Liz and Michelle at work preparing our Italian menu. (Photo: - bite - bitebymichelle.com)

Fun. Scary. And a little bit exhausting. But well worth every moment we’ve put into our Italian adventure, Italian by Night.

We launched last night with a special Valentine’s evening as we kicked off our new Italian evenings, Italian by Night. And we are truly humbled by the turn out and support we have had.

To all our friends and customers … You are amazing!

We began Urban Deli in July of 2009 with a vision and mantra, “Old fashioned; slightly sophisticated,” which you helped turn into a reality.

Kitchen work: Andrew and Michelle. (Photo: - bite - bitebymichelle.com)

Now, through the vision of our owner Liz , the expertise of Michelle Hooton (bitebymichelle.com) and the culinary savvy of Chef Andrew, we have taken another step in the evolution of Urban Deli, albeit a tad schizophrenic …

Deli by day; Italian by night.

We hope you like it as much as we do! And thank you for your support! From now on, our evenings are Italian, Wednesdays through Fridays.

And yes, our menu is online here. You can also download the PDF version.

And please, let us know what you think and share any suggestions you may have. We’re always listening. And don’t forget, to make a reservation for either the Deli or our Italian dinners, call us at 506-652-3354.

(One last note … Our site may also look a bit schizophrenic over the next few days as we make some changes, updates and other tweaks and tucks. We apologize for any inconvenience; we hope to have it all settled and done quickly.)

Host of Off the Beaten Palate, Michael-Ann Rowe

If you’ve been in Urban Deli you may have noticed our owner Liz is often a whirlwind of activity. However, she is almost zen-like when compared with her sister, Michael-Ann (aka Mikey, aka MA), who lives in New York City when she’s not traveling the globe or coming back to New Brunswick.

Each sister has her own distinct characteristics but they also have many in common. Not the least of these is a passion for food. Where Liz opened her own restaurant, Urban Deli, Michael-Ann created her own television show, Off the Beaten Palate.

You’ve probably seen Mikey in the Deli as she brings her energy back home to New Brunswick every chance she gets. In fact, the first show of Off the Beaten Palate showcases our great province.

Now Michael-Ann’s show is nominated in the 2012 Taste Awards (aka the Tasty Awards). If you’re unfamiliar with them, here is how they describe themselves.

Off the Beaten Palate

The Annual TASTE AWARDS (aka the TASTY Awards) is the premier broadcast awards show to celebrate the best in food, fashion, and home lifestyle programs on TV, in Film, Online, and on Radio. The goal is to recognize and acknowledge outstanding excellence in video and film content focused on food, drink, fashion, design, and home lifestyle.

The awards are a pretty big deal in the world of food. Other people up for awards in various categories are the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver with shows like Kitchen Nightmares and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

MA’s show finds itself in the Best Food Travel Series: Web (there are five shows nominated in the category).

Mikey will go just about anywhere to explore culinary delicacies from their roots.

What is Off the Beaten Palate?

Host and narrator, Michael-Ann Rowe, is a food lover, restaurateur, and TV personality, who takes an unabashed and inquisitive approach, as she travels the globe disclosing culinary delicacies from their roots.

We’re all pretty excited about Mikey’s nomination given that the show has not yet launched. But keep with us at Urban Deli for news of a PBS airing date in March, 2012! Canadians everywhere will have a chance to see it.

She’ll be heading to Hollywood soon for the January 12 Tasty Awards show (and we’re pretty envious because it sounds like it will be a snazzy red carpet affair).

We’re wishing her all the best as her culinary adventure takes her to Tinsel Town to hobnob with celebrity foodies and others as they celebrate the best in food television.

If you’re curious about Off the Beaten Palate have a look at the the trailer. You can also read about the Tasty Awards and Michael-Ann in this Huffington Post article.

Off the Beaten Palate:

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Michael-Ann Rowe, host of Off the Beaten Palate, takes a break while shooting an episode back home in New Brunswick.

With less than a week to go before Christmas, we thought we should send out a seasonal wish and also let you know what our holiday hours will be. And so …

We’ll be taking a breather over Christmas and giving our staff a chance to spend some time with friends and family. This means we’ll be closing Christmas Eve (Saturday, the 24th) at 3:00pm and not opening again until Tuesday, December 27th, at 11:30am.

For New Year’s, we’ll be closing at 3:00pm on December 31st (New Year’s Eve) and reopening Wednesday, January 4th at 11:30am. (Yes, on the Wednesday. Tuesday, the 3rd, we’re closed as we do inventory.)

And don’t forget, if you’re starting to panic about gifts for friends and family, drop by the Deli and ask us for a gift card — you choose the amount. They fit quite nicely inside a card. And an Urban Deli gift card can be used at anytime (no expiration date).

It’s a yummy gift idea especially if you have a food lover on your list. (And who doesn’t?)

Hope you’re enjoying the season. Be cheerful, merry and have a great time!

