TWO Urban Licks Menu

TWO Urban Licks Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: The large roll-up industrial windows of this renovated urban warehouse-turned-restaurant are aimed squarely at the city's skyline. A live-fire rotisserie is the focal point of the open kitchen. To control the sound factor, seating is best al fresco in good weather. Wine is served from a system of stainless steel barrels from which it is dispensed into decanters of sundry sizes, depending on the patron's order. Clever though it may be, the system has perils for the wine savvy, who may find the whole business contrived and the flavors affected.

Food: Meanwhile, executive chef Todd Stein's appetizers let guests enjoy the tapas way to dine. Especially good are the salmon chips, a signature item, or the Thai tuna tartare, made just hot enough with some Serrano chili. For mains, try the lightly grilled, huge sea scallops on Gouda grits with smoked tomato broth. Desserts run from chocolate cake to bread pudding and every classic American sweet meal-ender in between. The extensive brunch menu makes repeat visits totally appropriate. The poached egg on corn-chorizo hash with a red wine jus is just close enough to oeufs meurette to call it a cousin. Few spots are as convivial on a Saturday evening as the patio.