Urban Plates – A Sea of Seasonal Food

Affordable, Fresh & Friendly

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

When SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel were invited to preview the new Urban Plates restaurant in Brea (3413 E. Imperial Hwy) that’s opening in mid-March we were excited to see how fresh everything is.

 

The restaurant prides itself on “changing the way the world eats by making fresh, wholesome and delicious food that is affordable and accessible to everyone.”

You can see the sandwiches and salads being made right in front of you and the fruits and vegetables arranged against the wall look like something out of a farmers’ market.

Executive chef Thomas McNamara told SurfWriter Girls the restaurant, which is a combination of cafeteria style and fine dining, makes everything fresh from scratch. He wants people to know that they can “eat good food and not break the bank.”

 

Shane Templeman, operations services manager, echoes that sentiment and explained that he uses social media to help get the word out about Urban Plates’ passion for food.

 

From the moment you arrive at the restaurant it feels like a party with people talking to each other and reading the menu boards, deciding what to order. Overhead signs direct you to the salads – which are huge! – and to the sandwiches, braises & stews.

Sandwiches, always a favorite, run the gamut from grilled wild albacore, free range chicken and grilled steak to barbecued beef and oven baked salmon, served on ciabatta bread or grilled brioche buns.

If you’re looking for comfort food, check out the braised beef and mushrooms with a side of mashed potatoes. Or opt for something more exotic like the Moroccan chicken potato peas braise with a Middle East, bazaar-blend of spices, including turmeric, paprika, ginger and cinnamon.

The beverage menu has local craft beers, local and regional wines, organic lemonade, iced tea, and seasonal replinishers, which vary throughout the year. The coffee is fair trade organic.

The dining area itself is a celebration of food with plates and cooking utensils on the walls and separate dining sections with outside seating available. It has a flow that encourages people to mingle and talk whether you’re just stopping in for a drink or a full meal.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti gave a hug to our friend, pastry chef Michele Deinstadt, who is a student in the Cypress College Hotel, Restaurant, Culinary program and also takes entrepreneur and marketing classes. She bakes everything from brownies, to layer cakes. And her molasses cookies are as big as saucers…and hard to resist!

Even though the restaurant was packed with diners, general manager Alex Baumberg found time to stop by to talk to about Urban Plates’ commitment to healthy food and its plans to serve the Brea community.

With its fresh, friendly environment, SurfWriter Girls know that this new eating spot will definitely be discovered soon.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

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