summer header
September 9th, 2010
Congratulations!
Our Newest Staff Member Has Arrived - Ella Grace Lannen
by Ryan

Ella Grace LannenAbout 6 weeks ago, we announced the birth of my daughter Emersyn Rose and today, it gives me much excitement to announce that Emersyn is going to have a lifelong playmate. We didn't plan it this way either.

Jimmy and Trisha welcomed their 2nd daughter, Ella Grace, into the world on August 21st. We got to meet Ella last week when she made her first appearance at the Uptown. She looks just like her father!

This means that Jimmy has two daughters and I have one daughter, so after working with women all day on the floor at the Uptown, we go home and spend the rest of our time with............... more women! It's been 6 weeks for me and a lot longer for Jimmy, but I know we wouldn't have it any other way.

Jimmy and I are going to enjoy watching our daughters grow up together. It's kind of exciting knowing that someday both of them could be running around this place with their Uptown t-shirts bussing tables together. I just hope that day doesn't come too quickly!

Congratulations Jimmy and Trisha. She is beautiful.
Thank You Veterans
Local World War II Vets Mark 65th Anniversary of the End of the War With Honor Flight
by Ray and Ryan

From Ray,

Last Thursday was the 65th anniversary of the signing ceremony marking Japan's surrender in World War II. I am an avid reader of World War II history and the politics that led up to it. My father in-law, Jim Barto, is a World War II veteran. What fascinates me about WWII, is how did something so terrible happen, what could have been done to prevent it, and most of all the incredible sacrifice of the "Greatest Generation". Some of the old timers have told me that over a thousand of Spring Valley's four thousand residents served, which is over one quarter of the town.

SurrenderI am incredibly proud of my father-in-law's service. In the winter of 1943, he was a senior in high school. He enlisted in the winter but wanted to finish his basketball season before leaving for boot camp on the east coast. In June as he was making his way to the Pacific coast, he just happened to be passing through town during high school graduation. He tells the story about how he did not want to go to the graduation because he did not have suit to wear. His mother made him go and he graduated high school in his navy uniform, on his way to war being just 18 years old. I would give anything for a picture from that night but as far as I know none exist. He served on the USS Nashville from 1943 to 1946. The Nashville was one of two ships in the entire U.S. Navy that survived the war from the beginning all the way until the end. His ship was hit by kamikazes twice in which he narrowly escaped becoming a casualty. They took General MacArthur back to the Philippines. The Nashville was also the ship that was originally selected for Japan's surrender ceremony.

IwojimaAfter the opening of the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C in 2004, a group started what they called honor flights. The purpose of these flights were to take veterans to see the memorial that honored them which was so incredibly long over due. The average veteran was in their mid 80s by then and time was running out. This past Memorial Day, I was at a service in Spring Valley at which Senator Gary Dahl spoke about being a guardian on an honor flight. He talked about what a wonderful experience it was and how when they returned to the Quad City airport at midnight, there was over a thousand people there to greet the returning heroes.

When my father in-law told me he was selected to go on an honor flight I offered to take him to the orientation. I took him and one of his friends, William Miller, who served in the Air Force, to Davenport for the session which answered all their questions and got them all to fall back into formation. Every veteran has a guardian assigned to them to help them get through what is a very very long day, especially when you are well over 80. I was touched that when they were asked how many of them had not flown in the last 15 years more than 1/3 raised their hands. They had to cover the new rules of flying. And yes they still have to follow the same rules as everyone else. Also notable was that more than half of them were starting the day in a wheel chair and the spokes person was quite sure several others would need one by the end of the day.

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities has done 10 of these flights. The jets are chartered and they have the 737 for the entire day. This particular flight on Tuesday, September 7th is the first time they have done back to back flights. They also have one on Wednesday the 8th. About 160 of them, including guardians leave at 6am. After they arrive, 3 buses take them to all of the major monuments including the most important, the one honoring them. They return to the Quad Cities to what sounds like a rousing reception around 10pm.

From Ryan,

We arrived at the Quad Cities airport not knowing what to expect. As soon as we pulled into the airport parking lot there was a mini caravan of Harley Davidson's all with American Flags proudly flying from them. As we walked into the terminal it was evident that this was a big grandpa barto honors flightdeal. To my best estimation there were close to 1000 people in the terminal waiting for husbands, dads, grandpas, great grandpas, friends and WWII veterans. At least half had an American Flag. There were two TV stations there. A legion group took tall American Flags and formed a tunnel, kind of like a tunnel you might see at a high school football game. They played 40's music and even had a bagpipe player. A former veteran announced their arrival and each Veteran on the flight went through the tunnel to an arousing applause and display of gratitude. It was a very moving event! There were several people with tears in their eyes.

On the way home with Grandpa and two other Veterans, William Miller and Jake Bardo, the gentlemen said geez, "we never got a welcome quite like that when we came home from the service." It was a well deserved welcome for everything these veterans have done and sacrificed over the course of their lives. It has to be a wonderful feeling to know that their efforts are so much appreciated. They are, "The Greatest Generation," and we owe them more than we can give. Thank you for your service.

