With the opening of another eatery in Aliso Viejo, many more OC residents will have the opportunity close by to try Urban Plates homey cuisine. The four Orange County locations are: Aliso Viejo, Brea, Irvine and Tustin Market Place. Aliso Laguna News was recently hosted at the Irvine location.
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Urban Plates
Urban Plates at Crossroads Shopping Center in Irvine is at the corner of Barranca and Culver. Crossroads Shopping Center is full of great places to shop. You can shop your heart out at Target, get a Mani/Pedi and then sit back and enjoy a nice lunch or dinner at Urban Plates to relax from all that errand-running. We had heard about the attractive interior at the Irvine Location. Our friends and family members were right, the interior of Urban Plates is rustic, warm and welcoming. You will want to go to their website and look at all their locations to see their unique interior design concepts. Urbanplates.com
Chef Kenneth
Upon arrival, we met up with Chef Kenneth, who with the help of greeter Stephen Fong, gave us a tour of the restaurant. Urban Plates is set up to serve up to 500 people a day, and that they do on their busiest days and nights. Those that work at Urban Plates are a very busy lot. It was informative to talk with those employed at the restaurant to hear firsthand from staff how much they liked working for Urban Plates.
We talked briefly with Stephen Fong. He shared with us that he has enjoyed his employment at Urban Plates while attending college. He is a pre-med student who tries to maintain a healthy life style. He has taken to heart some tips from working at UP and observing the chefs, to better his own personal eating habits and cooking style.
We also talked with Mark Mesina who is a General Manager in training. He is set to head up soon to the Pleasant Hill location in NoCal. He has experience with working in management at Anderson Bakery and has assisted in opening Flagship Stores and helping with store expansion. Mark described the food at Urban Plates as “different food that no one has really tasted” in a casual dining setting. After eating at Urban Plates, we agreed. As we studied the menu, it became apparent that there are so many food combination possibilities, that one could eat at Urban Plates over a hundred times and not have the same thing twice.
We noticed that many age groups were well represented. There was a very large group of seasoned citizens sitting at the long middle table. They seemed to be very content with their afternoon out. Happy workers, happy customers, – sounds like a win win situation for all.
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Urban Plates
The seating set up is unique in this posh cafeteria style restaurant. You may sit at the collective table in the middle of the room, or the side tables around the inside of the restaurant. Then there are lovely comfortable tables outside. Urban Plates is a cafeteria style sit down restaurant that markets “real meals made from scratch” in a “fast-casual” environment.
Their menu features health conscious vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free options in affordable, generous portions. There are also plenty of options for meat lovers and cheese lovers (like myself) alike. While dining at Urban Plates you have various meal options: you can either get one of their eleven salads, which are a meal within themselves, or you can get a Plate which includes a choice of meat or fish with any 2 sides. Their menu also includes sandwiches, braises and stews, pizzettes, beverages, pastries and baked goods. The menu is coded in various ways as to customize your selections: for example, V is for Vegan, Veg, for Vegetarian, GF for Gluten Free, DF for Dairy Free. Also, you may add certain choices to your meal.
We tried the Asian Chicken Salad pictured below. Lettuce blend, arugula, grilled free range chicken, organic carrots, green onions, organs, spicy roasted peanuts, crispy wantons, red bell peppers, cilantro, spicy peanut dressing. The food – central to the collective experience – was tremendously good. So much color and variety on the plate. The portions were very generous. We also had a Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak Plate with two sides. The sides were so exceptional and substantial . We ate all of our Brussels Sprouts!
Below is one of the most delectable desserts that you will ever eat. It’s one of Urban Plates most popular desserts – Mango Tart! If one piece isn’t enough you may buy a whole pie, just call ahead to make sure they have one set aside for you when you get there. Other selections of baked goods included a variety of made-from -scratch cookies, tarts, cupcakes, layer cakes, cream pies and much more. There are gluten free options too! Urban Plates has provided something for every sweet lover.
Whether you want to go out and have a fun date in a restaurant with great ambiance, or if you are just really hungry for some good home style food, Urban Plates will satisfy your dining needs. It’s food that you have been missing and dreaming about. It’s still fast and convenient, but Urban Plates will also satisfy your cravings and get you out of the house to a place that will certainly take you away from the cares and stresses of your daily live.
Urban Plates motto is “ Real Meals Made From Scratch” , if we were to add another it might be “ Gourmet Food At A Great Price”
You may go to Urban Plates webpage for updates, locations, facts on their food and much more. The information there is very complete. Included below is a press release from the “Chef’s Blog about the Aliso Viejo Location Grand Opening. Urbanplates.com
Chef Blog: Aliso Opening
Every chef loves to serve his or her food to more people. That’s why I’m excited to announce the opening of Urban Plates’ newest location in Aliso Viejo at the Aliso Viejo Town Center. From all the great feedback we receive on our Website and through social media, we’ve realized how many people in Orange County love our food. This new location makes OC our largest concentration with four locations, just edging out San Diego and Los Angeles counties that each has three Urban Plates locations. We love the OC, and we are looking forward to creating new bonds with the guests in southwest Aliso Viejo.
Our General Manager at our Tustin location and the Chef from our Irvine restaurant have transferred over to our new restaurant in Aliso Viejo. The General Manager, Tim Miller, will be a perfect fit in Aliso Viejo, and we are excited to have him leading the team. Our Chef, Matt Renstrom, is a seasoned Urban Plates veteran in the kitchen and our new guests will see him behind the line making sure the food we serve is at its best. Both Tim and Matt are already doing very well in the area, and this new location will be a natural for both of them.
Urban Plates is proud to join the other tenants at Aliso Viejo Town Center. Whether you are looking for a relaxing lunch break during shopping or a reasonably priced made-from-scratch meal to carry you through an Imax film across the parking lot, Urban Plates has a wide variety of nourishing food to offer. Urban Plates is also an easy stop for curbside takeout and for delivery to your home or office. We will be making food from scratch all day long, so come on in and see us. We look forward to serving you.
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Brigitte Rose
Entertainment Editor
Aliso Laguna News/ Green Local News
Photos By: Brigitte Rose
