Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Urban Union

June 24, 2012
1421 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607
Urban Union on Urbanspoon

A Quick Word:
In the heart of Little Italy, this new Chicago restaurant is trying to hang with some of the more popular places like Rosebud and DaVanti Enoteca.  And unfortunately, they are falling a little short.  The restaurant definitely focuses on simple preparations of exotic flavors and the do some of it well... but the key word is some.  All the dishes had some tasty component, but unfortunately, nothing was too memorable.

What I ate:

Wood Oven Little Neck Clams

Intensely flavored clams! These were served with chopped garlic, roasted peppers, and chopped olives. All of this was in a white wine and garlic broth! And served with grilled ciabatta bread! Dipping the bread into that sauce was simply amazing! It was a great dish and probably one of the best of the night.

Grilled Baby Octopus

Sorry for the dark picture... This was a grilled baby octopus.  It was extremely tender and had a nice char on the outside.  It was simple but tasty.  Like I said, it was good, but just not that memorable.

Wood Oven Roasted Bone Marrow

Finally I got to try this dish! It was served with a pickled red onion and parsley salad and of course some grilled ciabatta bread! Spreading the marrow on the bread reminded me of spreading butter! It had lots of flavor and was creamy! Unfortunately, it was a little too salty and almost too rich to eat a lot of.  Definitely share with multiple people.  Don't try to eat it all yourself.

Wood Oven Roasted Rapini

Kind of like a broccolini... This vegetable was addicting. It was cooked in garlic, olive oil, and chiles. Unfortunately, the hot peppers didn't shine through as much as I wanted, but I guess I couldn't complain too much except for the simple (almost too simple) preparation.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- Do order a lot of variety... so I suggest coming with a bunch of friends.
- Do expect to have simple preparations.  Sometimes its amazing and I really enjoy it, but every once in a while, you just wish for more.
- Parking is available on Roosevelt Rd.   It is free always so find a spot there and walk to the restaurant!

DON'T:
- Don't come on a weekend... it is too packed and not worth the wait in my opinion.
- Don't forget to pay for the parking!  Lots of cops on Taylor St.

How far would I walk for this food?



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