November
2002
Mystery
Muncher
The
Word is out: the Urban Word is in
Chef:
Ulysses Guzmán
It's raining again. How can we still be having a drought? I needed
a bowl or at least a cup of soup. The interior of the Word is
very relaxing. I like the red bar and wine cabinet back-bar with
the stainless steel accents. The lighting is perfect and the industrial
feel, with the exposed brick and cinderblock, works very well.
Personally I thought the Trenton Makes should have won some kind
of an award for the innovative work accomplished in these two
buildings.
Anyway,
I could write for a while about the building but I am here to
enjoy so me lunch. French Onion soup ($3)…Cajun wings ($6.50)
…Smoked turkey Cuban ($7.50)…Wings came first. The first
thing I noticed was an abundance of blue cheese for dipping. The
chunks of cheese were huge and fresh. Although there could have
been a bit more celery, it was fresh cut and of good length. The
wings (numbering 13) were cooked crispy in a Cajun sauce that
I had imagined was going to be wet but to my surprise it was a
dry seasoned mixture. It appeared to have been baked on but could
have been dredged on after deep fry. Regardless they were crunchy
on the outside and moist on the inside. They go very well with
a nice River Horse beer. Keep in mind that it's a big plate for
one: more for sharing!
Ah,
the soup…the soup was very good, tasty and the onions were
cooked properly with a very good broth and wonderfully melted
cheese. Howeer, I could not get the taste of the Cajun wings to
subside. I had another couple wings and a second River Horse while
I waited for my entrée…
The
lunch menu is simple and to the point. This is the way it should
be when you are a regular working person and have only an hour
to kill. So what have I previously enjoyed that's listed…I
love the Black Angus burger ($7.50) here and I have tested it
out about two dozen times…The Calamari ($7.50) is excellent
with nice sized pieces; although I like the pepper glaze, I enjoyed
the tomato sauce they had previously much better. The Veggie Pizza
($7) with roasted Veggies, tomato sauce and mozzarella is a wonderful
lunch item that does not fill you up but completely satisfies.
All in all, the menu is priced reasonably from $5 to $9 offering
over twenty different selections.
And
since I have had all those items and more, my lovely server Jamie
suggested the smoked turkey Cuban. It's a delicious blend of pepper
Jack cheese, onions and peppers with a whole grain mustard, presented
with a generous amount of sliced turkey and grilled in a roll,
and pressed (in the Cuban style) before and during grilling. Suffice
it to say Jamie was right, it was perfect. Now normally I don't
eat French fries, or potatoes for that matter, but the fresh-cut
pieces (almost all bite size) served with the Cuban were crispy
brown, fresh out of the fryer. The only thing they were missing
is some kind of dipping sauce. They could be served alone with
several different sauces as an appetizer. Easily.
Okay,
so to round it up, The Urban Word is a convenient place that serves
very good food, reasonably priced and fast. That way you can go
next door and shop in the stores around Conduit before you go
back to work…Thanks to Roland Pott, John Hatch and David
Henderson. Great job, nice design, good food and a nice place
to go.
The
Urban Word
449 South Broad Street
Trenton, NJ 609-989-7777
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