Spring Break
Urban Standard is anything but standard
Sarah Andrews
Issue date: 5/7/08 Section: Expressions
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Nearly everything in the café can be purchased. Price tags hang from the creative light fixtures, which include a table lamp made from an antique oil can and a floor lamp constructed from wood and what appeared to be yarn. Handmade jewelry and crafts, vintage posters, candles, mirrors, embroidered bags, books and decorative pinecones are just a few of the eye-catchers that adorn tables and walls.
This café attracts a variety of people for lunch. Well-dressed elderly ladies occupied one table; a pair of students sat at another. A lone man with a head full of dreadlocks studied his computer across the room. This café pulls together many different styles of everything: merchandise, customers and food.
The dishes have southern and Polish influence, as does the owner, Tomasz Wrzesien. Wrzesien opened the café as an art studio that served locally roasted coffee. The breakfast and lunch menus grew from there, according to the Birmingham News.
The menu changes daily, and customers can choose from five lunch options on any given day. The Super Foods Salad is served every day, along with two kinds of soup and two sandwich options.
The weekly choices are:
Monday: Butternut Squash Soup, Corn and Black Bean Chili, Tomek’s Polish Street Sandwich and Standard Chicken Panino
Tuesday: Corn and Black Bean Chili, Tomato Bisque, Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Chicken Salad Sandwich
Wednesday: Tomato Bisque, Brunswick Stew, Standard Chicken Panino and Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Thursday: Brunswick Stew, Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup, Tomek’s Polish Street Sandwich and Standard Chicken Panino
Friday: Butternut Squash Soup, Beef Provencal, Pimiento Cheese BLT and Chicken Salad Sandwich
The not-so-standard menu can be a bit intimidating for the everyday, play-it-safe lunch-goer. However, the dishes take customers out of their comfort zones in a good way.
Thursday’s Standard Chicken Panino is piping hot and toasted to perfection. The flavors of the caramelized onion, cheese, chicken and bacon balance well with a side of balsamic jam for dipping. The half-sized sandwich is a rather generous portion, and, at $4.95, it is worth every penny.
A side of the orzo pasta salad completes the meal. Sprinkled with yellow, red and green peppers, purple onion and pine nuts, the pasta salad is perfectly seasoned and just the right amount.
Another delightful lunch option is Tomek’s Polish Street Sandwich. The three different meats and two kinds of cheeses topped with lettuce, tomato and a spicy mustard sauce make this sandwich the zestiest item on the menu. A bit on the spicy side, Tomek’s is a good choice if you want something a bit bolder than the chicken panino.
Even the potato chips are extraordinary. Crinkle-cut and a little thicker than normal, the slightly salty side item tones down the fire of the sandwich.
The servers are friendly and timely, taking only about five minutes to bring the meal. This proves to be not nearly enough time to look at all the interesting odds and ends in the café.
Though my experience with Urban Standard was above average, I did have a few qualms with the place. The first time I went to try it out, the waiter informed me that they had run out of food. When I visited again, food shortage did not seem to be a problem.
Also, Urban Standard is not a place to visit at night. Though it has great potential for a late-night hang out spot, the café closes at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
It has a recycling bin and promotes recycling, but Urban Standard serves food on thick paper plates with paper napkins and plastic cutlery and cups. It is not as environmentally friendly as it appears.
Overall, Urban Standard has a fun, eclectic atmosphere with nice people and delicious food.
Standard? I don’t think so.
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