Midtown Lunch

When Urban Garden first popped up on Fairfax last year I heard mixed things about the fast casual Mediterranean joint from the owner of Mercantile and Delancey. Hosted bloggers seem to like it enough (shocker!), while real customers complained a bit about the price.  But the thing I heard the most about was how confusing the menu was. Always up for a dissecting-the-menu challenge I finally got myself over to Fairfax for a good old fashioned falafel and rotisserie chicken face stuffing.

I’m not sure if they’ve changed things since it first opened but the menu was less confusing than I had expected.  The hardest part is actually deciding what you want to order. There are a lot of different options. First off you have to decide if you want rotisserie chicken or something else.

If you want the rotisserie chicken, they’ll give you half ($6.95) or a whole ($10.95) plus pita and your choice of sauce.  No sides. Have to have sides with your rotisserie chicken?  Shredded rotisserie chicken is one of the platter options, so you might want to consider that.

For one of their other 19 non-rotisserie chicken offerings, you’ll have to go pita wrap ($7.95) or a platter ($8.95/$11.95). If you go platter you can choose any two or three items from the entire list, if you go pita wrap you get to choose from the second half… mostly because who wants a wrap with just hummus in it.  For this platter we settled on falafel, beef kefta kebab, and the lentil mujadarra.  Many have noted that the menu is a godsend for vegetarians and vegans, but it’s equally exciting for meat eaters. There is no limit to the number of meats you can select for your platter.  Want kefta, shawarma and shredded rotisserie chicken- hummus and salads be damned?  You can make it happen on the 3 option platter.

Too many things to choose from?  They offer a menu of suggested plates that pretty much cost what they would if you assembled them yourself, minus the value of time spent making a decision. This was the “Old School”, which featured lamb shawarma, tabbouli, and hummus w/ rice and tahini.

As for the food itself?  It was all pretty great.  The rotisserie chicken was moist and flavorful on the inside, and nicely browned on the outside.  The falafel was flavorful, and the meats were well seasoned.  All the salads were super fresh and made with high quality ingredients.  The only real complaint, and it’s a big one, is the bread!  Their pre-packaged store bought pita bread is kind of terrible, which might not be a problem for the fake-celiacs and South Beach Dieters of L.A. but is kind of an issue for those of us bread loving normals. Being a bread loving maniac means I will probably be sticking to Ta-eem on Melrose for my falafel fix (or even Pita Bar & Grill on Fairfax.)  But if salads are your thing, and you don’t mind a little bit of a splurge, Urban Garden is a totally worthwhile lunch spot.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I’m willing to pay extra money for food that is super fresh and made with high quality ingrdients
• I’m a vegetarian, so having this many options is kind of amazing
• Mujadarra!?  I love that stuff.  So excited to find a place that serves it.
• Who cares about bread.  More room to eat the good stuff.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Why on earth would you spend so much time making delicious food and then skimp on the bread!?  Terrible.
• $12 for 3 items!?  I think I’ll stick with Pita Bar & Grill.
• I need some sides with my rotisserie chicken.
• Did I mention the bread is terrible?

Urban Garden, 446 N Fairfax Ave. 323-951-0990