A small example of what Urban Deli can bring to your catered event.

We’re not eager to spoil the party but the fact is August is winding down and September will be rolling in shortly and that means … well, that means just about everything moves into a higher gear.

Kids get back to school. People return from holidays. Business gets busier.

That last one, business getting back to the business of business, is why we’re bringing up the subject of catering.

You’re likely to find yourself either scheduled into or scheduling more meetings than in the last few months.

A lot of those meetings will be scheduled over lunch. Or maybe they aren’t meetings at all but day long seminars. Whatever the case, a key element of making your event a success will be food. Your attendees will need something to eat.

That’s where Urban Deli can lend a helping hand. A key part of our business is catering and we often cater business events like meetings. We have experience in this (we’ve been catering since the day we opened). We’ve even put together some catering tips to help you plan your meeting or seminar.

We can help you make the most of your budget and time by simply getting a few details from you and taking care of the arrangements so you can concentrate on the important stuff – like the meeting itself.

We don’t want to be summer party-pooper’s but autumn looms ahead and it isn’t just an increase in business meetings that are in the offing. There are the social and family events like Thanksgiving, Halloween and, yes, Christmas with its parties.

We cater those too and now is the time to start planning so you can avoid the anxiety of last minute arrangements.

It has been a terrific summer for us and we hope it has been the same for you. With a wistful sigh, we’re now turning our eyes to the days ahead so we’ll be ready for them. If you’re doing the same and you see events on your horizon, let us help you with our catering.

You can simply give us a call to discuss it at 652-3354, or send an email from our  contact page.

As we say on our catering page, what we offer is based on our menu but we also go “off menu,” depending on what you are looking for. If you’re not certain what you might like, tell us what kind of an event or occasion you have in mind and we can make suggestions.

We’d love to lend a hand!

• Urban Deli Catering
• Catering Tips and Hints

If there is a bible for Canadian foodies, it’s Where to Eat in Canada. It lists, and reviews, the best restaurants across the country so that when you’re travelling, you know where to go for great eating.

Published by Oberon Press, Urban Deli just received the most wonderful letter from them. The letter reads, in part:

“This year your restaurant has been chosen as one of the best in the country by the national restaurant guide … Our people travel Canada from coast to coast and pick the best restaurants in every city and town in the country.”

Wow! We’re thrilled! We’re less than two years old (we opened July 13, 2009) and this is an incredible honour.

If you’re not familiar with Where to Eat in Canada (edited by Anne Hardy), it’s a book that has been coming out for over 40 years. It lists, as the title says, the best places to eat across the country. Over 400 pages, many people take it with them in their travels — in a glove compartment, backpack, whatever they have. It’s the go-to reference for foodies.

So if you’re out west, you know where to eat when you’re in Victoria, Calgary or Saskatoon. Travelling in Quebec? The book recommends the best places to eat. And when you’re in the Maritimes, especially down Saint John way, you know about Urban Deli!

They tell us the newest edition (2011, with Urban Deli in it) will be available in early June. We’re anxious to see it and read what they had to say. We’ll keep you up to date on that!

In the meantime, we’re sending a big thank you to our customers and fabulous staff. You guys are the reason we’re in there and you’re the reason we love what we do!

One last aside … we love this line from the letter they sent us: “Nobody can buy his way into this guide and nobody can buy his way out.”

Sounds good to us!

We hope you made it to the Simply For Life (SFL) seminar last night at the Trade and Convention Centre. If you did, you may have seen us. We were one of the many Saint John vendors taking part. Events like this are always full of information and for us it was a nudge to get on something we have in the works: identifying the SFL approved items on our menu.

On the subject of foods, last year when we were at the Fundy Food Festival we served up quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) wraps and they really went over well with everyone. Quiona is a gluten-free food and we’re posting our recipe (see below).

Cooked red quinoa. (Image: Wikipedia)

What’s quinoa?

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown for its seeds, which are edible. It has a long history as a food source. More significantly, it’s known for a number of valuable properties. Wikipedia tells us quinoa is,

“… Highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.”

Now, here’s our quinoa wraps recipe, via our long time friend Lianne of Exhale Coaching in British Columbia. Thanks Lianne!

Quiona Wraps Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cups quinoa (keen-wa)
• 2 cups water
• Lettuce (iceberg, butterhead or romaine)

Method

Combine water and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered and cook for 15 minutes.

Marinade

• 3 tbs ginger, fresh and grated
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbs cilantro
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs honey
• 3 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 scallions (optional)

Method

Combine ginger, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt. Combine these together and then add the quinoa.

Note: can be served warm or cooled. Next day, it’s even better. Can be served on its own or with a dollop of peanut butter / peanut sauce on each with the lettuce.

A small example of what Urban Deli can bring to your catered event.

Be it big or small, when you have your event catered you want it to go smoothly. That is part of the point, isn’t it? You want your guests to enjoy themselves, to enjoy good food, and free yourself to attend to all the other matters that need your attention to make sure it is all smooth sailing.

So we’ve put together a little catering primer. It provides both tips and suggestions on how to ensure your event is everything you want it to be. (You can download it here: Catering Tips and Hints.)

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options. They can range from standard “off the menu” caterings for various gatherings, such as boardrooms or open houses (to name two), or we can tailor to your individual needs for weddings, anniversaries, graduations, or intimate social gatherings with friends and family. We can help you with almost any event. Just give is a call at 652-3354 or send us an email.

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options and we can help you with almost any event.

