Urban Wine Company: A fantastic surprise!

Urban Wine Company
1037 Jones St
Omaha, NE 68102 
www.urbanwinecompany.com


Sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted, but it was such a great evening, I really wanted to share it with you all.


Last Thursday night Eric and I were trying to decided what to do for dinner, and I remember I had a gift certificate to Urban Wine Company (Thanks Sunny!!). Since we had never been, we figured this was a great opportunity to try it. We walked in having really no idea what to expect (other than that there would be wine). The atmosphere was great, and had a very "hip" wine bar feel to it. We walked toward the back and found a nice little table in the corner. Walking through  I noticed that there was soy sauce and little bowls on every table and started to wonder "is this a sushi place?". Turns out, yeah it kind of was. 


We order a couple glasses of Pinot Grigio, and of course some Edamame to get things started. Then took to their huge menu. They did have a nice selection of meats and cheeses to order. Hot and Cold plate dishes, and a variety of Flat Bread Lavosh. We decided to stay on the sushi side of the menu and the way they served it was really nice. They brought out each nigiri/roll that we ordered separately, so it gave you a little time to savor each piece on it's own. Here was our meal:


First was the "Dragon" roll.

(Tempura shrimp, cream cheese, Unagi, Unagi Sauce)  This was the first time Eric and I had tried Unagi (fresh water eel). It was the piece on top of the roll. I did like this roll I think a bit more than Eric did. The texture of the Unagi turned him off a little bit, and he felt it was a little too fishy tasting. I still thought it was pretty good, and was glad I at least gave it a shot.

Next two pieces of our nigiri came out. The "Hamachi" (Yellowtail) and "Hotate" (Spicy Scallops).

These two were probably my favorites. The spicy scallops were fantastic, and actually spicy (even by my standards). They were super tender and just melted in your mouth. Really delicious. The yellowtail was my by far my FAVORITE piece of the evening. Which I found to be amazing, because it wasn't doctored up at all. It was simply that beautiful slice of fish over rice, and was SO good I could hardly believe it. I could have eaten 20 of them. It was really just stellar!

The next to arrive at our table was the "Dynamite" roll:

(Asparagus, cucumber, avocado, scallop/claim garlic sauce) This was by far Eric's favorite dish of the evening. He absolutely LOVED the garlic sauce. Me, not so much. For me the sauce really said Italian more than sushi, and so it was kind of a turn off for me. Eric really loves garlic though, and he really, really loved this roll. I'm sure next time we go we'll have to order one just for him. 

Last to arrive was their Spicy Tuna nigiri:

(Baked tuna, spicy crab, jalapeno, cilantro) Oh my goodness this was good! This was my other favorite. The second I put it in my mouth it reminded me of Mexican food (my all time favorite). The spicy crab and baked tuna was delightful and the jalapeno added the perfect amount of spice. Wow, was it tasty! Wish I had one of those little guys in front of me right now.

So that was our meal, and it really was spectacular! We were more than full when we left, and couldn't stop raving about the food. It was a great surprise, and now that we know what to expect,  I hope to have a second visit there very soon. I noticed on their website that they have a wine club, so maybe I'll hit that up to get discounts.  :)

PS: Sorry the pictures aren't so great. I don't like to draw attention to myself by using the flash. Also, sorry to review two sushi places in row. Promise, the next one will be something completely different.

Past with Tuna and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Sorry to put up two pasta dishes in a row, but I really felt the need to share this recipe. As I mentioned before Eric is trying to watch his weight, so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. It's super simple and light, but amazingly flavorful! 

Rigatoni with Tuna and Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

Recipe from "29 Minutes to Dinner" from Pampered Chief

• 8-oz uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 2-oz parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pouch (7.06oz) chunk light tuna

1). Bring salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2). Meanwhile, grate cheese. Pat tomatoes dry using paper towels. Slice tomatoes and chop parsley. Cut lemon into wedges; set aside.

3). Heat oil, pressed garlic and pepper flakes in skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns golden (do not allow to burn). Immediately stir in tuna and tomatoes; cook 2-3 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Add pasta, half of the parsley and half of the cheese to skillet; toss gently.

4).  To serve, divide pasta among serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and cheese. Serve with lemon wedges.

And that's it! You will be blown away by how flavorful it is! When I made it for Eric he couldn't stop raving about how good it was. I really didn't change much of anything on this recipe. I used a different pasta because it's what I had at home, and I added lemon juice to the skillet with all the other ingredients. Strangely, I even felt really confident making this recipe. I really didn't measure anything, just through it all in the skillet, and wasn't constantly second guessing myself. It took no time at all to make (even for me!), and was really a great weeknight dinner. Plus, it's also very inexpensive to make. So I have a feeling this is going to become a regular dish at our house.  :)

When I bought ingredients for my Shrimp Poofs, I did it from memory. As a result I ended up with way too much baby shrimp. So I went online and found this lovely recipe.

Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta

Recipe from foodnetwork.com, courtesy of Racheal Ray

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/3 pound baby shrimp, 300 count
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives

1). Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook.

2). Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.

I really loved this recipe. It was very simple and even I managed to make it quickly. Plus, it tasted heavenly! It was very light,  and the flavors were subtle but still very delicious. I even made it with the tomatoes! I just cut them into quarters and started cooking them toward the beginning of the recipe so that they weren't so fresh and juicy (I know that sounds like something most people would want, but incase you're new, Eric and I don't like raw tomatoes). The recipe went together super fast, and was great for a week night dinner. I very rarely have an abundance of baby shrimp, but if I ever do again, I will totally make this. Actually, it's very likely I'll be buying more baby shrimp to make this again. :)