3414 Washington Avenue

Who has two thumbs and accidentally stumbled upon a brand new restaurant/market/bar? THIS GIRL.

So, I’m a fan of new places. I wanted to go somewhere I’d never been before for dinner—and I wanted it to be in The Heights. So, as any millennial would, I Yelped it. The first (and only) place I didn’t recognize was somewhere called Urban Eats. The Yelp page had TWO reviews. I don’t think I’ve seen anything other than a Home Depot or a McDonald’s with only two reviews. So, I called them.

Me: “Hey, uh, are y’all open today?”

Them: “Yep, open until midnight.”

OK. So they were open. HOW DO I NOT KNOW OF THIS PLACE! It’s literally seconds from where I work. So, alas, I made an effort to change this.

I rolled up to the parking lot (praise Jesus, they have a parking lot, NOT valet or street parking) and, without waiting for my friend, I went in. It was a market slash coffee shop. I was so confused. The shelves were pretty bare and there was no one sitting anywhere. I went to the counter and was like, “wtf man can I have a menu?”

The man at the counter handed me one and gave me the whole schpeel. They were doing a soft open. Half the menu is being offered and I could order down here or upstairs. UPSTAIRS?! And he took me upstairs to the bar. I ordered a beer on tap, but the taps weren’t set up so I got a bottle.

With half the market set up, half the menu being offered, no taps set up and all the staff fumbling new, you would’ve thought it’d be half the experience. It wasn’t.

The place is adorable: modern decor and design, gourmet menu, full bar and even a musician performing on their soft open? They have their shit together.

My friend and I ordered two entrees to split.  We had the Bitter, Butter Chicken and Blue salad (Blue cheese, chicken, bitter dressing on greens and cucumbers with croutons) and a set of sliders (Brasserie beef with brie cheese on an onion bun with fries). Hello, heaven.

It was just all great. There were twice as many staffers as there were guests. And, after a quite long chat with a fellow patron, we were begged to come back. They needn’t have begged. I will definitely be back. And, I’ll tell everyone TWAS I WHO DISCOVERED IT.