OVERVIEW

In the East Bay’s City of Dublin; known as the “Crossroads” to the Tri-Valley not only because it is located where Interstates 580 and 680 meet, but because it once was a crossroad for two major stage routes: one that connected Martinez to San Jose (now I-680) and the other that connected San Francisco to Stockton (now I-580), and today Dublin sets the stage for restaurants like Urban Plates to serve residents of and visitors to the East Bay. This restaurant is located in the Persimmon Place shopping center. This restaurant offers healthy dishes and comfort food fresh and fast. If you are looking for a pet-friendly restaurant in the East Bay, go do the CANGO at Urban Plates.

IS THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT/SERVICE WORTH A VISIT?

Urban Plates is an informal restaurant that offers a tremendous variety of healthy, fresh food at reasonable prices, given the quality of the ingredients. This restaurant seemed to attract adults dining with friends and some families as well. Since the food is served somewhat cafeteria-style in that you get into a line and select what you want and then pay at the end of the line. I think this set up is a good option for people with kids or kids-at-heart, who like to see what they are going to get in advance. And since you pay for what you order, it is a great place to go with a group so that everyone can pay for their individual order- I don’t know about you but group checks can be a hassle for those who order on a budget when another member of the party orders multiple alcoholic drinks, etc. and then want to split the check.

The staff is diverse and appeared content to be there. I was exceptionally pleased with my interactions with the head Sous Chef, Liam and Assistant Manager, Cheri who were very pleasant, accommodating, and hard-working. I hope the powers-that-be in upper management appreciate their work ethic as many places that need to rely on hourly workers paid minimum wage or close to it, often have challenges finding good people.

Sous Chef Liam gave me a little tour of the kitchen which reveals to me a feeling of pride and that is a good sign- at least they are not hiding anything. I can testify from my experiences as a restaurant worker, that the kitchen was clean and I have been in a number of restaurant kitchens and they are not all in a state that could be shared with the public.

At the time of this review, Urban Plates was set up cafeteria-style so they did not have traditional servers. Sous Chef Liam did share with me that they were planning on changing this but I am not sure if they will just deliver food with a number system after you pay at the register or if they will bring a bill at the end.

You can tell that the food is made fresh with quality ingredients that accommodate even the fussiest eaters on the strictest diets. All of the food is on display so you can see what you are getting before you make a selection. They also share ingredients and calorie count.  I tried and can safely recommend:

PLATES & SIDES (hot)

Sustainable Oven Baked Salmon* with Honey mustard sauce (420 cal w/ sauce)   $15.75

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (160 cal)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with turkey bacon (180 cal)

Macaroni & Cheese (270 cal)

Rainbow Carrots & Golden Beets (170 cal)

Asparagus (70 cal)

Full disclosure: I am super picky about the fish I eat because I had bad fish as a child and got very ill. So the fact that I am highly recommending the salmon is saying something. The salmon was cooked perfectly so that it was flaky and moist. Also, I do not like fish that is overly “fishy” and their salmon was not, it was mild and slight. (I do not know if it was wild caught, but my guess is that it is.) I woofed it down! All of the sides that I tried were delish but I would say that if I had to narrow it down to just two, I would probably prioritize the roasted potatoes and rainbow carrots & beets- I love rainbow carrots. (If you have not tried rainbow carrots before, you are missing out- I would suggest that you do give them a try because they are richer and have a brighter quality than the common orange ones, in my opinion.)

SEASONAL SOUPS

Tomato Basil Soup (Organic tomatoes, coconut milk, pesto, croutons- 190 cal) $5.75

Seafood Chowder* (fish, shrimp, bacon, organic potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, clam juice, milk, cream- 230 cal)  $5.75

I believe that the seafood chowder is one of Urban Plates’ signature dishes and for good reason, and if not, it should be. I am a fan of clam chowder and if you are too, I will tell you- this is better! I like that it had the seafood flavor without the overly chewy clams that often get on my nerves. I would highly recommend trying the chowder when you visit one of the Urban Plates locations.

Moroccan Chicken Braise (free-range chicken slow-cooked with squash, onions, preserved lemon, olives, turmeric, paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, parsley, cilantro- 460 cal)  $10

When I ordered this, I thought it was a soup. It is very rich and filling. I can definitely see this as a meal on a chilly day. There is A LOT of tender chicken in the portion not just cheaper fillers like celery. If you are in the mood for something hearty like a stew or chili but without the liquid of soup, then you will likely be quite pleased with this selection.

Garden Tomato Mozzarella Salad (140 cal)

Side House Salad (customizable: lettuce blend, organic tomatoes, carrots, jicama, pickled onion with preserved lemon vinaigrette- 400 cal) $10

DESSERTS

Chocolate Chunk Cookie* (Butter-free, bittersweet chocolate Organic earth balance, flour, and cane sugar)           $2.75

Urban Cowgirl Cookie* (Butter-free, sunflower seeds, oats, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, nutmeg, and cinnamon) $2.75

Mango Tart* (Cookie butter crust filled with rum cream and fresh mango)                         $5.75

For those of you who remember Garfield the Cat, you may remember that one of his favorite sayings was that he never met a lasagna that he didn’t like. Well, I could say that I have never met a dessert that I didn’t like- or at least it is very rare. My sampling of the dessert offerings at Urban Plates was no exception: The Cowgirl Cookie was hearty with a variety of flavors and textures; the Chocolate Chunk Cookie dissolves on your tongue, leaving savory traces of rich chocolate and even though their recipe does not include butter, it tastes buttery. The staff claimed that they always sell out before meeting public demand, leaving many jonesing for more. And the Mango Tart was definitely fresh and not too sweet so as to make the mango taste bitter or too sugary so as to make the mango taste artificial. If you have a sweet tooth, you will not be disappointed.

HOW PET-FRIENDLY IS IT?

The Dublin location of Urban Plates is located in Persimmon Place shopping center. I must admit that since I took Lovie to two formal dog parks prior to going to Urban Plates, we did not walk around the mall much so I am not sure if there were any doody bag dispenser but there were trash cans.

The patio area for this Urban Plates is enclosed so there is a reliable shade for daytime dining and for evening dining there are pull-down plastic shades that cut the wind (even so, it was a bit windy so I recommend layering). There are also multiple outdoor heaters and ample exterior lighting.

Everyone was very friendly to Lovie in the patio area and to me when I went inside to order from the selection line. The staff brought out water without the need for a reminder. Although they do not have an official pet menu, they did provide Lovie with a variety of complimentary treats that catered to his low-fat dietary requirements.

IS IT CONVENIENT OR A PAIN IN THE —?

Located in a fairly large shopping center, there is plenty of free parking. The shopping center also provides the opportunity to take a quick bio-walk for your dog to relieve itself before you sit down to eat. I will say that the intersection where Martinelli Dr. leads into Persimmon Place is quite busy so you will want to keep your dog on lead for safety’s sake.

If window-shopping in Persimmon Place is not enough activity, I would suggest taking advantage of Earl Warren Dog Park in neighboring Castro Valley. Lovie and I went there prior to dining at Urban Plates and we took full advantage of the segregated gated dog park.

Urban Plates of Dublin’s Persimmon Place is pretty easy to find, it is fairly close to the Hacienda exit off I-580.

There are two 24/7 emergency vets close by (1) IronHorse VetCare located at7660 Amador Valley Blvd E in Dublin about 3 miles away or a 9-minute drive; and (2) SAGE Veterinary Centers located at 7121 Amador Plaza Rd. in Dublin, just under 3 miles away or an 8-minute drive.