to dislike. Dinner began with a plate of appetizers: a chile relleno and several small empanadas. The relleno, made with a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with queso fresco, was delicious, with the creamy cheese being a perfect foil for the pepper's slight heat. The empanadas also were a treat, with a flaky pastry crust encasing the savory filling made of beef, onion and hard-boiled eggs. A large bowl of spinach salad followed, garnished with dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese and sweet, crunchy candied walnuts, all tossed with a nice champagne vinaigrette. Urban Bistro's homemade foccacia rolls, served with a basil aioli, were a nice accompaniment. We were well on our way to being satisfied, but our interest was piqued again with the entrée's arrival: pollo barraco, or roasted chicken simmered in tomatoes, beer and onions until it is mouth-melting tender, and a delicious banana-leaf wrapped tamale filled with chicken and salsa verde. (Both items are offered as entrées on the dinner menu, served with a dinner salad and priced at $14 and $12, respectively.) In addition, we were treated to a couple of the night's specials, including carne asada with a fresh piquant salsa, and spaghetti with Cajun-spiced chicken. Although each of the entrées was served in smaller portions than a regular entrée order, there was plenty to sample and share. The same was true of dessert, which came with slices of a decadent four-layer chocolate cake and a tasty espresso bread pudding topped with a light vanilla gelato. Our waiter seemed to enjoy serving the meal as much as the chef reportedly enjoys creating it. She was familiar with the restaurant's fare, introducing each item as she delivered it. That warm atmosphere was welcome after the colder reception we got during an earlier visit to Urban Bistro for lunch. While regulars obviously know the drill for ordering at a counter window and then taking a seat to have lunch delivered, we didn't. Without signage or anyone on the floor to direct us, we seated ourselves before being approached by a staffer who curtly set us straight. She continued to act perturbed and impatient as we asked questions about the menu. Esparza said most of those issues are being addressed. The addition of dinner required remodeling, including expanding the kitchen, closing it off and putting a new counter (due to arrive soon) at the order window, along with signs that will be posted at lunch. The lunch menu is much different from dinner, with a daily salad special, spinach quiche and a dozen sandwiches, including a popular pan-blackened salmon on homemade foccacia. If he runs out, Esparza said his regulars get testy. Esparza occasionally changes the lunch menu (dinner will change seasonally). One item that will be going is the rollino, which hasn't proved very popular, he said. I have to agree. The description makes it sound something like a calzone, but the bread encasing the cheese and spinach filling is too thin to stand up to the thin tomato sauce poured over it, resulting in an unpalatable gooey texture. I was a little surprised that the server who delivers lunches to the tables, and then clears them as diners finish, never asked why that item was barely touched. Many restaurants would broach the subject and offer to replace the meal. But the lunchtime tamales were excellent ($7.25), and came served with a tasty black bean and corn salad with a tangy lime dressing. The homemade sausage sandwich ($6.95) was tasty, and plenty in itself, but the accompanying pasta salad was too good to pass up. Urban Bistro has built a loyal following over the years. With its transformation from casual daytime setting to a warm, inviting dinner destination, it offers a diverse and moderately priced menu four nights a week. ----- Nancy Hobbs is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Hobbs welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at nhobbs@xmission.com Urban Bistro
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