Urban Deli Tag uptownsj Page 7 | Urban Deli

Posted on July 21, 2010 Posted by Fran

At Urban Deli we have been told we have nice racks, racks of ribs that is…

Saint John, New Brunswick has been experiencing an excellent summer season. The sunny weather has incited many to heat up their barbeques, crack a cold beer (or non-alcoholic drink) and socialize.

At Urban Deli we have customers that come in specifically to enjoy our applewood smoked ribs (available as a half or full rack). What is really intriguing about our ribs (and many customers do not know this) is that they are available to be purchased and taken home to be re-heated.

Ribs after a five hour smoking process

This means you can throw it on the barbie and really impress your guests when they arrive.

These ribs are given special attention from the very beginning (starting first with their five hour smoking process which is done on-site) and so has our BBQ sauce.

Great care is taken to ensure the right flavours come through and since our BBQ sauce is made from scratch, we have been able to certify that it is gluten-free.

Half rack of applewood smoked ribs served with your choice of side

Each set of ribs purchased are pre-marinated in our BBQ sauce and we even give you enough on the side for basting or dipping purposes when you pick them up to take home.

So when you are thinking about heating up that barbeque or grabbing a case of cold beer, remember that even with a busy schedule you can always stop by or pre-order our ribs.

Add any of our appetizers (like our roasted garlic and artichoke dip), side salads, hand-cut deli frites to your order or get one of our fabulous desserts.

Take all the credit, we really don’t mind.

There’s no time like summer for barbecues and there’s nothing like ribs for putting the scent of summer in the air and floating through the neighbourhood. 🙂

Posted on July 5, 2010 Posted by Urban Deli

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We had a fabulous weekend …

… And it all started with a incredible Canada Day in Uptown Saint John. Even the dogs were caught up in the feeling we call Canada.

The Deli had a little setup in front of the UD (the restaurant was closed) where we sold breakfast and pulled pork sandwiches outside the doors. We also had cold drinks like our scratch lemonade and ice-tea. It was a fun way to be working and being out meeting people enjoying the day. We have photos on our Facebook page here.

The photo above of Lianne and Liz and our extraordinary helpful helper was just one of loads of photos Beaver Smith took (many thanks!). If you want to really see what Saint John’s Uptown looked like on this Canada day, have a look at his photos.

Posted on June 17, 2010 Posted by Urban Deli

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Awards time in Uptown Saint John

The 2010 Live Life Awards are on and there is a restaurant category where oodles of nominations are flowing in. You can add your voice by dropping in and having your say on the “Best Restaurant of the Year” in the Uptown area.

Of course, we’ve a particular bias. 🙂

But there are so many fabulous places to eat in Saint John’s Uptown, we’re thrilled to be one of them. This isn’t a competition so much as it’s a celebration of what we have and what we’re building on in the Uptown.

By the way, there will be a ceremony June 24 at the Saint John Theatre Company. You can get information on it, as well as information on getting a ticket to the event, by visiting the 2010 Live Life Awards web site. In their words, “… we’re having a party.”

In the meantime, if you want to nominate a restuarant, the place to go is here (simply add it as a comment).

One last note … Urban Deli also qualifies in a couple of other categories. Such as New Business of the Year (we opened last July) and Commercial Space of the Year. If you want to toss a nomination our way, we’d love to get it!

(Photo of the Urban Deli is by Beaver Smith, bigdayfoto, Saint John.)

Posted on April 22, 2010 Posted by The Deli

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Seared beef carpaccio with peppercorn mushrooms

I loved this recipe! This is so refreshing and flavorful and worth the few minutes it takes to prepare and serve. It’s taken from: Company’s Coming: Practical Gourmet – Small Plates for Sharing (pages 58 & 59).

(Note: the image shown is an example of carpaccio but not that of the recipe below.)

