There is a popular restaurant in Atlanta that was always booked solid when I tried to visit – Two Urban Licks. I was excited that during my last visit my group was able to get a reservation.
The restaurant was bustling with patrons and wait staff moving back and forth all over the place. While we waited for our table, we grabbed a drink from the bar. They had infused vodkas above the bar that looked refreshing. They also had several quirky named cocktails.
I went for the Peruvian Pirate. This concoction blended rum, key lime and Persian lime juices and Aji Amarillo chili simple syrup. This cocktail was not sweet at all, which is unusual for me to try since I tend to prefer sweeter drinks. There was some heat to the drink from the chili simple syrup. It was not overpowering it just gave a kick at the end.
When we were taken to our table, I was in awe of where our seat was. We were seated right in front of a huge “Living Wall”, which is a wall of fresh greenery plants.
There was also a waterfall that trickled all the way across the table. It had a kind of calming effect.
Once again since I was at dinner with a group of people, we ordered a bunch of appetizers for the entire table to share. We started off with a Caesar salad. The Romaine lettuce was still in large pieces so it made it a little difficult to share. They added a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and the spicy chili dressing on top. And a Caesar salad would not be complete without crunchy croutons.
The salmon chips were very impressive when they came out. The chips were a large homemade potato chip that was loaded with smoked salmon that was flaked apart. Drizzled on top were a chipotle cream cheese sauce, capers, and red onion. The sauce added creaminess and went surprisingly well with the smoky flavor of the salmon. The capers added saltiness while the red onions added crunch.
Up next was the shaved calamari. The calamari was lightly breaded and had a sweet and spicy taste. They served it with a wasabi aioli. The aioli had a interesting flavor, almost like horseradish, but I preferred the calamari plain.
The empanadas are a must try. These were not your typical empanadas. The pastry dough was stuffed with BBQ brisket. It was cut in half and topped with a garlic crema, feta cheese, and fresh pico de gallo.
The brisket filling was fantastic. It was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. It was truly the star! The pico de gallo and feta were nice additions but not necessary at all. The crema added an additional layer of flavor to the meat.
The hush puppies were not what I was expecting. These are not your typical hush puppies that come with fish and chips. These were made with ground up rock shrimp and pork belly that created a filling that had the texture of mashed potatoes. On top of the hush puppy was cabbage unagi and kimchi aioli. It was a pretty presentation.
I really did not eat the cabbage unagi. I focused on the hush puppies themselves. The filling was sweet and creamy. The outside breading added a crunchy texture. After tasting a few bites, I realized that these hush puppies were very similar to a potato croquet.
For my main dish I ordered the Halibut. The flaky piece of fish was seared so that the outside skin was crispy. The sauce they poured over it was a Thai chili miso butter. It added a rich taste that was both sweet and salty.
They also served a generous amount of fresh vegetables on the plate that included fresh baby bok choy, shishito peppers (not spicy at all), fairy tale eggplant (a small size eggplant) and baby corn. The bok choy tasted great with the miso butter. The peppers added crunch. The fairy tale eggplant was something new for me. They had a sweet, creamy taste and the skins were soft. The baby corn was just a fun addition.
Everything that I ate at Two Urban Licks was amazing. I am so glad I got to try a little bit of everything. It was a lot of food so I did not get to try dessert because I was so full. I highly recommend you check them out if you are in Atlanta. Visit their website at www.twourbanlicks.com
Enjoy!
T
