“Wait a minute, Chamberlain,” you might be asking. “You’ve been telling us all week about some hidden or forgotten gems of the local dining scene, but how can you call Urban Grub an ‘off-the-radar’ restaurant? Especially when it’s so huge that you can probably see it from the International Space Station when the orbit is just right.”
Point taken, but believe it or not, Urban Grub is already closing in on its fifth birthday this spring, and we haven’t really written much about the restaurant here in the Scene since our review in 2012. Where you will see the name of the restaurant in these pages (or on this website) is when you hear about executive chef Edgar Pendley being invited to cook at special dinners, live-fire events or food festivals around the region. Unlike many other local chefs whose names appear again and again in national magazines, Pendley is more of a chefs’ favorite than a media hero, which is sort of unfair. Rather than seek out the spotlight. Pendley keeps his nose to the grindstone and his hand on the meat grinder as he continues to execute the voluminous menu of meats and seafoods at Urban Grub while also maintaining some of the most ambitious raw bar and charcuterie programs around.
With more seats than a college cafeteria and multiple dining space options, ranging from a large and convivial outdoor patio to private dining rooms for rehearsal dinners to a bustling main room to see and be seen, Urban Grub manages to provide volume service at the same time as personal attention. And in a town that has recently grown oversaturated with brunch options, the elaborate weekend daytime menu at Urban Grub still stands out with favorites like Southern Steak Frites or a Kale Caesar Salad with, get this, Hot Chicken Fried Anchovies.
In a neighborhood where just about everyone admits there isn’t nearly enough parking for the commercial growth along the 12South strip, Urban Grub invested in a valet parking lot just across the street from the restaurant. That’s not a small investment, especially when you consider the alternative of just building another restaurant on the space, further stressing the neighborhood’s infrastructure. (Which will probably happen soon enough anyway.)
Pendley runs a talented kitchen at Urban Grub, and I especially like to see what he’s been developing in his smoked and cured meat program. Patrons can pick from a selection of in-house cured and regionally procured meats and cheeses to build their own charcuterie board to snack on before, or instead of, a larger meal. The price for the do-it-yourself smorgasbord ranges from $13.50 for three choices to $38 for 10. See, gluttony really does pay off. Seriously, take some friends and go for the full pull!
So yes, Urban Grub can seem a little over-the-top with all the exposed wood, fire features and tables and booths tucked into every corner of the restaurant, but they still manage to do it right. Don’t ignore it due to fallacious reasoning like Yogi Berra once spouted when he said “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Just join in the throng and have a good time!
Urban Grub
2506 12th Ave. S.
615-679-9342
