Urban Wineworks
Last night Mr. Wonderful went to play pool with one of our kiddos Jason.
Tori and Conner and I ventured out to try a new place.
I have been wanting to try Urban Wineworks for a long time and all I can say is, “why have I waited so long?”.
Located in the heart of the upcoming and way-cool Plaza District, Urban Wineworks is a full-production winery located on 16th Street between Penn and Classen.
This wine bar eatery is a very swank place to hang out with friends or family and just relax and enjoy some great food, some house wine, and a very cool atmosphere. Not quite fancy, not quite hipster, but a crazy mix of both makes it feel very special.
There is a beaten-metal type looking bar that wraps around one side of the restaurant with some pretty cool stools to hang out on. Behind it is a ladder for a bartender to be able to reach up and get bottles of wine. The whole thing is reminiscent of a modern library feel.
Most of the decorations involve their house wine. They adorn the walls sconce-like and perch about in jars in the bathroom.There is even a wine-fare rack at the front of the eatery that sells fun wine accessories and such.
The concept at Urban Wineworks is that of a tapas bar. And they do it very well. They also have a small selection each day of larger plates, which, I believe change weekly.
Tapas are, if you’re not familiar with them, small bites served in Spain at local haunts. Folks move from one bar to another and get a small plate at each place along with a local glass of wine or cocktail while standing or sitting around and chatting with friends. So get busy Oklahoma City! We need more of this concept! It’s a truly brilliant notion because you get to taste of many dishes and experience many flavors.
And wow, was it fun to taste last night!
One of everyone’s favorite was the Truffle Bacon Mac.
Simply done, without a ton of bells and whistles and multiple cheeses, this Mac and cheese had elbow macaroni in a perfect truffled cheese sauce with hints of pork jowl bacon flavor throughout. It was topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and over-all you could taste the truffle.
This was absolutely delicious.
Next up, the crab cakes.
Loaded with crab and covered in a sort of corn relish, these crabcakes were fun and flavorful. They came with the garlic aoli in a smear underneath them and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
If you love Brussels sprouts, you will adore the Fried Brussels at Urbanwine Works.
Perfectly soft on the inside and caramelized to an almost emerald-brown on the outside, these were fabulous. They also came with a side of garlic mayonnaise or aoli.
You can order fries at this eatery in a choice of three varieties.
- Truffle
- Chorizo n Cheese
- Fondue.
We opted for the Truffle since we were already ordering the fondue as one of our courses. And hey, Who can ever get enough of truffle anyway?
The fries were crispy, as if they were battered in something, and again, there was that small side of the garlic aoli to dip them in.
And speaking of the Fondue, I am so pleased we chose it, because it ended up being one of most-enjoyed dishes, especially for me, because neither of the kids like mushrooms, as in they wouldn’t go near them with a forty-foot pole. How were they produced from my genes I ask you?
I am just telling you folks, this was divine. We all took our first bite, rolled our eyes and LOVED this. There were pieces of the tenderest caramelized beef, good chunks of buttery soft roasted garlic that melted in your mouth, and caramelized mushrooms as well. All of this came in a boxy bowl with some skewers used to dunk them into the accompanying melty Swiss style fondue cheese.
Conner ordered the Crab Corn Chowder, the featured soup yesterday and this was probably one of my most-favorite bites of the evening.
The chowder was savory but sweet from the corn and crab and corn is a wonderful marriage of flavor.
Obviously, I would be greatly remiss without discussing wine at Urban Wineworks.
The winery produces 10-11 mainstream wines and depending on your time of visit, a special wine, ranging from their super sweet and bubbly Thunderstruck (think Moscato)….
To full-bodied and peppery like their Pinotage, my personal favorite.
If you’re a wine snob, you are probably going to judge this wine, but I find it pleasant. Imagine visiting a trattoria in Italy where they serve a good table wine, and that is the essence of Urban Wine Works. There’s only so much you can do with Oklahoma grapes and I feel like in comparison with many Oklahoma wines I’ve tasted, I actually enjoyed this one. So just let your wine breathe a bit. Oh, another side note is, you can only buy wine by the glass here
Another side note..if you care to have their (rather cool) logo tatooed on your bad self, you can enjoy complimentary wine here for life (2 bottles/month) if you choose to be a walking ad for them.
I didn’t notice a dessert on the menu last night, but we were way too full, sat back on the comfy couch that occupied one side of our table, and talked and enjoyed each others’ company. I’m sure they have dessert, but you’ll probably have to ask your server about the large plates and dessert as I assume they change all the time.
I came straight home and told Mr. Wonderful this is our next date spot. I want to go back and try the Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta with the house made ricotta cheese and I know he’ll want the Steamed Mussels with house made chorizo.
And seriously, I can’t stop thinking about that Fondue….
Urban Wineworks
1749 Nw 16th St,
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-9463
website & menu
Here’s a map to help you find Urban Wineworks!
