Last Call for Azur Chef Series Side by Side 5 Dinner

Tomorrow, October 28 is the Chef Series Side by Side 5 Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sous chef Justin Clark will be featuring 5 courses and 5 specialty beer pairings. This Oktoberfest tribute includes beers from England, Scotland and Ireland. Food and beer pairings are an upcoming culinary trend - come be adventurous at AZUR for the evening. There's always something different at AZUR! Seating is limited. Reserve your table now by calling 859.296.1007.

AZUR Enjoys Promoting Food at Many Levels

AZUR was asked today to prepare several levels of hors d'oeuvres (including a few frozen) for a magazine photo shoot. Although none of them are our original creations, we believe that promoting food at all levels is good for every one's food awareness. As a chef driven restaurant, it is our responsibility to share our expertise and promote food of all types and we're glad to assist. AZUR is always flattered to be asked, because it demonstrates respect for our staff and concept.

What does "In the Weeds" mean?

"In the weeds" or "weeded"- actually has several meanings and applies to the front of the house (dining room), back of the house (kitchen) as well as the entire restaurant. The kitchen being "in the weeds" can mean having several orders come all at once from multiple large tables and not having enough cooking services to keep up. In the front of the house, it could mean a particular server just had two or three large parties seated at the same time and they are all ready to order now. The restaurant is "weeded" when the entire restaurant is seated at nearly the same time which may cause both the kitchen and the servers to be "in the weeds". AZUR tries very hard to control "weeded" conditions because it is very stressful to all parties.

AZUR Post-Keeneland

As soon as we conclude the Keeneland Fall Meet, AZUR will be completing changes to our winter menus as well as putting the finishing touches on a couple of interesting Chef Series dinners. We are currently working on a Blues & Bourbon dinner for November which will have three elements which compliment each other. They are: 1) Blues music, 2) Bourbon and 3) BBQ. The BBQ will feature different regional BBQ styles. Using different...we're giving too much away. You'll have to wait and see!

Focusing on the Day to Day

Sometimes at AZUR, we must focus solely on the day to day business. Meaning, days pass before there are opportunities to work on extraneous AZUR projects. This has been one of those weeks where we just had to keep our efforts on running the business. There are so many things that AZUR would like to accomplish.

AZUR Website Revamp Meeting

After three years, it's time that AZUR updated the website (stone tablet to flash video). Hence, we had a meeting with a local web designer who will prepare a proposal based on our ideas for the new skin (web pages). If you want to have the "before and after" effect, you better pay a visit to the existing website www.azurrestaurant.com now. AZUR will be moving quickly on this.

AZUR and LIVE MUSIC

AZUR doesn't stop with just diversity on the menu, we also feature a variety of live music on Friday and Saturday nights on the patio. We showcase all types of music including blues, rock, classical, jazz and more. At AZUR, we believe in the total dining experience.

More Technical Issues at AZUR

Last weekend we struggled with a bad compressor and this weekend it's the computer network and signage. One of our point-of-sales (POS) workstations decided that it didn't want to talk to the main server today. After several hours of troubleshooting and some more gray hairs, we managed to solve the issue just before Friday night's dinner service. Then, one of our guests pointed out that the AZUR sign was off. We were right back to troubleshooting again! Fortunately, it turned out that a breaker was mistakenly switched off. Never a dull moment in the food service business.

AZUR Patio Seating

The weather has been cooperating this year and AZUR is still able to offer patio seating. Our patio will remain open as long as possible into Fall. Generally speaking, we are able to seat into November before the weather becomes too chilly for the patio heaters to warm the area. One tip would be to start dinner an hour earlier while the sun is still up.

Dark Days

Last couple of days have been "dark" for more reasons than one. First, Keeneland is "dark" or closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. And second, we finally received some much needed rain in central Kentucky to the tune of about 1/2" to 3/4". Normally, AZUR prefers sunny days all the time but we have had more than a fair share this past summer. The rain was definitely a welcomed sight.

Compressor is Fixed!

Having our walk-in cooler compressor out for 3 days on a Keeneland weekend was brutal! Although we did rent a portable walk-in for the weekend, having to go 5 times the distance to get food inventory added additional strain to an already taxed kitchen. AZUR didn't have any prior experience with an essential equipment outage but we do now. Definitely a learning experience and an expensive one.

The AZUR Experience Video

Enjoy the AZUR experience online by watching our new video posted on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM65TneGl7s

Compressor Woes at AZUR

Just when you think that you have prepared for everything, you're hit with the unexpected! With a full walk-in cooler all stocked for a Keeneland weekend and we mean STOCKED, the compressor goes out after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday. We all know what that means in the repair world - labor at time and a half. AZUR is now in the process of having the compressor replaced in the middle of dinner rush on a Friday night. We're taking it with a smile and moving forward. We cannot worry about what we cannot change.

AZUR and Keeneland

It's no secret in Lexington, Kentucky that Keeneland opens the Fall meet on Friday, October 3 which is tomorrow. Everyone has been anticipating the return of thoroughbred racing to the "Heart of the Bluegrass" since the Spring meet concluded. At AZUR, we have been putting the finishes touches on the interior and exterior for all the after Keeneland guests. We have added fall plantings, touched up the bold wall paint, stocked up the spirits and filled the patio heater tanks. Now, AZUR is ready to serve!

The AZUR Experience Video

For those of you with Facebook accounts, we uploaded a new video to the AZUR restaurant & patio page which features many images of entrees (just before being delivered to the tables) and interior shots of the dining room. We hope that this video gives web viewers that may not have been able to visit us in person yet a feel of the AZUR experience.