two urban licks
if you can find it, you'll dig it. thank heavens we were with georgia natives or we would have ended up in a fight trying to locate the place. even jason, jen's husband, was perplexed up until the moment we valet parked. "am i supposed to see that guy over there in the dark waving at me?" he asked. jason's quiet, but when he speaks, i generally laugh. 

must say i loved how remote and weird Two Urban Licks' location was to the outsider. i totally dig underground-ness. it literally felt like we were headed to an empty warehouse or factory = cool. once inside, i know i gasped. loved the lighting (read: dim), the massively high ceiling, the vellum-like curtain that separated us from those already dining and OMG the gigantic work of art  that captured my eye and never stopped catching it, in the main dining room. Their website calls it a trademark painting by artist Todd Murphy. it felt so familiar? not sure why...

anyway, we were seated in a great wide open booth very near to the open kitchen at which time our dry & sassy mohawked server approached and informed us of their wine kegs. cool. we'll try. got a vat of said barrel wine, which they called something else? forgive, i forget. you must see their massive wall of wine barrels. it's, well, massive. 


so the menu. i totally judge a menu based upon its ability to perplex me. by this i mean, finding myself wanting just about every damned thing on it and my brain becoming a true cluster you-know-what. as you know, i'm predominantly vegetarian, i do eat some seafood, so this is important too. it needs a fair amount of selections i will actually be able to order. check. check.

while i did not partake, this was their 'fried chicken'. with grilled corn slaw & chipotle honey mustard. the verdict: pretty creative & good.  said to have been sweet tea marinated?

 Then there was their calamari, described as shaved and topped with a sweet, creamy, spicy basil, cilantro sauce. Loved the sauce. Calamari itself was a bit off. not too chewy, not soggy, but a bit? hmm? stale-like? just a bit.

Crawfish spring rolls... Crispy. Excellent sauce. However, not so much crawfish? so yeah, those were our apps. fried food galore. all good. none, EXCELLENT. 
And then there were our entrees... an insanely delicious scallop dish served with GOUDA GRITS (i was literally dying) and pico de gallo. they WILL serve this dish in heaven, i know it. the scallops were grand and succulent. 

the grits were... portioned WAY TO SMALL for a cheese addict, but wow. so yum. 

i also ordered the wild mushroom ravioli which was decadent goodness, so tasty in a citrus cream sauce with spinach and tomatoes. AND the fried green tomatoes (when in Georgia) accompanied by  perfectly prepared shrimp, avocado & a deeelish creole tartar sauce.  
I insisted upon dessert, which is rare for me, as i usually totally kill appetizers to a degree that ruins my ability to even eat my main plate. somehow i rose above this at two urban licks. and ordered a hunky slice of carrot cake. why? homemade cream cheese ice cream. GOOD LORD. (totally forgot to snap a photo!) ice cream had that homemade ice cream "crunch". & the icing on the carrot cake? man oh man, seemed to be iced with CHEESE CAKE. so indulgently good. 


server had a good sense of humor. a lot of patience with our eclectic personalities and requests (do you have black towels? no? i'll take a second white one then) ;-). atmosphere was killer. great vibe. wide open, awesome space. tables surrounding the kitchen was a cool touch. i would definitely go back. if you're in the ATL i suggest you try it too. will ask the german which wine we have. do pardon me, i can't recall. 

happy december!

love,
sunlovey

Two Urban Licks
820 Ralph McGill Blvd. ATL
404-522-4622