They’ve added a coffee bar, so you can have a foray of seating for four on stools in front of it, a wine bar and a petite table for two directly in front of the southwest window, and plenty of inexpensive drinks, but other than that The Urban Table as it is known is much like the former Urban Olive and Vine before it.
The man who is the brains behind Hudco To Go has brought those $3 premium drinks and more to the restaurant that is kitty-corner to the, again, southwest when you take Locust Street and venture onto Second — and the host ventures between freely — along with a diverse menu that invariably features thorough and lengthy listings of ingredients.
And yes, it is promised that there is music to come, maybe as soon as later this month, to replace the same old jazz standards that its predecessor featured on multiple nights a week before the past co-owner, Carol Trainor, fell ill more than a year ago. So it may be fitting that shades that are pulled more than halfway down on the windows on either side of a door with its screen variety virtually always open, would let in just the right amount of light when they are pulled to allow a brighted floor.
Saying dine, sip and gather, it is planned to be a place where you could not only listen to music on a weekend, but take advantage of things like small plates to be up and on your way within a reasonable period of time, and go to another show at someplace nearby like The Phipps Center For The Arts.
The menu offers salads, soups and quiche, (total of 11), sandwiches and wraps, (total of 13), and the aforementioned small plates (total of 10). Included are options for trying three different soups and the urban combo of two from the first category.
Drinks to rejuvenate, relax and renew feature iced tea, premium beverages*, the category of sodas, sparkling water, lemonade and juice*, hot chococlate (seasonal), coffee, flavored hot teas that may even come in a pot*, turmeric latte, hand crafted espresso and tea beverages*, and caffeine-free teas. Starred indicates the most choices. There are a lot of extras that can be added, most for a buck. An example of the completeness is the turmeric latte, where the bulk of the information is mentioned early, but in full, fifty words is used, down to the detail of a bit of pink salt. Seven seasonal extra flavors can be rotated into drinks.
Specialty premium beverages include Milwaukee’s own Sprecher Soda, Cheerwine from North Carolina, and on the light side Swoon.
Specialty food main ingredients rank among them black bean quinoa, asparagas with cashew, fig, Cuban, Greek, Tuscan, portabella, provolone, sweet thai chili, goat cheese, spinach antichoke, spicy feta, hummus, tomato basil, and the mother of them all, muhammara, Middle Eastern dip of roasted red peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and cayenne that is savory, sweet, and spicy with a hint of smokey. Served with veggies and taosted white flatbread (not GF) all for only $14.
The menu makes frequest use of various kinds of aioli, and interesting is the use together of orange marmalade cococut sauce and in another case, house made apple fig balsamic vinaigrette. Catching the eye is warm Ile De France Brie.
My personal favorite, reflecting the views you can have of a historic suburban street scape, is a jumbo cheddar cheese-stuffed pretzel, baked and topped with crumbled bacon and chipotle seasoned olive oil, then served with chipotle ranch. Variations of this can include stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, baked and topped with garlic olive oil and crumbled feta cheese, and served with greek dressing, and paired with homemade tomato basil soup.
Urban Table is at 520 Second Street and can be reached at (715) 690-2700 and standard social media platforms.