Urban Solace

Sometimes one has to venture out of ones comfort zone to experience comfort food. Seems a tad paradoxical but it was the case when we took the short drive from the glitzy shores of La Jolla to the artsy up and coming streets of North Park. I’m glad we did, otherwise we may never have stumbled across Urban Solace, a quaint restaurant with an unmistakable southern charm.

My husband, who has visited New Orleans, commented that the building, with its stained glass windows and beautiful courtyard, was reminiscent of the city’s French Quarter.

The food was as unpretentious as the neighborhood. After scouring the menu we ordered the cheese biscuits with orange honey butter for starters. The biscuits, with their flaky texture and rich cheesy flavor, paired beautifully with the slightly sweet orange honey butter. I loved them and I believe they are a house specialty.

For the entrée, we both settled on the House Burger. Burgers are usually not something to write home about but these ones are definitely worth a few letters. It was no coincidence that ninety percent of diners had ordered it. A huge chunky piece of meat, nestled between two egg buns, accompanied by a side of sweet potato fries was just out of this world. The beef, tender and juicy, had the smoky flavor of a home charcoal grill. The sweet potato fries were thin, slightly sweet, and perfectly fried.

I have sampled a wide range of burgers and this was definitely one of the best I’ve ever had. It even beats a restaurant at the posh Valencia hotel in San Diego. The burger there was excellent, beautifully decorated, and served up with a delicious sauce. Given the choice, I would still opt for the one at Urban Solace. It just goes to show that comfort food doesn’t have to be fancy. As Julia Childs so aptly put it, "It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire."

I’d choose a hamburger over a “hambourgaire” any day.