Slow Food Nation Meeting

In San Francisco this weekend, 50,000 followers of the Slow Food Nation are expected to gather to promote getting back to the table. At AZUR, we embrace their philosophy of slowing down to enjoy a meal of fresh locally grown ingredients with family and friends. It's okay to have a meal last 1.5 to 2 hours. This gives us time to not only enjoy the flavors of the cuisine but also to share social time with others. Maybe this Labor Day weekend is a good time to slow down.

AZUR Pig Roast Well Received!

Despite light showers which limited the outdoor seating, the AZUR Pig Roast was well received. The management and staff did an great job with the weather conditions and maximized all available seating. Unfortunately, we were not able to accommodate all those that wanted to attend but those that had earlier reservations were treated to an awesome dinner of sucking pig, arepas, paella and mojitos. AZUR will definitely repeat this type of event in the future.

AZUR Pig Roast on Wait!

With the weather forecast on the "iffy" side, AZUR has reached a safe number for the August Chef Series Pig Roast tomorrow night. We have a waiting list as it stands right now. Hopefully, the evening skies will be clear and we will be able to accommodate everyone for this festive event.

Support Your Independents!

During the upcoming Labor Day weekend, get out and enjoy the fruits of your labor by treating yourself to a nice meal at one of the local independent restaurants. They have been struggling just like you in this economy. Plus, they miss seeing you as much. Independents have a strong sense of community and they need your emotional as well as financial support. We truly appreciate your business.

College and Ramen Noodles

As the University of Kentucky starts classes this week, we reflected on our college days and a staple food which helped many American college students survive - Ramen Noodles. Momfuku Ando, the inventor of ramen instant noodles at 48 years old, died in 2007 at the age of 96. He left behind a food legacy but no one really stops to think of what ramen means. The word ramen actually comes from translating lo mien from the Chinese language into Japanese.

Labor Day Weekend Kickoff at AZUR

AZUR will be kicking off the Labor Day weekend with Food, Fun & Music with the August Chef Series Latin Pig Roast on the patio. Special musical guests - Alma Gitana will compliment the dinner with their Latin gypsy soul music. This will be a festive evening starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 29. Cost is $35.00 for the dinner: however, the music is cover free. We're saying "goodbye" to summer and "hello" to fall which means Keeneland is just around the corner.

Sometimes There is no Reason

It was a hot night in Lexington tonight with a temperature in the low 90's. Gasoline prices jumped and AZUR was competing with some other local events, but we were extremely busy even for a Friday night. Sometimes business just comes regardless of other factors. We learned to live with the unpredictability a long time ago in the restaurant business but sometimes it's still just a surprise to us.

Pig Roast One Week Away

AZUR is getting excited about the Chef Series Pig Roast next Friday, August 29. Not only are we serving roasted pork, paella, arepas and mojitos, we also have ALMA GITANA playing on the same night. With gasoline prices still high, this is a great way to enjoy a mini-getaway for the night. Chefs Ashby & Rivas will cooking Latin-style on the patio!

Berkel What?

A Berkel is a brand of meat slicer. It was designed by a Dutch butcher Wilhelm Van Berkel in the late 1800's. The innovation was a concave blade which only allows the cutting edge of the blade to come in contact with the meat. This eliminates friction between the entire surface of the slicer blade and the meat which prevents the meat from being heated during the cutting process.

AZUR Receives Mention on Zagat

AZUR was pleased to learn that a Zagat foodie recently posted their comments about dining at AZUR. Their brief statement was "Excellently prepared fish, beef. Wonderful patio. " We appreciate them taking the time to post their experience on Zagat and hope that others follow.

AZUR Chef Interview

AZUR's executive chef - Jeremy Ashby will be interviewed today for an upcoming article in the Southsider. This monthly publication reaches approximately 15,000 households on the south side of Lexington with articles pertaining to the community. Ashby is always ready and willing to discuss the cuisine at AZUR and what makes it unique to this market.

AZUR Catering

The AZUR kitchen staff under the direction of Executive Chef - Jeremy Ashby has been pulling double duty with catering events this week. Yes, AZUR does upscale catering in addition to being a seven day per week dining venue. This is quite a feat considering the open AZUR kitchen is only 500 square feet. We believe that we offer a unique alternative with our catering and offer our clients the "wow" factor. Clients have included law firms, builders, doctors and horse farms.

