Scotch Eggs and Three Way Filet
Scotch EggsIn the movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer" , Mike Myers' character
comments that he thinks "most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare."
Scottish eggs seem at first glance to fall into that category, but are
surprisingly tasty. With the recent resurgence of "Gastro Pub" fare, the
Scottish Egg has been making a hearty comeback. Not for vegetarians, they are hardboiled
eggs, wrapped in a cocoon of sausage, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Served with a Guiness Stone Ground Mustard cream sauce. $7.75.
3 Way Filet
 We had a tough time naming this mixed grill. The candidates
were "3 way filet", "tenderloin trio" and "mignon a` trios".
We found these wonderful New Zealand Lamb tenderloins. Each one is about
10 ounces totals and as tender and tasty as any meat I have ever sampled. We took 4 ounce pieces of this lamb filet, filet mignon
of beef, and pork filet. Wrapped them all with applewood smoked bacon and paired them
with a Dijon mustard demi-glaze, porcini mushroom wild rice blend and some maple
glazed tri colored carrots $26.50. Only while supplies last! - Ray |
Uptown's Graduating Class of 2009
In an industry that has a large percentage of it's employees from the high school segment of the community, we tend to have a "graduating class" of our own each year. Here is the Uptown's Graduating Class of 2009. Congratulations and Good Luck to them all. -- Kris  Arik Peshel Graduating from Hall High School National Honor Society Football and Track Will be attending IVCC, pursuing Associates degree in Applied Science  Brian Nolasco Graduating from Hall High School Football and Baseball Will be attending Coe College participating in both the Football and Baseball programs.  Erick Quintana Raya Graduating from Depue High School Will be attending IVCC, pursuing a Dental Assistant certification. Plans on pursuing a Dental degree in the future.  Geena Biccochi Graduating from Hall High School Will be attending IVCC, pursuing a Pharmacists Degree.
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Big Tattoo Wines
 As stated in an earlier newsletter, we try to find
wines that are a great value, may have scored well in wine magazines or may be
the new trend. Right now on our glass list are two wines, both by the same vintner, that have brought upon
their own special reason for staying on our list. We have the 2007 Big Tattoo Riesling and the 2005 Big Tattoo Cabernet
Sauvignon Reserva. The most significant attribute of this winery is
related to it's cause. The winery was started by two brothers, one of which is a
wine importer and one of which is a tattoo artist (thus the name). In 2000,
their mother passed away from cancer. The brothers came together and started
this winery in honor of their mother. As a way to raise money, the brothers donate 50 cents from
every bottle sold to hospice care facilities and breast cancer research
foundations. As of May 1, 2009, according to the brothers website, they have raised
$1,327,906 since the projects beginning in 2002. If you are interested in
reading more about Big Tattoo wines, please visit their website. -- Ryan Two Brothers Big Tattoo Wines
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Foraging the Woods

The ramp, sometimes called wild leek,
is a wild onion native to North America. Though the bulb resembles
that of a scallion, the beautiful flat, broad leaves set it apart.
Ramps, in many areas, are
considered a spring delicacy. The
flavor and odor of ramps is usually compared to a combination of
onions and garlic, and the garlic odor is particularly strong. In
recent years, celebrity chefs have been promoting ramps as a gourmet
food item and "white-table cloth" restaurants have begun serving
ramps. The Illinois Valley is fortunate enough to have Ramps growing
wild in the area. Some of our own employees forage the woods this time of year for ramps, morels and fiddleheads. Keep your eye out for upcoming specials that feature these local treasures. -- Rene |
Mon - Thur 11 am to 10pm - Fri & Sat 11 am to 11 pmSun Noon to 10 pm - uptowngrill.com |
Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information.
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Mother's Day, May 10thPlaylist Theater May 12th, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks June 3rd, Terry Evans June 25th, Bill Kirchen
Uptown's MySpace
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- Scotch Eggs
- Breaded Morel mushrooms and Vidalia onions.
- Shell Rock Oysters
- Curry Dusted Calamari
- Grilled Chicken and Watercress salad
- Grilled Escolar with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Sauteed Spinach
- 3 Way Filet
- Maple Glazed Tri-Colored Carrots
- Salmon and Porcini Mushroom Risotto
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Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks
 "So few truly
original figures exist in pop music that Dan Hicks should be a national
treasure."
-- San Francisco Chronicle
Throughout
his decades-long career, Dan Hicks stood as one of contemporary music's true
eccentrics. While steeped in folk, his acoustic sound knew few musical
boundaries, drawing on country, call-and-response vocals, jazz phrasing, and no
small amount of humor to create a distinctive, albeit sporadic, body of work
which earned him a devoted cult following.
Hicks was born December 9, 1941, to a military family then living in Arkansas,
and grew up in California, where he was a drummer in a number of high-school
bands. He attended college in San Francisco, where he switched to guitar and
began playing folk music. He returned to the drums, however, when he joined the Charlatans,
one of the Bay City's first psychedelic bands. Although the Charlatans
were short-lived - they issued only one single during their existence
- they proved influential throughout the San Francisco musical community
and were one of the first acts to play the legendary Family Dog.
Hicks had formed the acoustic group Dan Hicks &
His Hot Licks in 1968 as an opener for the Charlatans,
but soon the new band became his primary project. After adding a pair of female
backing vocalists - "the Lickettes" - the group issued
its debut LP, Original
Recordings, in 1969. After a pair of 1971 records, Where's the
Money? and Striking It Rich,
they issued 1973's Last Train to
Hicksville, which proved to be the Hot Licks'
most successful album yet. At the peak of the group's popularity, however,
Hicks dissolved the band and did not resurface until 1978, releasing the solo
LP It Happened One
Bite, the soundtrack to an uncompleted feature by animator Ralph
Bakshi. He then phased in and out of the music industry for more than a decade
and did not issue another major recording until 1994's Shootin' Straight,
a live recording cut with a new band, the Acoustic
Warriors. In 2000, over two decades after the group's dissolution,
Hicks re-formed the Hot Licks
and issued Beatin' the Heat.
Alive and Lickin'
arrived a year later, then after another hiatus, this time for eight years, in
March of 2009 he resurfaced with Tangled Tales.
As of
today there are only a handful of tickets left. Please act quick if you want
to catch this music icon. The show will consist of 6 pieces including 2 Licks and
1 Hicks--Ray
Tuesday, May 12th. 7:30PM Doors Open at 6:30PM Listen to Tangle Tales at Surfdog Records
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