New Corinth Square Restaurant: Urban Table

Walking in the door of Urban Table in Corinth Square, I instantly notice the well-used kitchen table hanging upside down above the dessert display. The owners say it was a last-minute addition, but it sure doesn’t feel that way. The worn off paint and scratched up surface match the atmosphere of Urban Table, as if the table came out of my own kitchen. The natural light coming in from the open garage door accents the earth tones of the dining area. No barriers exist within the seating area, so I can see everything from the kitchen, to the bar, to the couches along the wall.

Urban Table is a great place to go when you have 30 minutes for lunch but don’t want fast food. This works well with the fact that the dinner menu boasts higher prices and a more non-traditional selection. A half sandwich and bowl of soup at lunch is $8 while many of the meals during the dinner hour are closer to $15.

After I decided on a Good Day Deal consisting of a BLT with avocado and a side of tomato soup, I walked up to the counter and ordered. Many of the dishes on the lunch menu are new spins on classic favorites. From a BLT with avocado to a Roasted Chicken Panini, the lunch menu offers a variety of hot sandwiches. If hot paninis are not your thing, there is also a large assortment of salads and soups, such as a Grilled Chicken salad or the Shrimp Nicoise salad.

I was then given a number and allowed to choose a seat anywhere in the restaurant, from the full wall of padded booths to the strip of patio lining the café. The service was excellent and the food arrived in about seven minutes. The way of ordering helped add to the feel of the restaurant—it was a refreshing combination of fast ordering but with a more personal touch.

The BLTA from Urban Table is in no way average. If only I could make these on lazy Sunday afternoons during Chiefs games. The warmth of the bread and bacon made it feel as though it had just come out of the oven, while the coolness of the avocado and tomato felt as though they had just come out of the refrigerator. The combination provided a particularly nice crunch. Instead of store-bought, tasteless tomatoes, my BLTA was filled with ripe, juicy ones. The bacon wasn’t the same as what comes out of my microwave at home; this bacon felt as though it was a perfect piece coming from a prize pig. The BLTA overall tasted extremely fresh—as if all the ingredients had been picked up that morning from a local market.

I’ve never before enjoyed tomato soup; however, I decided to see if this restaurant’s take could change my mind. The soup arrived and was a sizzling hot broth mixture of tomato and various other herbs and spices. My taste buds were changed for the better by the soup with due credit to the mellow tomato flavor and the mixture of spices.

The whole time I was eating, I noticed the counter top filled with desserts. I kept telling myself that there was no reason to buy one, but finally, I gave in.

Whoopee Pies from Hen House give these a bad name, but Urban Table changes that. With two cookies sandwiching a mousse-type icing, the dessert can only be described as ambrosial. The cookies were soft and chewy, the mousse divine, the creamy texture of the mousse blending perfectly with the cookie dough.  All of this combined to make a mouth watering, heavenly, and savory dessert. When the pie was gone, I found myself wishing that I had another.

The presentation of both my meal and my dessert was superb and fit right in with the rest of the decor. My BLTA and tomato soup arrived in a basket that matched the number holders and rustic lighting fixtures perfectly. With a wax paper lining, it feels extremely plain and simple.

The quick service and home like cooking of Urban Table are a nice accent to the local bar feel and gourmet food of fellow Corinth Square restaurant, BRGR. Bread & Butter concepts have made another great local restaurant that offers a different menu from BRGR, but keeps the same neighborhood atmosphere alive.