We have a new menu

Yes, we finally have our new menu, which is not so much new as updated. We’ve added a few new things and removed the odd item.

One of the items we’ve added that we’re pretty happy about is our Quiona Salad (keen-wah) – ancient grain salad with ginger, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cilantro and chili flakes. That is one of the salads we have available. We’ve also added a Charcuterie Board to our appetizers. And that would be genoa salami, sausage, chicken liver pate mousse, caper berries, Deli mustard and Montreal light rye bread.

Under our specialty sandwiches you’ll now see the Uptown Big Beef Bad Boy and in the Deli Delight Sandwiches you’ll see the Mediterranean, Italian Meatball and Italian Cold Cut.

Of course, you’ll still see the popular ones like the Original Montreal Style Smoked Meat, Triple Decker Grilled Cheese and Deli Meatloaf sandwiches.

Please let us know what you think of the new menu and if you have ideas about items we should have at the Deli, please share with us.

We hope you like the menu!

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The terrific two’s – our anniversary!

The Urban Deli Original Montreal Style Smoked Meat. (Photo - Urban Deli)

Up until the first week or so of July 2009, Urban Deli only existed in the head of our owner Liz. Then, on July 13, 2009, it was real.

Yes, today is our birthday! It’s Urban Deli’s second anniversary!

We’ve had another wonderful year with the restaurant and our catering. It’s been a year filled with intriguing people and superb events.

We absolutely love being a part of Uptown Saint John. As with last year, we have oodles of people to thank: our fabulous staff, the tremendous vendors and suppliers we get to work with and, of course, the people of Saint John. Our customers are fabulous.

As small thank you, today we have free samples of our desserts with your meal. So we hope you drop by and give us a chance to say, “Thanks!”

And just in case your interested, below is a list of what visitors to the Deli appear to liked best from our menu in our last year.

Our top stuff in our second year!

Top sandwiches:

  • Club Sandwich
  • Montreal style Smoked Meat
  • Rueben
  • Deli Meatloaf Sandwich
  • Ham & Swiss

Top burger:

  • UD Veggie Burger

Top soups:

  • UD Seafood Chowder

Top salads:

  • Spinach Salad
  • Romaine Chiffonade (seared tuna steak salad)

Top appetizer:

  • Roasted Garlic & Artichoke Dip

Tops from the smoked side of house:

  • Deli Ribs

Urban Deli Iced Tea.

Top Drinks:

  • Urban Deli Iced Tea
  • Coke products (in old fashioned Coke bottles)

Top Desserts:

  • Carrot Cake
  • Lemon Sour Cream Pie (came a close 2nd)

Top Breakfast:

  • The Deli Breakfast
  • Pulled Pork Eggs Benny

And that’s a wrap … Now we’re diving into year three.

Also see:

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Lunch special today – heat!

It’s a chilly day so our lunch specials are all about heat! We have:

1. Steaming & Stacked High Montreal Style Smoked Meat Sandwich on Montreal Rye Bread

2. Roast Beef Melt Sandwich – comes with side choice

3. Montreal Style Smoked Meat Sheppards Pie and comes with a side choice

4. Vegetarian Pasta – Creamy Pesto….sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers,spinach, cream & parmesan cheese

5. Daily Quiche:  Bacon, tomato, spinach, mushrooms, onions & cheese – topped with our homemade cheese sauce

6. Soup:  Aromatic Beef Soup served with a homemade buttermilk biscuit

Keep warm and we you can make it in so we can provide you with some Urban Deli heat. 🙂

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How beef brisket returned to the Urban Deli

Beef Brisket - Urban Deli

When I first started working for Urban Deli we had beef brisket on the menu. After working a few months, the brisket was taken off the menu because we felt it was not always consistent.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of serving a lovely couple, David and Diane. When I went to take their order, David immediately asked, “Do you know where they get their Montreal Style Smoked Meat?”

I answered him and described how we served it. He was excited the minute I mentioned that it came from Lesters in Laval, Quebec. David ordered the sandwich and loved it.

