Uptown eating

Fast, fresh food — that’s the specialty at the new Uptown Bistro in King’s Canyon Art Gallery on the square in Osceola.

Uptown Bistro officially opened May 1, and it is owned by Brandi Dunbar and her sister-in-law Jill Sage.

“I just always wanted to have a restaurant, and so, this kind of worked out,” Dunbar said.

Existing operation

King’s Canyon, which is owned by Brad and Cheryl Hansen, used to offer a lunch bistro, as well as an art gallery, but they found it advantageous to turn over the restaurant to someone else.

Cheryl said having the existing lunch operation going and using the licensed kitchen has greatly aided the start of Uptown Bistro.

“They were able to step in and start up from day one,” she said. “Right, they didn’t have to go out and lose money in investment. It was here. … the door was open.”

Uptown Bistro’s current hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. They offer eat-in or carry-out.

Uptown Bistro will continue to offer catering, brunch, breakfast, lunch and dinner. They cater sandwiches found on the menu and frequently customize menus.

Dunbar said they don’t buy bulk items and make the effort to shop locally.

Cranberry pecan chicken salad

One of the most popular and frequently asked for menu items is the cranberry pecan chicken salad.

“Everyone’s always asking if we still have it. It’s very good,” Dunbar said.

As for where the name of Uptown Bistro came from, Dunbar said the name just seemed to fit the location.

“We just kind of thought of it,” she said. “I mean, it didn’t come from anywhere special, besides the fact people say ‘Oh, let’s go uptown.’ So, that kind of just stuck,” Dunbar said while laughing.

Future plans

Dunbar said future plans include opening in the morning for coffee, hot teas, quiche and breakfast pastries. She said she was hoping to have this done by June, which would extend the bistro’s hours to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. so it could offer breakfast and lunch.

Plans are also in the works for extended evening hours during Osceola’s Fourth of July celebration.

“It’s kind of always been a dream, but I think, just being able to see the people or deal with people every day, I think is a lot of it. You know, seeing them happy,” Dunbar said.