by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Flatbread has become more and more popular as an alternative way to serve up all the toppings you might find on a gourmet pizza. Many of the restaurants that make flatbreads don’t get it right, but I know one place that does: Urban Flats in Ponte Vedra. I prefer non-commercial, family owned eateries, but when a place does as much right as Urban Flats does, I have to give them credit.
The wines are reasonably priced, and they also have half-glass options for all the wines they serve by the glass. It’s a great way to try different wines without having to invest in an entire glass. Urban Flats also serves wine on tap, which keeps the wines fresher than those simply poured and re-corked. Selections range from a crisp and sweet Columbia Valley Naked Riesling to more serious reds. Bottles range from about $30-$100, and it seems to be a careful, well-balanced selection of wines that would appeal to most palates. Six-ounce glasses range from $7-$12, but if you just want a taste, the three-once half-glasses go at half the cost.
Located inside a fashionable strip mall, the atmosphere skates the edge of high-end, while still being comfortably casual, with interesting black and white seaside prints adorning the walls. None of the food menu items are above $14, but the overall quality and presentation makes them more than worth their mid-range cost.
Lite Bites and Small Plates are deceptively named, since the portions, while not gargantuan, are certainly more than fair for the price and quality. For a tasty, upscale twist on mac ‘n cheese, try the truffle mac and cheese, which is livened up by fresh herbs, bread crumbs and truffle oil. The tuna poki style, under the Lite Bites, was perhaps my favorite dish out of all that I tried. That was no mean feat, since I sampled a number of dishes and each was outstanding (the exception being the gumbo soup, which was over salted). The poki not only plated well, with an excellent presentation, it also wowed me with a bold interplay of flavors: sweet chile sauce, teriyaki, the heat of wasabi and mandarin oranges.
For a table appetizer, go for the baked cheese and tomato, the spinach dip, flat dips or the urban bruschetta. I sampled the baked cheese and tomato, which was a simple but inspired dish. It features a goat and cream cheese blend atop creamy, full-flavored tomato bisque. The cream cheese tames the often sharp goat cheese, making this my top pick for a tomato/cheese dip. It also didn’t hurt that the delish garlic bread which came with it was crisp but not brittle and gave in to the bite without crumbling.
The sophisticated flats served at Urban Flats are the reason most people choose to chow down here. The unique combinations of toppings on the menu are kitchen-tested, and it’s easy to order an already built flat, but you can in fact add or subtract items, building your own flat, much like toppings and sauces on a pizza. The difference is that, while you can get ordinary ingredients to top your flat bread, you can also get really different stuff, like fig, bleu cheese and prosciutto. I took a taste of three of their signature flat breads: the smoked salmon, the black and blue and the spicy shrimp chorizo. For less adventurous eaters, the delectably savory spicy shrimp chorizo is a great flat to get started with. It’s a combo of shrimp, sausage, bleu cheese, green onion and roasted red pepper. If you’re shy of bleu cheese ask for mozzarella instead. The black and blue, with its combo of steak, red peppers, roma tomatoes, mozzarella and ribbons of a tart vinaigrette was my pick, although the smoked salmon was a close second. If you like smoked salmon, goat cheese, finely diced cucumber, red onions, tomatoes and capers, this flat is sure to win you over, as it did me.
For dessert, if you’re into fondue, take a taste of their chocolate fondue. It comes with fresh strawberries, marshmallows, pound cake, banana slices and pineapple.
They often have entertainment in the evenings, so Urban Flats has become a hot night spot for beer and wine drinkers. They also have a full bar and martini list, if you’re into the harder stuff. Urban Flats is definitely one of the places I’d nosh at in the Ponte Vedra area.
Info: 330 A1A N., Ponte Vedra, FL
Phone: (904) 280-5515
Cost: $$
Cost Guide
$ = under ten dollars for a single person
$$ = over ten to twenty for a single person
$$$ = over twenty to thirty-five for a single person
$$$$ = thirty-five and up for a single person
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