Mmmm-Meet me at Urban Deli!

SOOO Good.  I finally made it to Urban Deli, 68 King Street, and am I ever glad I did!  What a great experience, and a fabulous addition to Uptown Saint John.

I used a meeting as an excuse to check it out, not that I needed one, and claimed one end of the long “communal” or “sharing” table for my group.  First, really cool idea…  I mean, perhaps a bit off putting for some, but so neat to just sit down next to complete strangers and see what conversations ensue.  Second, even cooler because it is a hand-crafted masterpiece, one long piece cut from a solid beam taken from a very old Saint John building.  I don’t know why I would ever go back to eating at a stuffy & ‘private’ly uninteresting booth (don’t worry, they do have some of those for the ‘anti-social’ lot).

Besides the table, the inside of the restaurant was chic and well, urban!  The decor was a far cry from Spagos, with its beautiful exposed brick walls from floor to ceiling & large blackboard menu board above the counter.  A great hutch accents the end of the communal table displaying Urban Deli branded coffee mugs, among other things.  There are no secrets kept in the kitchen either, with the open concept, you can see exactly how your food is made!

Which brings me to the food!  Wow.  Before I describe (in detail) what I finally chose for dinner, let me me comment on the menu:  Perfect. Concise. All you need.  My friends and I commented quickly on the short menu… I mean, why do you need pages and pages of choices (where the chef is stretched thin to do everything well)?  Small, well planned menus where the food is well made, that is where it’s at!  Plus, they use local whenever possible.  GREAT!  I had the corned beef sandwich with split pea soup, both full of flavour and totally yummy paired with a glass of white wine.  Plus, what would a deli be without coleslaw a slice of pickle? YUM!

The cherry on top was the service.  Great, friendly service with a willingness to chat and encouragement to experience the communal table.  An older gentleman was ushered to our end of the table and joined right in on our conversations, asking us all what we do and why we were there. 

At dinner time the restaurant was full, and understandably so!  I hope the business floods in to this new uptown gem.  In fact, I found it so good, I returned the very next day.  Eat well Saint John, and be merry!  Cheers.