I mentioned to Elizabeth, owner of Urban Deli, how excited he was about his meal. She went over and started talking with David and Diane. When he asked why we didn’t have brisket on our menu, Liz told him she wasn’t satisfied with the consistency. He offered his time to come in and show her how he prepares his.

Who is David?

Liz then found out David is an Executive Master Chef. He had trained in France (his forte is in French cuisine, especially sauces) and is now semi-retired. He and Diane have decided to relocate to Atlantic Canada (location to be determined). Diane is a Maritimer and has always been; David  is relocating from Toronto.

One day, when he was a student, David had the pleasure to work with Julia Childs in the kitchen of Le Sorbonne, where he was studying. This happened in his fourth year of studies. He said she was exactly the same in person as she was on TV and was certainly one of the highlights of his culinary education.

David and Diane had found the Urban Deli when they were looking for smoked meat in Saint John. Diane did an Internet search, found the Urban Deli and showed David our website (which he really liked because it provided him with the information he was looking for on the first page). He had a craving for smoked meat that day, so they stopped in for lunch.

When he talked to Liz about the beef brisket he said, “A deli without brisket is like a deli without cold cuts.” When it was mentioned that the big concern was consistency, he said, “I can help.”

Bringing back the brisket

Two samples of beef brisket.

He went home and prepared two special marinades and two rubs. It was on a Monday that he marinated the beef; on Tuesday, he put on the spices and rub.

He also started the cooking process that day and then smoked it on-site at the Urban Deli.

Then the sampling began. We had two briskets done slightly differently and did a blind taste test. We even gave some samples to customers that were in the Deli that day. We collected the feedback and … Voila!

Today we are now offering the beef brisket as a special.

David is also going to be back to experiment with a few other things. We’re not sure just what those will be yet, but we’ll keep you in the loop. In the meantime, we want send out a huge thank you to David and Diane for visiting the Urban Deli and to David for helping us bring back the beef brisket!

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Deli Menu

Below you’ll find our main, “in the restaurant” menu. This includes sandwiches, entrées, burgers, pasta and much more. Take out and catering orders – call us at 652.DELI (3354)to-go container fees apply. (See menu below the pic.)

Montreal Smoked Meat

Soups

all soups served with a buttermilk biscuit
*Gluten Free

Mulligatawny Mondays* – cup $4  |  bowl $7
Tomato Soup Tuesdays – cup $4  |  bowl $7
WTFS Soupsask your server – cup $4  |  bowl $7
Split Pea & Ham* – cup $5  |  bowl $8

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Choose one side for all sandwiches & burgers:

Daily Soup, Deli Frites, Pickles, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Quinoa (for Quinoa add $.50 )
(Additional Side Options $3: House, Spinach or Caesar Salad)

Deli Specialties

Montreal Smoked Meat*The best, east of Montreal!  Sliced hot & piled high, Deli mustard on light rye bread  $14
Uptown Big Beef Bad Boy* – shaved roast beef, a mix of sautéed onions, roasted red peppers, pepperoncinis (for a slight kick), Provolone cheese, horseradish aioli, Deli mustard & beef jus for dipping $14
Reuben* – Montreal smoked meat, mix of sauerkraut, bacon & onion, Swiss cheese, cumin curry Dijon mustard $12
Deli Meatloaf* – popular from day one!!! Deli meatloaf, sundried tomato spread, aged white cheddar, garlic aioli $12

Deli Delight Sandwiches

East Coast Club* – chicken, bacon, roasted red peppers, guacamole, tomato, lettuce, aioli (add cheese $1) $13
Philly Beef* – roast beef, sautéed mushroom & onions, garlic aioli, Swiss cheese $13
Chicken Cordon Bleu – lightly breaded chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, dijon aioli $13
Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese – lightly breaded chicken dipped in Franks Hot Sauce, melted aged cheddar and provolone cheese, Deli coleslaw $12
Curry Chicken Salad* – chopped chicken, red onion, celery, curry mayo, spinach, tomato – curry flavour without the heat! $11
Caprese* – Mozzafina, pesto, tomato, balsamic glaze (cold cuts add $2.50) $11
Mediterranean* – artichoke hearts, cucumber, black olives, feta, shaved red onion, roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato, pesto, aioli $12
Chicken Parmesan – lightly breaded chicken breast, house made marinara sauce, pesto, mozzarella $12
Chicken Salad* – roasted chicken, cranberries, ‘toasted’ sunflower seeds, fennel, celery, carrots, honey, lemon, mayo, lettuce, tomato $11

