Why: Tom’s Urban is the newest restaurant inside the Ilani Casino Resort. Tom’s brings a sports bar option to complete the dining selection with a broad menu that reflects select cuisine influences on American favorites and a large variety of bar drinks, from draft beer to special cocktails and wine.
What I tried: My dining companions and I tried the Colorado Calamari, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Mahi Mahi Street Tacos, Low Country Shrimp & Grits, and XL Pickle Brined Crispy Chicken with sweet potato fries. To drink we settled on the Mule Kick, the Cactus Ass Kick and a Jack and Coke.
Calamari is served with fried, spicy Anaheim and Fresno chilies and remoulade and green chili ranch dipping sauces. The portion of calamari as compared to the chilies was a little stingy, about 1 to 4. Of the two sauces we found the remoulade most appetizing — the ranch was a bit bland. The Brussels sprouts were charred and doused in balsamic — tasty but not crispy. The fish in the tacos tasted and looked like fish sticks — not really what we expected for mahi mahi. The chicken was extremely crispy and juicy.
The highlight of our meal was the shrimp and grits. Grits are combined with polenta and cheddar cheese and heated to a bubbly hot temperature. Perfectly cooked shrimp and fried pork belly bits top the grits for an extraordinary low country experience.
Dining out review: Tom’s Urban
Hours: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight. Brunch is served 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Where: Ilani Casino, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield. ilaniresort.com
Telephone: 360-727-1099
Health score: Tom’s Urban has received a pre-opening inspection and is scheduled for a routine inspection in the near future. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
Our cocktails were as described, and the Jack and Coke was very small as compared to other establishments.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Brunch options include a crispy chicken and cornbread pancake, and a Figgy Piggy breakfast sandwich made with bacon, eggs, fontina, brie, havarti, and fig jam on grilled sourdough. The Napoleon Down Mexico Way omelet, which combines cream cheese, carnitas, red pepper and onions all topped with pork green chili, sounded delicious.
Dinner entrees include lobster & shrimp mac and cheese, filet mignon with house-made green chile bernaise sauce, and fried frog legs. The ginger chicken pot sticker salad looked yummy.
Desserts include pineapple upside-down cake, and a root beer float with 5.9 percent alcohol by volume.
Atmosphere: The elongated space offers seating at tables, booths, or tall bar seating. The back bar has green and red uplighting. Walls are mostly gray and are accented by shades of blue and an array of wood tones. An abundance of large-TV screens provide entertainment.
Other observations: It was not very busy on the evening of my visit, but the ticket turnaround time was on the slow side in spite of this. The waitstaff was friendly though not quite attentive, as needed to refill waters and getting the bill to the table. Tom’s Urban is available for private events.
Cost: Small plates start at $5.50 and top out at $16. Wings and sliders range from $12 to $17. Burgers (beef and chicken) cost $13 to $17. Food truck sandwiches are $11.50 to $25. Street tacos cost $13 to $17. Entrees range from $14 to $34. Sides cost $4.50 to $6.50. Pizza is $12.50 to $14.50. Salads are $11 to $15 and soup may be added for an additional $5. Soup on its own is $6. Desserts cost $6.25 to $9.50. Brunch platters are $13 to $16. Breakfast sandwiches cost $13.50 to $15. Omelets are $13.50 and benedicts are $12 to $15. Pancakes and French toast cost $9 to $11. A 16-ounce beer is $5.50 to $8.25. Wine comes in 6-ounce or 9-ounce glasses for $8 to $21 or by the bottle for $26 to $44. Cocktails range from $7.25 to $22.
