Urbano, Dallas

Posted by Dana McMahan

Sometimes a spur-of-the-moment meal decision leads to regret. Other times, following your nose can result in a delicious meal. In the first stroke of good luck since being stranded by American Airlines in Dallas, I gave in to the tempting aroma of garlic Friday night, and enjoyed a spectacular meal.

My colleague Jonathan and I took the TRE train into Dallas from our suburban hotel with plans to explore the city a bit and dine at the Tapas bar at Stephan Pyles (on the recommendation of a fellow foodie I met at our conference). Dressed in my jeans (that I’d worn on the flight down – I was out of clean clothes by now) I stepped in to the sleek restaurant to inquire about reservations for the tapas bar later (none needed) and the dress code. The equally sleek, blonde young hostess appraised me from wind-mussed head to Borne sandal-clad toes. “You’ll be ok,” she said. I wasn’t necessarily convinced.

Jonathan and I hopped on an antique trolley the city runs for tourists and enjoyed a ride on Rosie, the 99-year-old trolley from Portugal, while the volunteer driver Ray pointed out sites in Dallas.

We both needed coffee, but Ray could only tell us about a couple Starbucks. “Is there anything that’s nota Starbucks?” I asked. He thought a moment as the trolley chugged down McKinney Avenue. “Well, there’s a coffee shop in the Border’s book store,” he said. We decided to keep our eyes open for something local.

Moments later I saw my beloved Illy logo emblazoned on some outdoor umbrellas at a restaurant on a corner called Urbano. We exited the trolley and made haste towards the coffee.

Inside the restaurant we found it was actually an sophisticated and warm space. I confirmed they indeed served Illy and we sat out on the patio in the warm sun. The waitress, upon learning we were stranded American Airlines passengers gave us a hearty “well, welcome to Dallas!” and chatted with us for a while in a delightful southern drawl. As we sipped our tiny espressos, we reveled in the tantalizing smells drifting out of the restaurant. We could just look at the menu, we decided.

It was all too tempting. Though the reviews of Stephan Pyle flashed across my mind, it was awfully nice sitting out on the sunny patio. And it really did smell incredible. The decision was easy – we’d stay right here. The hard part was choosing what to eat.

I easily picked a starter – the Pizza de Pere, a homemade roasted rosemary foccacia with baby spinach, buttered pears, fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, walnuts and balsamic syrup ($6). I was pretty hungry so I ordered a pasta as well. It was a tough choice between the Ravioli con Burro e Salvia (Ravioli with ricotta cheese, roasted tomatoes and brown butter sage sauce) and Fusilli con Gamberi, but after consulting with the helpful waitress I selected the intriguing-sounding fusilli with spicy shrimp, roma tomatoes, capers, chili flakes, mint and basil ($16).

We drank some Chianti ($7 per glass) and munched on Focaccia Bread with olive oil, parmesan cheese and rosemary while we waited. The friendly waitress stopped several times to chat or check on us. Our appetizers arrived, bringing proof the smells hadn’t lied. My pizza de pere was absolutely delicious. Digging into the warm foccacia with the sweet pears, abundant cheese and rich balsamic I was the happiest I’d been since hearing about my first cancelled flight earlier in the week. I gave a glowing report to the waitress when she checked on us. “Is it homemade?” I asked her “Everything here is homemade,” she replied with evident pride. Jonathan didn’t leave a speck behind of his either – he had the Pizza con Prosciutto, toasted rosemary focaccia with fresh mozzarella, prosciutti, shaved parmesan, arugula and lemon. I could make a meal out of a slightly larger version of my pizza.

I know better than to fill up before my main dish but it tasted too good to leave any behind. Luckily my pasta was so good I managed to find room. The spicy shrimp packed a nice little punch with black pepper and chile, but weren’t painfully spicy. The pasta was tossed in a light sauce of olive oil, mingled with the flavors of the roma tomatoes, capers, chili flakes and basil. I didn’t pick up on the mint from the menu’s description, but the combination was altogether scrumptious.

We talked a bit more with the waitress, who must have told Michael — the owner — we were from Louisville because he came out before we left to chat (his sister lives in Louisville). Michael gave us some sightseeing suggestions for the evening, though we were far too tired to try out any of his thoughtful ideas.

I loved the warm hospitality of Urbano, and highly recommend it for their excellent food. I’ll definitely return if I find myself in Dallas again (just hopefully not via American Airlines).

Urbano
2533 McKinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 969-6911

TAGS: Dallas, Italian, Pasta, Pizza, Urbano
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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

Brenda Bowling said:

The food sounds very good! All you needed to top it off with was the infamous Texas ice cream...Blue Bell!

Posted at 08:59 PM, on April 13 2008

2

mbangert said:

We and friends are foodie and winos in search of good BYOB's. This adorable little 9 table restaurant had all the makings of a real neighborhood gem UNTIL we met the owner, Mitch.

Saturday night, party of 4, 7:00pm, seated promptly. We were excited about this new find but...right away we began to feel rushed. We ordered 3 appetizers and 4 salads and told the waitress that we would order our main dishes after we had finished our appetizer. The waitress visibly ROLLED HER EYES and then went to tell the owner - Mitch.

He began to stare at us throughout the meal. We ate the entire time ordering four complete dinners and a dessert. This place was so noisy that we had to shout at each other all night. It was tiring after a while.

Just as we had signed our check and were preparing to leave, Mitch came over and TOLD US TO LEAVE BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN THERE TOO LONG! Are you kidding?

Mitch, your food ranged from amazing to average but mostly very good. Your restaurant had the potential to be the best BYOB in Dallas. We realize that table turnover is very imporant when you only have 9, but your attitude and your lack of customer service ruined everything. SHAME ON YOU, MITCH!

Posted at 11:56 PM, on January 24 2010

Urbano, Dallas

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