grey heading 3
September 23, 2009
Greetings!
 
Around the Valley
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. homecoming 1911

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. 
Weekly Special
Butternut Squash Ravioli
by Ryan
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.
butternut squash rav
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
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!poppy pinot

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. 
 
Employee Updates
Chef Chris Plankenhorn
by Kris
Another milestone birthday at The Uptown!  Chris Plankenhorn (our head chef) turned 40 today!  That in itself is one thing to celebrate, but the fact that Chris has worked here on and off (mostly on) for 23 years is another!  planky young

Chris started as a dishwasher in 1986 when he was a sophomore in high school. He has worked both at The Uptown and at The Kickapoo Klub.  Over the years he has also gone on to experience other places, including The Snook Inn in Florida owned by a former Red Door Inn employee. Over the years he has learned every position from the ground up including positions in the dining room.


planky now Chris lives in Utica with his wife and children. Some days you can find him biking to work from Utica along the towpath.
    anna plankenhorn
As they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree.  This is his 9 year old daughter Anna who volunteers to put on a cook's apron to serve spaghetti at our annual fund raiser for Lighted Way.  Just more proof that he's doing it right!

Happy Birthday Chris!
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. facebook
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.

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
Playlist Theater
 Tickets on sale now for all future shows.           

Next Show                                                                                                                                
                                                       

Romi Mayes with shot glass
Romi Mayes
Wednesday                                                                                                                  November 4th




Upcoming shows


steve forbert 2 Steve Forbert
Friday
November 20th      









                                                                                                         
willie nile
Willie Nile
Friday
January 29th


Unadvertised Special -
  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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