Urban Wine Works

Are you freaking kidding me?!

I hate being reminded how little I know about some of the greatest spots in the city, and Urban Wine Works was kind enough to rub it in recently. I had fantastic service, the chance to try a few excellent wines, a relaxed atmosphere and some remarkable food. I tried enough of the wine to know that there you can't really go wrong with any of the reds, but the Mourvedre was the standout for me.

Fried quail was very interesting ... perfectly cooked and seasoned, a nice crunch from the breading and the exact balance of oil you need to avoid both a dry, gamey bird and a culinary grease ball. Truffle mac & cheese was a hit as well; I make a killer mac & cheese myself, but I am happy to report I am far outclassed by their excellent chef.

In both cases, the food was a prime example of something many places give lip service to and ignore in practice -- simplicity. Let's take the mac & cheese: Everyone does a mac & cheese, and they usually try to make it sound fancier by adding lobster (shrimp is actually a better choice), tomatos, etc., and almost always change up the cheese as well for something like fontina. In this case, they're just doing a cheddar/butter sauce that IS ALL YOU NEED when it comes to excellent cheese sauce, with a little truffle oil added to give it a more substantial flavor. Simpler really can be better sometimes, and it was great to see.

Urban Wine Works is instantly in my top tier of OKC spots. May have to carve out some room in the budget to eat here more often.

This is a lovely place in the plaza district that serves a variety of wine. You can buy by the glass or the bottle. Prices were very reasonable. What I liked was that they let you try as much wine as you want until you find one that suits you. I have very little experience with wine so that was great! After tasting several different flavors, I decided to get the Plaza White. It wasn't too sweet or bitter - juuuust right.

There were three food menus: brunch, lunch, and dinner. Portions were small, they were more like foods you nibble on while you drink your wine. I got two chicken salad sliders and the total for both was $10 just to give you an idea since prices weren't on the menu. The sandwiches were very good - highly recommended!

Service couldn't be better. Josiah was a sweetheart and did an amazing job! Give that guy a raise! I'm a sucker for great customer service since that can be hard to find. UWW has the nicest employees. Come check this place out if you haven't already!

Thanks to Julie P. for dropping off passes to an event at Urban Wine Works so that I had no excuses and was forced to finally stop in because this place is truly spectacular! Since that fateful night, I've been back in to UWW a few times and enjoy it always. I sampled a few of their wines and decided the Sauvignon Blanc was probably my favorite out of the ones I tasted although I definitely need to branch out and try some different wine.

Although I love the indoor atmosphere here, their patio cannot be beat and the location is wonderful! I have not yet tried their food but the menu looks quite appetizing and will hopefully get a chance to do so in the near future.

Okay, but most importantly, the #1 reason I love UWW is because you can come in and buy CHILLED wine after 9pm and on Sundays! I do not know how this is possible but it is TRUTH and it is fantastic!! Hooray! Screw you, liquor stores!