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Around the Valley
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Homecoming by Jimmy |
Over the course of the next few weeks, all area
high schools will be holding their homecoming activities. This is the time
of year where alumni, faculty, coaches, and families reunite at
their alma mater. This started to make me wonder how this all came about. In doing some research I found that although the annual Harvard/Yale football game has been
inviting alumni to "come home" for "The Game" since the 1870's, the origins for
the first "homecoming games" still remain unclear. Three schools claim to have
held their first homecoming game celebrations around 1910.( See picture, University of Missouri 1911)They are Illinois,
Baylor and Missouri. Despite the debate, all early events had similar
characteristics. It included a football game, rallies, parades, speeches, and
dances to unite alumni and students in creating a stronger sense of school
pride. These homecoming events became popular and by the 1920's,
homecoming had become an American tradition. Over the course of several
decades, the selection of homecoming king and queen, parades, variety shows,
fireworks and tailgating parties have all become custom with celebrating school
pride.
Click on the area school's links below to find out
more about their homecoming activities.
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Weekly Special |
Butternut Squash Ravioli
by Ryan
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September 22nd is officially the first day of fall and nothing says fall like the smell of roasted butternut squash. Butternut
squash has a sweet nutty flavor that is similar to pumpkin. On our menu this
week is roasted butternut squash ravioli. We sautee ravioli stuffed with
butternut squash, in a brown sage butter, add in our own roasted butternut
squash seasoned with brown sugar, walnuts and fresh sage to finish the dish.
This is one of my favorite seasonal dishes. |
Behind the Bar |
Poppy Pinot Noir
by Ryan
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The movie Sideways really increased
the popularity of Pinot Noir. So much so that it made it very difficult
to find a good Pinot Noir (that wasn't overly expensive) for our "by
the glass" list. We did not want to buckle under to a less expensive
wine because a cheap Pinot Noir just tastes...cheap!
We looked into why this varietal was more expensive than others and found that when making Pinot Noir the wine maker throws away a much larger
percentage of the crop than when making any other wine. If
the weather conditions are even a little too humid, the entire pinot grape could
be lost. Also, most good Pinot Noir is made in French oak barrels which also adds to the cost of producing the wine.
In 2007, the Monterey/Carmel Valley of California did not have the usual
heat spikes and humid air that regularly throw off an even ripening.
What it yielded, was the 2007 Poppy Pinot Noir, which we now offer by
the glass. This bright red wine carries the
flavors of cherry, raspberry and allspice. The production of this pinot noir was limited to only 3000 cases. We hope you like it as much
as we did.
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Around the Web |
Resisting the inevitable...facebook. By Crystal
I told Ray months ago "Facebook is where we need to
be." It took months of prodding and begging from myself and another Uptown
employee, Anna, to get our head in the game....the Facebook game that is.
With more and more people joining the Facebook world, it only made sense for us
to be there too, I thought. Ray's resistance was relentless and tiring (as
was other management members in the restaurant), but we wore him down. Actually,
it was a combination of things. Not only were we pushing, but so were our
customers. One had even started a page of their own "I Heart Shroom at Uptown"
The buzz was even flying around Ray's circle of friends.
And then Uptown was born on Facebook. In just a few
days we have grown to over 300 fans...its like wildfire! So for all you Facebookers, we ask to you to become a fan! We would not be who we are with out
all of you! Young and old, we invite you all.
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On Our Specials |
Oysters Rockefeller Tatamagouche Oysters
Shrooms
Flatbread Margherita Pizza
Panzanella Chicken Salad
Lemon Walnut Crusted Walleye
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Sage Butter
Apricot Ancho Glazed Pork Porterhouse
Miso Glazed Sugar Snap Peas
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Unadvertised Special -
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For your eyes only! In appreciation to you, our customers who subscribe to our rantings each week, we are offering unadvertised specials. Only those who receive the UPtown UPdates will be aware of these special offerings. Each week we will offer at least one unadvertised special. There is some "fine print" and they will only be available at certain times. So don't miss out, treat yourself, you deserve it. Our way of saying "Thanks for Subscribing."
After 8pm each night, Sunday, September 22nd through Thursday, October 1st. Free appetizer of your choice with the purchase of any two entrees.
You must ask for the "Free Appetizer" special.
Not available on carry out. | |
Uptown Grill 601 First St. La Salle, Il 61301 815-224-4545 Mon - Thur 11 am to 10pm - Fri & Sat 11 am to 11 pm Sun Noon to 10 pm Uptowngrill.com
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You can read all of our past UPtown UPdates by clicking the link below. UPtown UPdate Archives |
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Email Policy
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Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information.
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