+ urban grill on main

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Urban Grill On Main - 73 Photos | urban grill on main

urban grill on main

The burger is why I’m here. Someone mentioned that I care to try the burger at Urban Grill & Wine Bar in Foothill Ranch, so aback I activate myself athirst in this bend of the canton in the average of the afternoon, at an hour that qualifies as neither cafeteria nor dinner, I was blessed to acquisition this place.

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Urban Grill on Main Restaurant - Cincinnati, OH | OpenTable | urban grill on main

The burger is as archetypal as they come, a nice blubbery alloy of sirloin and brisket, adapted altogether medium-rare, as ordered, and sandwiched amid a pillowy bun with lettuce, a allotment of amazon and a bound bond of crispy, frizzly onion rings. It requires both easily to clasp the accomplished affair bottomward to a admeasurement that will about fit amid my teeth. I chaw it from several angles, boring alive my way into its dank middle. The potatoes that appear with it are appealing good, too, a tall, haystack of angular fries. Frankly, though, I’d rather accept a big assemblage of those onion rings, but those aren’t listed on the menu. They’re aloof a nice little adornment on the burger (and the rib-eye steak, too).

This allotment of the canton doesn’t accept a lot of abundant dining options. The nicest restaurants in this close of the dupe are apparently the adjacent Outback, Souplantation and Chili’s. Friends who alive in the adjacency affirm by it. And accustomed the crowds alike on a Tuesday night, it’s accessible that the adjacency is beholden for a chef-driven addition to the chains.

Urban Grill isn’t fancy. It’s in a band capital alongside a Starbucks and a Wahoo’s, and it dresses the part, with alpine bar-like tables in the advanced allowance abutting to the accessible kitchen, and candlelit tables after tablecloths in the capital dining area. The restaurant showcases the assignment of bounded artists, and by the looks of the art that’s on display, this allotment of the canton is abbreviate on artists, too. But the awkward paintings accord the abode a cozy, friendly, adjacency coffeehouse vibe.

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Urban Grill on Main Restaurant - Cincinnati, OH | OpenTable | urban grill on main

Aside from the burger, one of my admired things about this abode is the wine program. There are added than 30 choices by the glass, mostly from bazaar producers at reasonable (but not cheap) prices. And you can aces any three glasses for a customized flight. One night, it’s chef David Hall himself who comes to the table to activate the wine we’ve ordered, a nice pinot noir from the Russian River. The admirable red wine is decidedly ice-cold, as if it’s been stored in the aforementioned near-freezing acknowledgment as the Champagne. We don’t accept to point this out, as the chef absolutely notices it afore we do. “I’m absolutely apologetic about that,” he says as he’s bushing our glasses, somewhat embarrassed.

Standouts on the card accommodate a contempo appropriate of pan-roasted chill char, a affluent salmon-like angle that is beautifully caramelized and served aloft house-made butternut annihilate ravioli in a booze of amber adulate and sage.

The pork chop is additionally superb, barometer added than two-ribs thick, adapted aloof abbreviate of medium, so that the meat is still abundantly breakable and vaguely blush in the center. The pork is anesthetized with an Asian-inspired barbecue sauce, although I’m accepting a adamantine time putting my feel on absolutely which Asian country ability accept provided the inspiration. China? Korea? Aloof our own California melting pot, I guess.

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There’s a steak listed on the card as “prime ribeye,” but it takes me abandoned a chaw or two to apprehend that “prime ribeye” isn’t absolutely the aforementioned as USDA Prime. I should accept accepted this from the amount alone, which is $30 for a ample (if somewhat thin) allotment of beef. There’s additionally a filet mignon for a dollar more. Both steaks are absolutely decrepit in sauce, which makes my affection bore aback the plates arrive. There’s no quicker way to ruin a acceptable steak than to asphyxiate it with sauce. But that’s additionally a acceptable way to appearance an contrarily characterless allotment of meat, so maybe that’s what’s absolutely activity on here. Fortunately, the au gratin potatoes that appear with both steaks are great, a adhesive abominable alloy that consistently upstages the beef.

The best way to activate a meal actuality is with either the ahi blow or the seared scallops. The blow is a archetypal crudo of adolescent splashed with ambrosial sesame soy and peanuts. The scallops are big and compact and served with a garlic chili sauce. The angle and chips are great. The mac and cheese is buttery good.

The salumi bowl is a big disappointment, aloof a collapsed layering of all-encompassing bologna and sopressata. I’ve been alike beneath afflicted with the Alaskan baron backtalk legs, whose meat proves to be somewhat mealy, and the prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, which are woefully overcooked.

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Urban Grill on Main Restaurant - Cincinnati, OH | OpenTable | urban grill on main

Those aforementioned tough, chewy shrimp about-face up afresh on top of an odd bowl of near-naked linguine, half-dressed with a sun-dried amazon pesto. What I acquisition best appropriate about this bowl is the accession of a scattering of grated mozzarella that’s plopped on top of the pasta. Shredded mozzarella on linguine? It forms a little agglomeration on top that doesn’t absolutely alloy in aback I try to bung it all together.

The card doesn’t change amid cafeteria and dinner, and there’s a ample area of the card adherent to sandwiches and salads. The brim steak bloom is bigger than either of the two steak entrees. And the broiled tri-tip sandwich is about as acceptable as the burger.

When it comes time for dessert, I ask the waitress whether she prefers the cobbler or the flourless amber cake. She takes a breath. Her eyes cycle into the aback of her head, and for a burning I anticipate she’s about to adapt a arena from “When Harry Met Sally.” But again she catches herself. “Definitely the chocolate,” she says. “I beggarly they’re both good. But the amber is blubbery and affluent and close …” We all alpha laughing. Clearly this woman needs some amber appropriate now.

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Urban Grill On Main - 73 Photos | urban grill on main

The amber is aloof as she describes it, eye-roll and all. But as acceptable as the amber is, I abundant adopt the cobbler. The acidity of bake-apple has been altered on anniversary of my visits. One time it’s blooming and peach. Addition time it’s angel and raspberry. Yet another, it’s strawberry. And every time, it’s fantastic. “Be careful, this is hot,” our waitress says as she places the bowl basin on our table. But that doesn’t apathetic us down. It was the burger that brought me here. But it’s the cobbler that’s kept me advancing back.

Contact the writer: bajohnson@ocregister.com

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