Seared beef carpaccio with peppercorn mushrooms:

– 1 tbsp / 15 ml Montreal steak spice
– 1 tbsp / 15 ml finely chopped fresh thyme
– 1 lb / 454 g beef strip loin steak

– 1 tbsp / 15 ml cooking oil
– 5 cups / 1.25 L sliced brown mushrooms

– 1/3 cup / 75 ml brandy
– 1 tbsp / 15 ml canned green peppercorns
– 1 tbsp / 15 ml butter

– ½ cup / 125 ml Arugula leaves lightly packed

Combine Montreal steak spice and finely chopped thyme (I used dried and would have preferred fresh) in a pie pan or wide bottom bowl. Press steak into spice mixture until coated. Cook on a greased grill on high for about 2 minutes per side until browned and slightly crisp. Transfer to cutting board. Cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes.

Heat cooking oil in a frying pan on medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook until browned and liquid is evaporated.

Stir in brandy and peppercorns. Add butter and stir until melted.

Cut steak across the grain into very thin slices. Arrange with arugula and mushrooms on a serving plate. Serves 6.

Company’s Coming describes an alternative method for cooking the Beef Carpaccio. (I grilled it on our flat top at the Deli). Instead of grilling the steak you can sear it using olive oil in a very hot stainless steel or cast iron frying pan. Sear each side for only one minute. The result will be a very thin dark crust that is quite appealing; however, it is not recommended that you use this method with a non-stick pan as the high heat may ruin the non-stick coating.

A couple of my own notes:

I doubled the recipe because it was for a group of 15 people as an appetizer. If you have a smaller dinner group the recipe portion is perfect!
I used spinach instead of arugula. Although spinach was good the arugula would have added more of a peppery taste to further compliment the flavors.
When I sautéed the mushrooms, peppercorns, brandy & butter, I poured it over the spinach, which was down the centre of the platter with the beef carpaccio on both sides.
Squeezing a bit of fresh lemon juice down each side of the plated carpaccio enhances the flavor (personal preference).
Once the beef carpaccio has been left to stand for 10 minutes, you can put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it a bit firmer, which makes it easier for thinly slicing. We used the meat slicer at the Deli and did so after the beef stood for 20 minutes.

(If you’re interested in the book, you’ll find Company’s Coming: Practical Gourmet – Small Plates for Sharing at Chapters – Indigo.)

Posted on March 31, 2010 Posted by Urban Deli

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Good Friday note and a change to our Saturdays

This is just a quick note to let you know we’re open on Good Friday from 9am to 3pm. We will be serving a light breakfast from 9am to 11:30am. This is because it’s a holiday Friday.

Looking ahead to Saturday, and every Saturday onward, we’ll open at 9am and serve a light breakfast until 11:30am and then move on to our lunch menu.

This is a change to Saturdays. Previously, we were not open for breakfasts. But we will be now! So if you’re in the Uptown area on Saturday, drop by for a light breakfast. We would love to see you!

And we’d love to hear what you think of the breakfast menu and any suggestions you may have. We think of this as a starting point – a kind of “beta” breakfast menu – and we’d love for you to help us tweak it to make it better!

Posted on March 31, 2010 Posted by The Deli

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Bourbon Quarter – worth the reservations

*For reservations call 506-214-3618

Opening and trial nights are never easy for new restaurant owners and their staff. There is always something that is unfinished to the perfectionist owner who wants nothing more than to be a crowd pleaser for his or her future clientele. The old saying about having one opportunity to make a good first impression is true and it can be overwhelming.

On Friday, March 26, I and 14 others in our party were lucky invitees to the friends and family night at Bourbon Quarter. The menu presented for the evening was $20 with the following choices:

Appetizer:

Grilled Watermelon with goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, spring greens and buttermilk vinaigrette
or
Louisiana Fried Clams

Entrée:

Crisp Skin Salmon with roasted fingerling potatoes, julienne vegetables, fried onions and beet butter
or
Supreme Chicken Breast with truffle whipped potatoes and glazed vegetables

For dessert (for an additional $5) there was Crème Brulée, Madagascar vanilla bean (meaning “burnt cream”).

The review:

I’ve taken a hybrid of my own personal experience during my evening as well as those of other people in our party.

Like most foodies, I had to try everything regardless of any extra cost.

Grilled Watermelon: When the grilled watermelon appetizer arrived the presentation was beautiful. The flavours were something I have not tasted since visiting the Rossmount in St. Andrews just before Christmas. Those of us who tried it (including myself ) were using our pinky finger and spoons or forks to capture the remaining buttermilk vinaigrette on the plate. Need I say more?

