Two Urban Licks

Last night, Justin and I tried a restaurant that we've never been to before. Two Urban Licks is located near downtown in what appears to be an old industrial factory or warehouse. The ceilings are super tall (maybe thirty feet?) and the lack of textiles seems to amplify all noise. We had reservations at 6:00 p.m. That was the only time we could get one until 10:00 p.m. The man who walked us to our table commented that this was the calm before the storm since they had reservations for 800 people that night. I don't know if I was impressed or shocked at that number.

They offer complimentary valet (tips are accepted) and since we weren't sure about parking (they share parking lots with other businesses and there were "no restaurant parking" signs everywhere) and didn't want to get towed, we opted to have the car valeted.

Once we were seated, our waitress stopped by to take drink orders. Since we decided we wanted dessert, we skipped drinks. I love the way they serve water. It is brought out in clear wine bottles and poured at your table. I think we consumed three bottles. After ordering, we munched on the bread for a few minutes before our entrees arrived. Our entrees arrived about fifteen minutes after we arrived! We were very surprised, but it was still somewhat early. I ordered the bronzed scallops and they did not disappoint. The gouda polenta was heavenly. Justin ordered the tuna and it was also very delicious. I can't remember if he ordered it medium or medium rare, but I tried a piece and the texture was very different than I was expecting. I've eaten other fish that were rare and the texture was what I expected. Even the very rare parts of the tuna tasted like normal tuna (way better than canned, but similar texture).

For dessert, I ordered the carrot cake with cream cheese ice cream. It was just as good as it sounds. Justin enjoyed the hazelnut mousse cake. I was expecting cake, but it was a cake made of mousse with a crunchy toffee crust on the bottom. It was very good, but not as good as the carrot cake. I love carrot cake and this one didn't disappoint.

When we arrived, they were about fifteen or twenty-five percent full. When we left, they were at 100 percent capacity. My car was quickly retrieved and we headed home, full and satisfied. When we got home, I couldn't find my coat and I was sure I had put it in the backseat of my car. It seemed odd that the valets left my phone, but took my coat. After some searching, I found my coat...in Justin's backseat. Glad I didn't accuse anyone.

We both want to return to Two Urban Licks and try the monkfish entree. Yummy!