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!

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:

• We’re one year old – Whoo hoo! (2010)
• Yes, today is the day (2009)

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.

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!

Soups & Chowder	Montreal Style Bagels
Deli Specialty Sandwiches	Entrée Salads
Deli Delight Sandwiches	Pasta
Deli Style Burgers	Appetizers

Served with Buttermilk Biscuit

- Deli Daily Creation cup $ 3 bowl $ 5
- Split Pea with Ham cup $ 4 bowl $ 6
- Seafood Chowder* bowl $ 11

Served with dill pickle spear & coleslaw. Add potato frites $2

- Original Montreal Style Smoked Meat $ 11
- Pulled Piggy ‘n’ Slaw $ 10
- Corned Beef $ 10
- Smoked Turkey $ 10
- Uptown Big Beef Bad Boy $ 10
- Muffuletta “muff-uh-LET-uh” $ 10
(‘muff-uh-LET-uh’ – our New Orleans style sandwich with layers of smoked turkey, corned beef, ham, aged white
cheddar & olive tapenade salad in an Italian bread (not pretty to eat but amazing flavour!)

Gluten- Free bread choice available $ 1.50
Add Cheese, Bacon, Au jus or side BBQ sauce $ 1

Pick a Side:  Deli Frites, Daily Soup, Pasta Salad, Quiona Salad or Coleslaw
(Additional Options: Spinach, Caesar or House Salad add $3)

- Reuben – corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese & cumin curry dijon – True Deli Delight! $ 10
- Ham & Swiss – grilled ham & swiss cheese with Deli mustard $ 10
- Triple Decker Grilled Cheese – aged white cheddar, Swiss & parmesan cheese (add bacon) $ 10
- Deli Meatloaf – topped with sun dried tomatoes & aged white cheddar $ 10
- Club – smoked turkey, bacon, tomato, spinach & roasted red peppers $ 10
- Grilled Vegetarian – roasted red peppers, portabello mushrooms, pepperoncinis, black olives, spinach, pesto & Swiss -cheese $ 10
- Chicken Schnitzel – lightly breaded chicken breast topped with a mixture of sauerkraut, bacon & onion (add cheese) $ 10
- Mediterranean – prosciutto, artichoke hearts, black olives, shaved red onion, roasted red peppers, pesto, garlic aioli, tomato, lettuce & provolone cheese $ 11
- Italian Meatball – made in-house Italian meat balls topped with fresh tomato sauce & cheese $ 12
- Italian Cold Cut – proscuitto, genoa salami, smoked turkey, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar & olive oil & provolone cheese $ 10
- Chicken Parmesan – crispy fried chicken breast, fresh Buffala Mozzarella cheese, pesto & tomato sauce $ 12
- Daily Quiche Creation – served in puff pastry topped with our cheese sauce – ask your server $ 10

- Urban Burger – beef patty, balsamic caramelized onions & roasted garlic aioli $ 10
- Veggie Burger – whole grilled portabella, sun dried tomatoes, spinach swiss cheese & pesto $ 10
- Tuna Steak Burger – sesame crusted seared tuna loin with wasabi aioli $ 12
- Salmon Burger – wild Pacific salmon fillet with lime caper aioli $ 11

Gluten – Free bread choice available $ 1.50
* Gluten Free

Bagel served toasted – add potato frites $ 2

- Curry Turkey Salad $ 7
- Tuna Salad $ 7
- Smoked Salmon $ 10

Gluten- Free bread choice available $ 1.50

Half salads available for Spinach, Caesar & Deli House

- Quinoa Salad (keen-wah) – ancient grain salad with ginger, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cilantro & chili flakes $ 9
- Caesar Salad – roasted garlic, smoked meat bits, parmesan cheese & seasoned croutons $ 9
- Deli House - romaine, tomatoes, shaved red onion & carrots, pepperoncini, black olives, parmesan cheese, seasoned croutons & ranch dressing $ 9
- Spinach Salad – grilled portabella mushroom slices, feta cheese, tomato, meat bits, egg & maple vinaigrette $ 10
- Romaine Chiffonade – seared tuna loin (med-rare), shredded carrot, red onion & wasabi vinaigrette $ 12

Add Curry Turkey, Smoked Turkey, Ham, Salmon, Breaded Chicken, Hot Italian Sausage or Prosciutto $4.00

- Mac n’ Cheese – noodles in our Deli double cheese sauce* $ 10
- Vegetarian Pesto - sauteed portabella mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers in a creamy pesto sauce topped with fresh parmesan $ 12

*Gluten – free  (Gluten – free pasta available $1)
Curry Turkey, Smoked Turkey, Ham, Salmon, Breaded Chicken, Hot Italian Sausage or Proscuitto $4.00

- Roasted Garlic & Artichoke Dip – seasoned pita chips for dipping (really friggin good!) $ 1
- Edamame (soy beans) – steamed and seasoned with smoked sea salt $ 5

______________________

Take – Out / Catering Orders call us at 652.DELI (3354)
to-go container fees apply
PLEASE ADVISE YOUR SERVER OF ALLERGIES

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.)

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!

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!

Our Flickr account is full of some pics from the evening, some are not as good as we’d like but that’s due to the kitchen and every one else moving so quickly and purposefully. They were busy bees, so to speak. But everyone had fun. And it felt wonderful to finally get everything going and serving food, our raison d’être.

There’s no way to list everyone who dropped by to say ‘Hi!’ and wish us well. This post would go on forever if we did.

For example, Peter from Happinez (the winebar over on Princess) came by, as did Jason from Billy’s Seafood in the City Market and Sean from Red Whale Coffee (who supplies our coffees and teas – if coffee or tea is your thing, he’s the guy to talk to) … We could go on and on. (Oh yes, Christoph from CM Woodcraft Inc. -  he’s the man who built our incredible communal table – he paid us a visit too. And the table was a huge success!)

Let’s just say Liz and everyone at the Urban Deli thank all of you – it made us feel fabulous! And we hope to keep seeing you, and everyone else in Saint John and elsewhere on Monday and onward, when we’re open and doing our thing every day.

(Menu will be up on the site later today.)

I think, if nothing else, we can say this about the night – everyone was stuffed! Thanks to the kitchen and thanks again to everyone who came by!

(By the way … Sorry if this post comes off as giddily schmoozy or something like that, but we honestly had a blast followed by a sense of great relief – and we really do have about a gazillion people to thank.)