My brief, and fairly simple, Ursa Major review

Had a work dinner fall apart last week while I was in town, so swung by here and sat the bar. Thanks for the ride, Wise.

At 8PM on a Wednesday night, nearly every seat at the bar was taken, but the dining room was completely empty. Since it is on the corner, there are windows for walls on the most part of two sides. I love that. The "planetary" balls hanging from the ceiling certainly are interesting. The main dining floor is dimly lit, but the bar was fairly bright. The bar is cement, and big.

The service was good. Bartenders were knowledgeable on the food and drinks. You'll likely need a server's help because some of the dishes are pretty hard to decipher. Maybe some of you have heard of some of that stuff.

I had thier verson of the Old Fashioned with campfire whisky, and artichoke liqueur. They are very proud of it, and it was good, but not quite as amazing as they'll want you to believe. Opting for an entree (there are only 6) instead of ordering from the extensive small plate menu, I had the Lau Lao. Instead of a self contained dish like a traditional entree, it was served on a platter with several sections. The mac and cheese was simple, but delicious. The pork shoulder was cooked in some type of green paper, and was average. There was this gellatinized coconut milk, and it was suggested that I eat that with the salmon ceviche portion of the dish. Each of these two things, and them combined, stood out as great, and one of the most interesting foods I have experienced.

I had a nice conversation with the ladies next to me, who had some of the small plates, and shared one of thiers. It was a cabbage pancake with bbq sauce, if I recall. It was not good at all. The sauce tasted just like sweet baby rays, and the pancake thing was mealy, and bland.

Overall I give it a 3.75 out of 5. Unique atmosphere, prices are reasonable, food is interesting, drinks are creative. Personally, with many other great restaurants literally within walking distance, I doubt I'll return for dinner. It will definitely remain on my radar as a spot for a drink at that large bar, and a small plate to share, though.