Remember when TWO Urban Licks first opened in Atlanta? It was THE hottest spot in town. It wasn’t uncommon to wait 30 minutes just to get up to the bar to place an order. That was years ago, but I’ve been back many times since then. The menu has been revamped under the direction of new chef Todd Stein. I was hosted by TWO Urban Licks to sample some of the new items.

I still love the way that the former warehouse space was transformed into the ultra-trendy restaurant that is now TWO Urban Licks. Even on a Wednesday night it was quite busy. We were taken care of by Annie and Kelly, both knew the wine list well and brought us tastes of a couple of their favorite reds. TWO has a very impressive wine list, both by the bottle and  the glass and what’s nice is you can get various sizes of wine in a carafe based on how much you’ll drink. Choose from four sizes (glass, mini – 1.5 glasses, small – 3 glasses or thief – 5 glasses). Since we both loved the Bench Pinot Noir, we got a small which was perfect, especially after the boozy cocktails we started with.

Most of the menu has been revamped since my last visit, but two favorites: the Smoked Salmon Chips and Empanadas remain. A couple new items on the menu that we tried were the Watermelon Salad and the Prawns. While the prawns were certainly huge, the $14 price tag for 3 shrimp does seem a bit steep. The Watermelon salad, on the other hand, with almond mint pesto was light and refreshing – the perfect summer salad.The Smoked Salmon chips or salad are your better values.

For entrees we sampled Swordfish and Salmon as well as the Duck medallions. The spicy Swordfish was perfectly moist on the inside. I was a bit surprised they would serve it with french fries and was happy I ordered a side of the Shishisto peppers to go with my meal instead. The Salmon was simply lovely and is one of the few items on the menu with an Asian flare. The duck, besides being a beautiful presentation was a large portion served with andouille sausage, mushrooms and balsamic. Order a couple appetizers or small plates and two could easily share the duck and leave totally satisfied. But do get a side of the Shishito peppers to round out the meal.

All desserts are seven dollars. The key lime tart was delicious and really hit the spot. If you are craving chocolate, the rich chocolate cake is superb and would go well should you wish to continue sipping on a red. TWO serves it with a shot of vanilla milk, should you prefer that. Chef sent over the peach sundae as well, which was quite enjoyable especially during the summer. And I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet.

It really makes me happy to see that a restaurant that I have grown fond of is still on their game years after opening. As I’ve seen with lots of other restaurants in Atlanta, some that were once so on the mark with food, service and quality, have fallen short, but not at TWO Urban Licks. If it has been a while, you should visit, especially now, with the beautiful weather, take advantage of the oh so nice patio and delicious menu.