Fresh is the word of the day, y’all. I was lucky enough to venture into Urban Plates on a recent night out in Pasadena and was greeted by a sensational staff and impossibly tasty food from this made-from-scratch outpost serving New American fare.
Take a quick perusal through their Yelp reviews and you’ll see ‘fresh’ EVERYWHERE. And for good reason.
It’s clear great care is taken in choosing ingredients and preparing these crowd-pleasing meals. I’ll let them tell you: ‘Recipes feature exclusively GMO-, antibiotic-, and hormone-free, grass-fed, and finished steak; wild line-caught ahi tuna; sustainably raised salmon; and humanely raised and sourced, cage-free, hormone-free chicken.
There are 17 Urban Plates locations, with undoubtedly more to come based on what I experienced in Pasadena.
Let’s start with apps. The asparagus – my favorite vegetable – was drizzled with garlic shallot oil, parsley and lemon and was surprisingly savory with a perfect texture.
Photo by Ron Clark
The maple butternut squash with toasted coconut was equally successful, with an earthy, somewhat buttery taste that left a lasting impression.
My cremini and oyster mushrooms with garlic and parmesan butter converted a lifelong mushroom hater into a fan. It almost tasted like panko breadcrumbs on seitan; once again earthy but much more filling and sturdy.
The best dish of the night was the Asian noodle salad, a citrusy, spicy homerun that’s both a visual and structural delight. That pineapple mango salsa is no joke, and the chicken was so perfectly executed, a heartier contrast to the more-delicate surrounding ingredients.
Photo by Ron Clark
As for the dish I’d come back for over and over, that title goes to Osso Bucco, aka grass-fed lamb on a bed of organic mashed potatoes. Of course as I’m preparing to write this review I see this item was brought back by popular demand. What I can say? I am a man of the people.
This absolutely rocked me. It’s tender, piquant perfection. The mashed potatoes almost take me to church cookouts from my childhood, and the mint gremolata sauce is so good it’s unfair.
The chili grilled tofu bowl was fantastic, too. It almost feels like an amalgamation of bells and whistles this restaurant does best: asparagus, quinoa, micro greens and gochujang sauce are delicious companions to our glazed and grilled tofu.
Photo by Ron Clark
I had a great night and truly can’t thank this team enough. They do so many things so well, and I’m just glad I was able to experience it.
