Urbane Attraction

Urbane
115 East Park Ave
Tallahassee, FL
850-422-2221

tri-berry butter

UPDATE: Closed. Too bad, there isn't a lot of dinner places downtown.

I was in Tallahassee, FL for the 1st time last week for work. I was staying in the middle of downtown Tallahassee. I took the airport shuttle to the hotel, so I was going to be on foot for the week. The first things I noticed about Tallahassee was the humidity was really high like other cities on the gulf coast like Mobile, New Orleans, and Gulfport. I took a 1 1/2 hour walk around the hotel, about mile out in all directions, and noticed not one chain drug store, and not one chain restaurant within a 6 block area. I was not able to walk to most of the list of the top restaurants I saw on Trip Advisor because they are so far outside of downtown Tallahassee. It was really strange to not seen any walkable conveniences to where I was staying. My hotel is surrounding by many of the state capital buildings, courts and support offices. I wonder where those people eat, and run errands at lunch, as there really isn't much that is walkable and convenient. The working people must have big bags to carry all that they will need for the day.

three fish taco

Luckily for me, there was one convenient dinner spot next to my hotel, and as of today, it is rated #1 on Trip Advisor for all dining in Tallahassee. The restaurant Urbane, I was told, has been open only about year. Small plates are about $10 and entree plates are about $25-35. The place is sleek, like you would find in South Beach. The clientele seems to be locals, who the owner liked to talk to. The food seems fresh. I asked about fresh squeezed orange juice, seeing that I was in a restaurant with a bar in Florida (home of the citrus) and they did not have fresh squeezed juice. When I asked the front desk at my hotel about Urbane, the young ladys said that Urbane was fancy, expensive and you have to dress up to go there. I will say that the cost at Urbane is slightly on the expensive side for Tallahassee, but as I saw it, the prices were about right for the dishes made. I did not have any dressy clothing with me, just polo shirts and basic black skirts I wear to work and shorts. I stopped on into Urbane right after a 1 hr jog, and asked to see a menu and about the appropriate attire. The hostess said what I had on was fine! Phew! I was able to go shower and change and wear a comfortable tee-shirt and shorts, and I was welcomed with big smiles.

Before my meal came, the waiter gave me a tri-berry butter and a homemade little biscuit. I don't like biscuits because sometimes they are dry or taste like raw flour, or are too crumbly. But, I really liked this biscuit a lot! This little biscuit was really butter and moist, warm and baked all the way through and was no crumbly. It was the perfect biscuit. I should have asked for 2nds, it was so good. I opted for 3 small plates of arugula salad with grapefruit and avocado, a trio of fish tacos made with 3 fish and stacked on homemade flour tortillas, and broccolini. The salad was made with baby arugula and just tasted great with the citrus and avocado. The tacos had all the textures and base flavors to make this dish wonderful! The fish was soft and smooth, the tortillas were crunch, the homemade salsa had some heat, slight sweetness, sour and umami tomato quality to it. The onions and shredded veggies on the tacos added a nice aromaticness and crunch to the dish. The tacos are one of the best sellers, and I can taste way. It was a fine dish for sure. I was full, but not stuffed, so it was a the top end of the perfect amont of food for me. I left and went on my way to the hotel to get a good night sleep before heading out for the work I was sent to Tallahassee to do.

World Record Magnet

Part of what I was supposed to do in Tallahassee was to take a look at the Guinness World Record Holding most powerful electronic magnet in the WORLD! Yes, that is right the world's most powerful electronic magnet is located right here in the USA in Tallahassee at the Florida A&M University joint engineering college with Florida State University. The world's leading electro-magnetic scientists, and leading electro-magnetic engineers all want to come to this place to run experiments with this magnet. It is so powerful, that it can reach over 45 Teslas of magnetic power. There is nothing like it in the world.

THE Amazing Magnet

Here is a little science for you: Nickel and cobalt are the metals that exhibit magnetic properties along with iron. So, if you are ever on Jeopary, and the category is science and the square says Nickel, Cobalt and Iron, you can ask the question, "What are metals that exhibit magnetic properties?" You can thank me, my blog and Florida A&M and FSU engineering college for that information that can get you a true daily double.