I understand the feeling about the many menus lol. The Polygon display options are under the "Display" menu, which is in the main menu set between "Create" and "Window", can't miss it. Display>Polygons and "custom polygon display" options near the bottom give you access to all of same items in the menu plus extra stuff, so pick your poison.
Smooth/Flat shade modes can be found under the "Shading " menu at the top of your 3D workspace panels.
Horah! No more dodgy bridging 
Must remember either extrude and merge verts or fill. *removes that bridge* 
I think there seems to be a slight bit of miscommunication on the 2nd part, my tutor created a custom shelf which had shade smooth & shade flat buttons, which I can't create from shift clicking the options found in the 3D Shading menu; these buttons would shade the selected face/object either flat or smooth in all the viewports and "literally" shade it... if I'm making any sense?
EDIT: found his shelf in the mist of badly organized files (yet for some reason he nags us (well, my peers) about not following a folder structure. :I)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nvpgpwajy...lyModeling.mel
EDIT 2: Found the little buggers! Under "Polygons" -> Normals -> Soften/Harden edge
Last edited by LCWilliams; 18-06-2013 at 09:40 PM.