As for the Food Network, we’re very excited. We’ve heard from them and it turns out the Urban Deli segment of “You Gotta Eat Here!“ is set to air March 23rd at 9:00 ET (10:00pm in Atlantic Canada). We can hardly wait!

The show itself makes its premiere Friday, January 6 at 9pm ET/PT on the Food Network Canada (that would be 10pm in Atlantic Canada). (Press release – PDF file) We think it will be a great one — with the March segment marked on our calendar!

We hope everyone’s enjoying the season. It’s busy but it’s fun!

But don’t feel restricted. Whether you’re a company or just someone looking to entertain friends with a tasty Christmas get together, we can help. The Deli holds up to 40 people comfortably and we also have catering if you prefer to have your get together at home or in the office.

Our Christmas menu is available but if it’s a less formal occasion and you prefer to simplify, we also have menus for those, like our Saint John Comfort Food or Maritime Kitchen Party menus.

Just give Urban Deli a call at 652.DELI (3354) and ask for Liz or Andrew and we can get started on your plans.

Have a great holiday season!

We’re also selling Montreal Light Rye at $3.50 a loaf. Both the bagels and light rye bread are brought in fresh from Montreal.

The next time you’re in Urban Deli, you can pick up the bagels or a loaf of the light rye, or call us ahead at 652-3354 and we’ll have them ready for you for pick up.

Try the bagels or the light rye — or try them both. We think you’ll like them!

Urban Deli's chef, Andrew Brewer.

Urban Deli’s man behind the scenes – our chef – is Andrew Brewer, a long time Maritimer and New Brunswick native.

Born up the river a bit in Fredericton (1981), Andrew was raised close to the provincial capital in Stanley where he first gained cooking experience by helping out at his Aunt’s senior’s complex – at the age of 8!

But it was Andrew’s mom who inspired him most when it came to cooking.

She provided fabulous home cooked meals and what Andrew considers the best rolls and bread ever and so did the community. Andrew also worked at a dairy farm from the age of 14.

His first official cooking job was at the age of 16 when he began working at Keystone Kellys in Fredericton. Now his culinary journey was truly underway.

This was followed by culinary school in St. Andrews, where he graduated in 1999. This was immediately succeeded by a stint at L’Europe, in St. Andrews, where he spent two seasons working under Chef Marcus Ritter in his fine dining restaurant. Then Andrew ventured west.

He went to Alberta where he worked at Zenari’s in Edmonton, an Italian lunch restaurant and catering in the downtown core.

Long time Maritimer and New Brunswick native, Andrew Brewer - chef at Urban Deli.

But home is where the heart is and Andrew returned to New Brunswick where he finished his Red Seal Chef certificate in 2005 while working at Little Louis Oyster Bar under Chef Stephen Houston, CCC.

Andrew has also been employed at Cora’s for opening restaurants in the Atlantic Region, the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews, Billy’s Seafood Company and as Director of Food Services at Point Lepreau Generation Station..

Andrew first began his relationship with Urban Deli when he returned to our friends at Billy’s Seafood while also working part-time at the Deli. In 2010, Andrew took some time away from working and headed to Costa Rica for the winter. He came back to the Maritimes and Saint John in May of 2011, and has been working at Urban Deli ever since as our Chef.

And we’re glad to have him!

We’d love to see you for today’s Food Network taping of the front of the house customer feed back session … We have space available for Noon and 1:30 pm. But please call to reserve at 652-3354.

It should be a fun day!

On Friday and Saturday they’re going to be taping at our friends, Saint John Ale House. On Sunday and Monday, they’re taping here at Urban Deli.

We’d love for you to join us for Monday’s taping (the 17th), during lunch 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. But please call us and make a reservation at 652-3354.

And what’s this Food Network show all about? Two words: comfort food. Here’s how they describe it:

You Gotta Eat Here! sends our charming, funny and food-obsessed host, comedian John Catucci, on a quest to find Canada’s most delicious, mouthwatering, over-the-top comfort food.  He’s visiting great joints, greasy spoons, and legendary restaurants to taste the food that made them famous, and to meet the colourful characters that make each one of them institutions.

It should be fun. John Catucci is a pretty funny guy and it sounds as if he knows his comfort food. We’re fired up with the idea of them coming to see us and we hope you’ll join us so we can give them a real Uptown Saint John welcome. Hope to see you Monday!

That’s our cutesy way of reminding you that Hotel California: The Eagles Tribute is at the Imperial Theatre tonight. And if you are headed there, you might want to stop by the Deli for a bite before the show. We promise, there will be no heartbreak tonight. (Major groan!)

Liz loves everything by the Eagles, especially Hotel California. Bill, the web guy, is partial to Desperado, though he also has a great fondness for Lyin’ Eyes and dozens of other Eagles songs.

And if you plan to join us at the Deli before the show, please call us to reserve to ensure you have a seat. We don’t want to break that “no heartbreak” promise! You can reach us at 652-3354.

Have a great time at the show!