Tasty Tuesday: Urbain 40 American Brasserie & Lounge

While I don’t like the word “foodie”, I still consider myself a self pro-claimed foodie. Hypocrite much? Anyways I know I keep tooting Orlando’s horn but Orlando is a foodie’s heaven! We have some really stellar restaurants around here and some amazing food markets as well.

Wallethub.com named Orlando the number one foodie city and there’s good reason for that! I’m not bias either (okay, maybe a little). The thing is Orlando isn’t all chains and tourist attractions. We are a melting pot with a story to tell. And the best way to tell a story? Through food of course!

The Doctor Phillips area in Orlando has some of the best restaurants the city has to offer. While it’s a bit of a drive for me, I’m willing to make it every once and awhile because the restaurants out there offer a much more unique experience than the ones in my area.

I was recently invited to Urbain 40 to try their new summer menu. I jumped at the chance to attend because I’ve heard such great things about the place. Not only that, Chef Tim Keating is now the executive chef at Urbain 40. Chef Tim Keating was the former man behind the Flying Fish at Disney’s Boardwalk. And if you ever went to the Flying Fish when Keating was there, you’d know you were in for a delight. Keating is four time James Beard award nominee/finalist and the Director of Culinary Operations for the Boulevard Restaurant Group. Can someone say #foodgoals?

Starting off the meal, we had the ceviche cocktail. And whoa guys! This was amazing.

In recent months, I’ve become a fan of ceviche. This was one of the best I’ve ever had. There was a beautiful balance of flavor and texture. It had the perfect amount of acidity with a tiny hint of tequila hitting your taste buds a the end of each bite. Most importantly though the shrimp and cape bay scallops were super fresh and really tasty.

The crispy Jonah crab cake was a bit different than what I’m used to. Being that it was quite crispy on the outside. Now don’t think the inside is crunchy too, the inside was a different story. I guess when it came down to it, the outside reminded me of a good hush puppy and the inside was a good ol’ crab cake.

Guys, a moment of silence for this delicious dish. No seriously guys this was one of the best things I’ve eaten. It’s decedent, rich and beautiful. What is it you ask? Magic. That’s the best way I can explain it. Alright on a more serious note, what you’re seeing is twisted ligurian-style pasta dumplings with duck confit and duck sausage. Have you ever had any of that before? Before that night I hadn’t but I can safely tell you it’s a magical experience. The crunch from the onion, the sweetness from the rapini and the savoriness from the alba mushrooms was crazy good.

This again my friends was another amazing dish. The lemon Myrtle dusted Gulf Swordfish & slow braised Hertiage Cheshire pork belly was on a whole new level. The swordfish was fresh and hearty. Despite it’s heartiness, it was also light and refreshing. The pork belly was incredible and that Zellwood corn pudding? Shut up! I could literally just eat that all day. This was another one of those dishes that had an incredible balance of textures and flavors.

Okay guys so this is where stuff gets real. I’m a steak girl through and through. Every year for my birthday I’m going somewhere where there’s steak and the steak better be damn good. I consider myself a bit of a steak snob. So when the char-crusted angus NY striploin came out I was thinking, “Um what is that?”.

Have you ever had an incredibly tender, flavorful juicy steak? Well no, you actually haven’t because I will say that until that day I thought I had experienced the magic of a tender steak. This my friends cut like straight BUTTA. It was literally steak butter. Insane! I can’t forget about those fries either! The truffle fries had me dreaming about fry heaven even days after I ate them. When I die, bury me with these fries.

One word guys: Dessert. While all three where incredibly delicious I’m going to say my favorite of the night was the first one pictured, the Tropical Sundae Deluxe. The toasted coconut gelato was light and refreshing, perfect for Florida weather. It had that fresh coconut taste, not that gross artificial one I hate. The lemon meringue tart ALMOST beat it out for my favorite. I’m a fan of anything tangy like lemon. The tanginess of the lemon paired with the blueberry-lavender sorbet made for perfection.

The sinful chocolate and peanut butter creation is definitely sinful. I am however not the biggest fan of peanut butter desserts but this was still pretty good.

The overall experience was delightful. You can tell that Keating has a true passion for the culinary arts. And his talent shines throw all these well thought out, delicious creations. Urbain 40 is not to be missed if you’re visiting the Orlando area OR if you live in the area! It’s a luxurious experience that everyone needs to try because you deserve it!

Until next time,

 

**this is NOT a sponsored post. I love food, okay?