Cooler Temperatures on the AZUR patio

With unseasonal cooler temperatures including a record low, AZUR guests have been enjoying the patio this August. Luckily, we added additional seating earlier in the season. We now offer over 100 seats outside and there is an option between covered and uncovered seating as well. The AZUR patio is a nice oasis for the commute home on the south side of Lexington. Especially now as school as begun in Lexington and traffic has increased.

Busy Busy Day

Normally one would assume that when AZUR says it was a very busy day, you would think that we served many guests tonight. This is true but we also spent several hours planning ahead for the next two months, coding purchases for the general ledger for last month and marketing the restaurant. There is much more to running a restaurant than just the cooking. Cooking and serving is the rewarding part of the business.

Lincoln Dish at AZUR

As part of the Lexington Public Library Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration, AZUR is featuring the Knob Creek Corn Cakes from a family recipe book during the months of August and September. The kickoff reception was at the main library branch this past Saturday and AZUR furnished samples of the corn cakes for the event. Please see the daily menus for when the Knob Creek Corn Cakes will be served and take a moment to visit one of the events being conducting around Kentucky.

AZUR Newsletter

For several years, we have been sending a newsletter to AZUR guests which includes information about upcoming events, improvements and music performances. This week we launched our new "listserv" which accomplished two things: 1) we now have a newsletter that everyone can easily view and 2) we are able to determine if the email reaches the intended recipient. In the past, some of our valued customers were not able to open the attachments for various reasons. If you wish to be added to our email list, please send an email to fwohlstein@azurrestaurant.com and we'll see that you are added. This will insure that you are notified of the music schedules, specialty dinners, pet functions and other AZUR news.

AZUR in the 21st Century

AZUR has been very busy the last week with technology. In addition to this blog, we have added an AZUR facebook page and updated our email "listserv" which we hope will improve our communication with our guests. Also, we are now posting our entertainment on www.eventful.com which alerts iPhone users as to events in the area. Though AZUR will continue to use conventional print media as well. We realize that many of you are more digitally savvy and we want to provide information in an effective manner to everyone.

AZUR and Bluegrass Treasures

AZUR is "Kentucky Proud" in more ways than one. Not only do we promote the purchasing of Kentucky grown food products but also Kentucky products in general. This Thursday, Wilma Clapp and Mary Davis will be releasing their new book titled Bluegrass Treasures: A Guide to Extraordinary Lodging, Dining & Entertainment. The book release reception will take place at the Carnegie Center in downtown Lexington. We'll be there to show our support!

AZUR's Facebook Page

We must admit that we did not realize the popularity of Facebook as a means of social communication. AZUR has already had many guests join as "fans". We have had one issue regarding finding our page. Although we are working to solve this issue, you may find our Facebook page by typing "AZUR restaurant" in the search field. You must type "AZUR" in upper case (capital letters) and "restaurant" in lower case to readily find the AZUR restaurant page. We are pleased to be able to post candid photographs and articles on AZUR. If you have a Facebook account, please look us up and become a "fan". This will insure that you receive the latest updates.

AZUR Launches Facebook Page!

Yesterday, AZUR added it's own business page to Facebook. We felt that we needed to keep our presence consistent with our cuisine - cutting edge. This venue will allow our "fans" to receive notification of upcoming events and music schedules. As well as, allow them to post their experiences in their own words. Those AZUR guests with a Facebook account can link to the AZUR restaurant & patio page as of today. We have already posted several photo albums and will be adding additional content very soon. Plus, we have a discussion started.

What's Next for AZUR?

Well, we've be discussing the web and how AZUR should stay ahead of the curve when it comes to being cutting edge (cuisine and technology). We launched our blog in 2007 to give our guests information that is more behind the scenes as well as informative as to what's going on at AZUR. The last few weeks, we have been converting our email contacts to a new "listserv" so we can more effective communicate special events and other news to those guests that have furnished their email addresses. Now, we wish to create our own Facebook page to post candid photographs and allow the AZUR guests to link to us in a more personal way. Sure, it's new uncharted territory for AZUR but we like pushing the envelope.

AZUR Beating the Heat!

Just last summer, our patio would have been very sparse with the temperatures in the lower 90's but the new awning with ceiling fans keeps the patio so much cooler. We admit that the air conditioned dining room is preferred for those who wish to dine without nature around them. But those who wish to enjoy the summer flowers and gentle breezes, we have the covered patio. Plus, there is live music. Pardon the pun but "AZUR has you covered"!