Pressed Sandwiches

Vegetarian* – a mix of sautéed portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, lightly breaded eggplant, pepperoncinis, black olives, spinach, pesto, sundried tomato spread, Swiss cheese $12
Croque Monsieur* – ham, swiss cheese, UD cheese sauce $12
Cold Cut* – beef and genoa salamis, ham, mortadella, pepperoncinis, shaved red onion, provolone cheese, aioli, vinaigrette $13
Tuna Melt – tuna, onion, celery, pepperoncinis, mayo, melted mozzarella cheese $12
French Dip* – beef, aged white cheddar, UD creamy cheese sauce & au jus for dipping $13

Burgers

Urban Burger* – UD patty, lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic aioli $12
BIG Burger* – UD patty, bacon, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, spinach, aioli $14
PB Burger* – UD patty, bacon, aged cheddar, peanut butter, lettuce $13
Salmon Burger* – salmon fillet, spinach, tomato, lime caper aioli $13

Salads

Half salads available for Spinach, Caesar & Deli House
Add: chicken, tuna / curry chicken / ham / breaded chicken $5
Add: Salmon $8

Spinach Salad* – spinach, grilled portabella mushrooms, feta cheese, diced tomato, sausage meat bits, egg, maple vinaigrette $13
Cobb* – chopped romaine, (choose one: chicken, tuna, or potato salad), egg, ham, diced tomato, carrot, red onion, feta, vinaigrette dressing $14
Deli House* – romaine lettuce, bell peppers , artichoke hearts, shaved red onion, cucumber, pepperoncinis, black olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, breaded eggplant garnish, vinaigrette dressing $12
Caesar Salad UD Style* – chopped romaine, seasoned sausage meat bits, croutons, dressing, Parmasean cheese $12

Urban Deli Pasta Bowls*

Mac n’ Cheese* – UD signature cream sauce, aged white cheddar & Parmasean cheese – creamy! $13
Vegetarian Pesto Pasta* – sautéed portabella mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers in UD cream sauce $14
Coconut Curry Chicken* – pasta, roasted chicken, house made coconut curry sauce – great flavours! $14

* = available gluten-free
Please advise server if you are tested celiac, or choose no gluten.
We offer gluten-free products and do our best to reduce cross-contamination.
However, we are a deli.

______________________

Take – Out / Catering Orders call us at 652.DELI (3354)
to-go container fees apply

PLEASE ADVISE YOUR SERVER OF ALLERGIES

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The life of mustard in pictures

You can get mustard at many stores. But rather than leave the kitchen, we make our Urban Deli mustard in-house. Like so:

With our mustard, we like to put it on a sandwich, in this fashion:

When we’re done, it looks like this:

That would be our Original Montreal Style Smoked Meat. We serve it with a dill pickle spear and our coleslaw.

And that’s a day in the life of mustard. 🙂

(You’ll find more Urban Deli photos on our Facebook page.)

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The Urban Deli has another first

Since we’re still pretty new, we come upon a lot of firsts. Yesterday (Friday) we had yet another one. A couple of our customers, Cyril and Trena, got engaged at the Urban Deli!

It came about this way: the romantic couple have very busy schedules. In fact, they’re so busy it forced Cyril to propose to Trena over a smoked meat sandwich while lunching at the Deli. We’re honored they chose our place for their happy moment. And congratulations  to the lucky couple!

Cyril and Trena

Music tonight

By the way, tonight is yet another of our musical Saturday nights. It gets underway at 7:30 with Jessica Darrah. We’ll also have our guy Wes Jagoe and friends. They’ll be dropping in to see what musical confections might be in the air to be had, so there will be a little bit of everything tonight. If you’re in the Uptown area, pay us a visit. We think you’ll like some of the musical notes we’ll be hitting!

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