We’re also easily adaptable and can help you design your memorable occasion.

Regardless of the type of function or the style, there are a few not-so-obvious points to consider when planning a catered event. They can help you achieve a successful catered occasion that meets, even exceeds, your expectations.

We have nine items to keep in mind:

Manage Expectations

Know Your Guests

Know Your Guest Preferences

Provide Menu Choices

Incorporate Seasonal and Fresh Items

Select a Menu that Fits the Event Schedule

Anticipate Special Needs

Allow for a Comfortable Room Setup

Create Ethnic or Regional Menus

To learn more, download our Catering Tips and Hints (.pdf file).

Even when we’re busiest, we like to think there’s something romantic about the Deli. It’s in the way we approach food (always with love) and something in the decor.

And there’s something contagious about romance, so we’re hoping you’ll join us Monday evening for our Valentine’s Day dinner.

Here’s our menu (a .pdf file). It involves a couple of yummy appetizers, a choice of savoury entrees and a dessert to die for. (Can you say chocolate molten cake with chocolate drizzle, fresh whipped cream and a strawberry?)

Maybe you’ll be headed to see the Goo Goo Dolls and want something loving and romantic beforehand, or maybe you’re just planning on a starry-eyed evening with someone special. We’re pretty sure we’ll fit the bill.

So, please join us for our Valentine’s dinner. It will be our pleasure to serve you. We’re always big on romance!

Just ask to have one added to your bill next time you are in for a bite to eat.

One of the best tasting Christmas gifts you can give or receive this season is an Urban Deli gift card. Why be stressed looking for a gift? We’re hoping we can help make it easy for you.

When you pass by the Deli, or drop in for a bite, just ask us for a gift card — you choose the amount. They make great stocking stuffers and fit quite nicely inside a card. And an Urban Deli gift card can be used at anytime (no expiration date).

The season is about family, friends and — oh, yes! — food.

Enjoy the season! That’s what it’s here for!

A couple of weeks ago we came upon a great site for foodies called Plato Putas. We stumbled upon it via Twitter because they had a post titled Trip Report: Saint John, N.B., Restaurants. And guess what restaurant they loved? Yes, the Urban Deli.

And yes, we may be slightly biased in our love of their site.

One of the things they loved at the Deli was our BBQ sauce so we decided to do something we don’t normally do and mail them a bottle. But that also got us thinking … A lot of people have commented on our sauce, so we thought we’d give you a brief word or two about it.

As with any great tasting sauce or dish, the secret to its success is in the blending and proportions of the herbs and other ingredients — all the elements of flavours that make up the condiment or dish.

Now, we can’t give you a detailed recipe — it wouldn’t be much of a kitchen secret then — but we can tell you that it’s a combination of onion, garlic, chili’s', sugars, vinegars, and one or two special flavours that are brought together to make our Urban Deli Gluten Free BBQ sauce.

Unfortunately, beyond that we can’t really tell you much without giving the secret away. But if you haven’t tried it yet, please pay us a visit and check it out! We’d love to see you!

We did it a few months ago; we’re doing it again – a cooking class coming up on a Sunday – November 21, 1:00pm to 3:00pm –  with ‘Chef Bob.’ That’s Saint John’s Bob McVicar. The subject of the class? Creole jambalaya!

Traditionally, jambalaya is put together in three main parts involving meats and vegetables, and there are two main types of jambalaya: Creole and Cajun.

There are likely many more, because cooks love variations. We understand that Chef Bob has a Creole jambalaya  in mind for us on November 21. If you’re the curious kind, you can read more about jambalaya and its history.

The class at the Urban Deli will be ‘reserved seating only.’ There is a cost — $25 — to help offset some of our costs. But we’ve tried to keep it as minimal as possible. And we ask that you bring your own “to-go” container so you can take away your own sample of the finished dish.

Of course, you’ll also learn how to make this jambalaya and take home a copy of Bob’s recipe.

This should be a lot of fun. If you get thirsty, beverages will be available for purchase: beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks.

If you’re interested in what promises to be a flavorsome and entertaining afternoon, just give us a call at the Urban Deli: 652.3354.

The details one more time:

Cooking class at the Urban Deli
Creole jambalaya with Bob McVicar
Sunday, November 21, 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Cost: $25

We hope you can join us!

We’re looking for some volunteers for Sunday, October 10th (a week from tomorrow) in order to help serve a Thanksgiving dinner to inner-city families in support of the Salvation Army.

This is “no charge” meal for the families and we are planning to have two seatings (4pm and 5:30pm).

Can you lend a hand? Here’s what we’re looking for help with:

• prep-workers
• servers
• and clean-up.

We think it’s going to be a great day with food and people and families. If you can lend a hand, please contact us at 506.652.3354 (DELI). Just leave us your name and contact number. (You can also contact us using our contact page.)

Thank you!

Yes, it’s something new we’re working on. As you can see over on the upper right, we’re putting together a newsletter. You can sign-up for it there or just go straight to the sign up page here.

No, we won’t be flooding you with oodles of emails.

We hope to provide you with news, events, recipes and maybe even a surprise or two … You can be “in the know” about what is new at the Urban Deli as well as get some tasty info on food. If you’re a foodie or just like being up to date on what we’re doing and planning, subscribe to our newsletter and be a part of our Urban Deli family!

And if you have some ideas on what you would like to see in an Urban Deli newsletter, please share them with us. Just use this contact form.

We hope you join us for our newsletter!