The Urban Kitchen and Bar housed in the former Coral Seafood on Shrewsbury Street is one of Worcester’s newest dining destinions for upscale dining. Upon entering the restaurant one is greeted by a theater style wall over the bar and a subtle renovation to the prior restaurant.
After reviewing the menu I was drawn to the restaurant week menu and the thought of warm savory chicken and dumplins on a cold winters night. For my first course I started with the Salsify Clam Chowder. The clam chowder came with Manila clams in the shell small pieces of root vegitables, celery, thyme, cream, bacon, and a nice smokey flavor and was a nice twist on a New England clam chowder. The one suggestion would be a little less salt.
The chicken and dumplings was described as a mushroom consomme, Swiss chard, beech mushrooms, and toasted garlic. The dish was masterfully prepared and lived up to the desciption of the dish, but was overly salty and missed the mark for chicken and dumplins. It was an exquisitely prepared dish in the style of a good French trained chef, but missed the slow cooking and comfort food nature of chicken and dumplins in my opinion.
For desert, I opted for the carrot cake with candied pecans and cream cheese gelato. This was a nice petite desert in which the high point was the cream cheese gelato which left me wanting for more gelato. Again quality and attention to detail was apparent.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality, presentation, and effort that went into each dish. My struggle with dinner was two of my dishes were oversalted and the portions were small. I felt satisfied after my four course meal with an extra appetizer I ordered, yet if it had not been restaurant week the smaller portions and pricey menu might be a challenge to the Worcester dining scene. To find it’s place in the Worcester dining scene The Urban Kitchen will need to find it blend of quality, creative menu, and value in the Worcester market.