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| - We had an 8:00 reservation this past Friday for our first dinner at The Upton. I always forget what a shitshow parking in Old Town can be (It's like I've blacked out the memories of living near there like a PTSD victim) so word to the wise: take advantage of their valet.
First impression: This place is tiny and CUTE! As a few other reviews have mentioned, the majority of seating options are outdoors. I hope this doesn't deter business in the blazing hot months that are just weeks away (sob), but with ample tree coverage, tons of umbrellas and hopefully a strong mister system, I think evenings out on this back patio will still be pleasant in the summer.
We started off splitting the farro salad, which was a tasty mixture of perfectly-cooked farro, roasted cauliflower, diced tomatoes and arugula/herbs all tossed together. It comes with a charred lemon half for squeezing over the whole thing, which is a refreshing touch. The menu doesn't mention cauliflower and tomatoes at all, so just an FYI. (Fiance doesn't LOVE cauliflower, so it would have been nice to know about.)
For mains we chose the vegan ramen with tofu (for me, obviously) and the Little Havana sandwich. The ramen bowl was outstanding! Deliciously spiced tofu, a variety of mushrooms and a ton of other veggie mix-ins all made for a tasty (and huge; I tried my hardest but I think there was still half left) bowl. The "Little" Havana was a not-so-little take on the Cuban that got rave reviews. We decided to split a side of fries...because who cares?! They were hand-cut and I couldn't stop dipping into the bowl long after I was full. Clearly, portions are great here.
(That's code for: Maybe don't be so fat like us and order like it's your last meal on earth.)
All in all, a tasty-face visit!
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