Louisiana Fried Clams: This was a great idea but the consensus at the table was that this appetizer needs work. There is always one dish for a new restaurant that will be their nemesis. Owners love feedback and I shared mine with Chef Brad. (Our nemesis at the Urban Deli, and as simple as it sounds, was our homemade baked beans.)

Crisp Skin Salmon: OMG! I don’t think they could have cooked the salmon any better; the flavor was delicious and the plate presentation was perfect. It was a nice follow-up to the Watermelon appetizer.

Supreme Chicken Breast: The chicken was cooked to perfection (mine was) and there were a couple of dishes that were on the cooler side but tasty to the hungry visitor.

Dessert: Crème Brulee was the intent and as it turned out…someone forgot the dessert torch for the brulee; therefore, it was more of a custard (a very good custard too!). When we finished, everyone’s dish was empty.

Plate presentation at Bourbon Quarter is beautifully simple. I haven’t seen their static menu or their pricing. For this friends and family night our cost for two for the evening was $116 not including the gratuity. Our service was excellent….Ashley, who also works at the Urban Deli, did a phenomenal job given the size of our party!

Wine was only available by the glass. Beer, tap beer, martinis, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks were also being served by bartender extraordinaire Gordon, former manager of Sebastian. Mike Verner is hiring a sommelier from Ontario. We should see a real focus on wine and food pairings in the future.

The Bourbon Quarter room with its renovations was trendy, upscale and comfortable. The renovations would have had more of an impact if you had visited the location prior to it being Bourbon Quarter. Vision goes a long way. I could feel a bit of the same flare from the designers of Thandi’s, who also did Bourbon Quarter. The end result? It works for both restaurants.

Thank you to Mike Verner, Sean Verner and their families, Chef Brad Richard, and all the staff. Great work!

Visit Bourbon Quarter at 112 Prince William Street, Uptown Saint John.

***

Bio: Liz is the owner of the Urban Deli. With a sister in Manhattan, she has visited New York many times and invariably studies the Big Apple’s famous delis.

Posted on March 29, 2010 Posted by Urban Deli

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Cooking class – a new first for Urban Deli

A group of twenty or so people convened at the Urban Deli on a sunny Sunday afternoon on March 14th to participate in the first cooking class hosted by UD. The restaurant is normally closed on Sundays, but Liz decided to open up for a few hours to host this reservation-only event. Bob McVicar was the instructing chef and the subject of the day was Italian-style cabbage rolls.

The afternoon began with some informal introductions and delicious snacks (check out this sautéed red pepper recipe), and then we all found seats at the communal table in groups of four. To ensure that the objective of the class was clear, Bob served us each a sample of his Italian cabbage rolls that he had put together a couple of days prior – Bob swears that they are better a few days after making them. We also sampled some homemade Italian sausage that UD has recently started making in-house.

Next, we worked in our groups of four to create some of Bob’s Italian cabbage rolls. We made half of the recipe below, which resulted in a roasting pan full of cabbage rolls. Bob did some of the prep work before we arrived and had already softened and peeled the cabbage leaves off of the head for us as well as having prepared the tomato sauce. Our main tasks were to create the filling and put the rolls together.

Bob’s recipe for the filling is simple to put together and rolling it in the leaves is pretty easy once you get used to it. You’ll need to be willing to get your hands dirty for this dish, so dig in and have some fun. Just follow the recipe and preparation instructions below and you’ll have no problems.

After assembling all of our rolls, we packed them up and topped them with some delicious tomato sauce. Each participant received a portion to take home, at which point they simply had to be baked and served fresh, saved for a few days before eating, or placed in the freezer to consume at a later date.

The cooking class was an enjoyable afternoon and a great value at only $12 per person, which was to help cover some of the costs. Beverages were also available to purchase and the snacks continued to flow throughout the afternoon. This cooking class was a successful first for UD and I suspect that there will be many more to come. Stay tuned to urbandeli.ca for info about future cooking classes that Liz has in the works.

Italian Cabbage Rolls – download recipe by Bob McVicar:

***

This article was written by our guest author, Trisha Gallant, who is also an Urban Deli regular.

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