Udi's Handcrafted Foods

A taste of what's to come...

Some of Udi's new 2009 menu items!

Exciting changes to our menus are abound around Udi's. Please be sure to ask our staff for a copy of the latest menu when ordering at either of our cafes, and our catering or wholesale departments. Below is just a taste of what's to come at Udi's in 2009!*

SIDE SALADS

Hazelnut Orange Rice Salad – A mix of wild and white rice with toasted hazelnuts, fresh orange segments and crispy celery coated in orange dill vinaigrette.

Fresh Winter Veggies Salad – The best of winter freshness; carrots, celery root and parsley in a bright lemon and olive oil dressing.

SALADS

Japanese Noodle Salad – Marinated rice noodles nestled on a bed of crisp Romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, seared chicken breast, and toasted sesame seeds, lightly dressed with Udi’s new Light Ginger dressing.

Sunshine Feta Salad – Thin-sliced red cabbage, sweet carrots, green onions, parsley, sunflower sprouts, toasted sunflower seeds and feta cheese dressed lightly with olive oil and apple vinegar and lemon.  Healthy and delicious.

Sweet Chili Rice Salad – Crispy fresh Broccoli, carrots and chicken in a flavorful Chili-Garlic sauce on a white and wild rice mix, nestled in a crisp bed of shredded Napa Cabbage.

Miso Salmon Noodle Salad – Marinated rice noodles on a bed of crisp Romaine Lettuce, cucumbers, seared Salmon and toasted sesame seeds dressed with our new Creamy Wasabi Vinaigrette. 

 

SANDWICHES

Along with new menu items, comes our new and very special bread – the CHALLAH TWIST. This is a take on our original Challah, made especially for our sandwiches. It is dense enough to carry any sandwich’s ingredients, and still light, sweet, and airy to the palette.

NEW CHALLAH TWIST SANDWICHES

Wasabi Chicken – Lightly seasoned, seared, sliced chicken breast on crisp romaine and peppery arugula, topped with our new Udi’s Wasabi sauce on our sweet challah twist.

Turkey Reuben Twist - Turkey Roasted with sweet caramelized onions and our house-made Thousand Island dressing, and topped with Swiss Gruyere cheese on our new challah twist.

Udi-Q Chicken Twist – Slow smoked, pulled chicken breast, on a bed of romaine lettuce, topped with a slightly spicy BBQ sauce complimented by our new challah twist.

NEW SIGNATURE SANDWICHES

Denver's Best Pastrami Reuben – The “best” pastrami in on our flavorful rye, drizzled with our house-made tangy Thousand Island dressing, topped with caramelized onions and a Swiss Gruyere.

Udi’s Caprese – Fresh locally-made mozzarella cheese, vine ripened tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce and a basil pesto spread on our walnut bread.

NEW BAGUETTE SANDWICHES

Spicy Italian Baguette – an Italian Baguette, topped with spicy pickled, carrot and pepper relish, and layered with the finest Italian meats, including Salami, Sopresatta, and Cappicollo. It is then finished with Provolone cheese slices and Romaine lettuce.

Turkey Cheddar Baguette – Roasted turkey, topped with our cheddar cheese, Romaine lettuce, and dijonaisse on an Italian Baguette.

Ham & Swiss Baguette – Ham, topped with our Swiss Gruyere cheese, Romaine lettuce, and dijonaisse served on an Italian Baguette.

 

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*May vary by department.

 

 

Meet Udi's

Robin Bar-On
Udi's Handcrafted Foods
Udi's Bread Cafe - Fitzsimmons

15 years ago you might have seen her at the Northglenn Mall in Colorado, working the afternoon shifts at what was Udi's original sandwich kiosk. Today, you'll find her collaborating with other Udi's chefs, creating some of the most delicious and creative menu items in the "303".

Ask her where she gets her inspiration, and you'll experience excitement that is contagious. "Are you kidding me?! There are endless supplies of flavors, colors, textures and aromas all over the world! How can we not be inspired daily?!" True, and when you add the experience of having worked with some of the biggest names in the industry (Batali, Flay, Keller)- you get mouthwatering creations, that keep us coming back time and time again.  She continues - with a look one might have when recollecting a culinary adventure, "I tapped into many Asian ingredients and dishes for some of the 2009 menu items. I wanted to bring the Asian and American palettes together. It was finding that refined result - a perfect balance - that really drove me."

You might assume that asking Robin to pick her favorite Udi's item, might be like asking a painter to pick their favorite color. Instead, her answer was suprisingly simple; "Our bread is unbeatable. There is nothing like a warm fresh baked loaf. No utensils required!"

The Search for the Lost Roll - the Challah Twist story.

    14 months ago marked the beginning of a new bread obsession for Udi’s.  A flour filled fervor that led us through the U.S.A, Europe, and Israel. It was the search for a roll that was lost from our menus a decade and a half ago.

    This special roll had to come off of our menus due to its additives and non-artisan qualities. Despite it's wonderful texture, crust, crumb, and taste, it was simply not udi-ful enough to be a keeper. Over a year ago however, we found that some of our sandwiches were getting tired. They were full of variety and deliciousness, yet lacking a new flare. It had come time to reinvent that wonderful bread we dismissed so long ago. This time, kneaded with the natural qualities and handcrafted care which Udi's foods are famous for.

    The adaptation process began with a look at our existing soft bread “repertoire”. This roll however, began demanding more attention than merely a quick review. So Udi headed across the country to New York, then L.A. with several stops in between. After many tests and recipes, Udi decided it was time to board a plane to Europe. Surely France, Italy, or Germany would have that flavor that pushed Udi's palette to this journey in the first place. After dozens of panetterias, boulangeries and Bäckereien turned up nothing - he headed for Israel. Hundreds of rolls later, in a small and unassuming bakery in Tel-Aviv, he realized; “We've had it all along in our own bakery: the Jewish Challah!”  All this special roll would take were some simple adjustments.

    Within a few months our bakers perfected a new roll. One that is delicate and light in texture, yet dense enough to support any sandwich's “stuffing” without making a mess. It's taste is sweet and elegant and it's twist appearance is an homage to its Challah ancestor. Behold the Challah Twist.

    We were now ready to reinvent the classic American sandwich for the 21st century. We re-examined our entire menus and cleaned them up, adding and removing items as necessary and updating others. We also decided that in a time of economical instability, we would not follow the trend of cutting quality for costs. Instead, Udi's will provide even better ingredients where possible, and raise our own high standards at the cost of profitability.

    When you review our 2009 menu, you’ll see we've also added new, original, mouthwatering salad entrees and side salads. We'll write more on these next time.

    Be sure to ask our office and catering staff about sampling some of these new items for yourself, and see what the 14 month fuss was all about.

    Until next time, Be Udiful.