Honor Flight LogoA few facts about Honor Flights.......
-Rising health care costs have wiped out the life savings of most veterans
-Most veterans lack the finances, physical strength, endurance and aptitude to travel alone outside the area
-Most veterans have elderly spouses that cannot be left alone for more than one day
-1200 members of the "Greatest Generation" die every day
-The average life expectancy is 74 and the youngest World War II veteran is 79
-The program started in 2005 with 6 airplanes and 12 veterans
-They receive no government funding at all
-In 5 to 10 years almost all World War II veterans will be gone
-The overwhelming majority of World War II veterans have waited over 60 years for their memorial and will not live to see it
-There are 71 hubs in 39 states
-18,000 veterans have made the trip so far, all safely
-There are 6,000 still on the national waiting list
-$550 will pay the way of one veteran

To donate, find out more, or even take a trip and welcome our heroes home one night go to www.honorflightqc.org

To see a video of their homecoming, click the link below
Veterans Homecoming
Things to do in the Illinois Valley
Boggio's Orchard and Produce
by Jimmy

Boggios

The seasons have changed and it is now time for fall produce. Over the course of the past 5 years, I have always brought my family to Tanners Orchard in Speer, Illinois to buy our family pumpkins. This is a large family owned and operated orchard and produce farm that is just north of Peoria. I keep going year after year to Tanners because of the variety of produce and activities available for young children. You can pretty much spend a whole day with your family while shopping for apples, pumpkins, pies, jams and other autumn produce.

Although this is an excellent place to take the family on a weekend, this past year, I brought my family to Boggio's Annual Pumpkin Harvest Craft show in Granville. This is also a large family owned and operated orchard and produce farm, but this is right here in the Illinois Valley area. It had been years since I had visited Boggio's but they have everything for a fun filled day with your children, and you don't have to drive an hour away. There are pumpkins and apples to pick, animal rides, a petting zoo, pony rides and playground equipment. For the adults, the orchard includes freshly picked produce, bakery, and a craft store. Spend a day out there and get that autumn season feeling. I enjoyed my day out there at Boggios, and I suggest those that have never been there to go check it out.

On the last weekend in September they hold a craft show. It goes on from 9 am till 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday. With over 50 crafters, the craft show is a great place to find those fall decorations you were looking for, even children's crafts. Each booth offers different types of crafts for different types of people. No two booths will be the same. For more information on Boggio's Orchard and Produce click on the link below.
Employee Updates
September Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays
Chris Plankenhorn
Craig Bartlett
Geoff Heijl
Jeff Boyd
Andrea Neff

Anniversaries
Jen Love - 8 years
Mary Halberg - 14 years
Kristen Eustis - 4 years
Marlee Giacometti - 1 year
Debbie Claudnic - 7 years
Erick Raya - 2 years
Sheila Powell - 1 year
Around the Industry
Food Lover Links
by Ray

food loversWhat should it cost to cut the cake?
Ten bucks a person?

So-called "cakeage" fees charged by restaurants when diners bring in their own confections to put the finishing touch on birthday celebrations help eateries recoup expenses for serving food they haven't sold, writes Inside Scoop's Michael Bauer. What constitutes a reasonable fee may be up for debate, Bauer says, but restaurants shouldn't take diners by surprise -- communicating the policy and additional charges at the beginning will go far toward staying in patrons' good graces. Read More ; InsideScoop
 
CSPI: "Super-sized" portions are the new normal
The customer gets what the customer wants.

Portions that restaurants serve as "regular" are actually at least twice the size of the government's definition of a serving, according to nutritionists with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The advocacy group says consumers concerned about their waistlines should stop midway through the portion when dining out on a host of dishes, including burgers, steaks and pasta. Read more ; USA today

Trouble at Tony Packo's
Looks like another dining landmark is on it's way out.

Thanks to the enduring popularity of TV sitcom M*A*S*H, Toledo, OH, restaurant Tony Packo's has worldwide name recognition to go along with a 73-year track record of solid operations. It's a level of stability that any operator would envy, but it's not quite enough for lender Fifth Third Bank, which is foreclosing on the place. If you think a bottomless well of free publicity means smooth sailing for a restaurant, think again.Read more ; hospitality.com

Food fights: Locavores, conventional food fans battle over benefits- Is Locavores the new buzz word? Find out what it means.

A growing chorus of writers, politicians and bloggers is challenging the locavore movement, painting it as naive and elitist at best and dangerous to the livelihood of conventional commodity farmers at worst. Read more ; chicagotribune.com

July brings 4th month of declining restaurant sales - Please make it stop.

Sales at 44% of U.S. restaurants fell in July, as consumers continued belt tightening amid an uncertain economy, according to new data from the National Restaurant Association. Some, including Ryan Dudley who owns the Cellar in Fullerton, Calif., say deep discounts and Groupon deals were the only way to keep customers coming through the door. Read more ; LAtimes 
 
 Is it a bar or a restaurant?Introducing the restobar?
 
A fundamental shift seems to be going on in restaurants. As with life, things keep getting more casual and the line between a bar and restaurant continues to blur. Read more ; Insidescoop
Not Your "Everyday" Specials

seafood trio newFriday Nights, Seafood Mixed Grill
It includes a 4 oz lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz salmon filet with basil cream, and 4 oz whitefish parmesan with lemon caper butter. All for only $19.75








steak diane
Monday Nights, Steak Diane
Every Monday after 4 pm, we will be serving Steak Diane for $13.75. This will be just like the Red Door Inn. With Victor's stamp of approval.










weinerstzleWienerschnitzel
Every Wednesday after 4pm, we will be serving authentic German Wienerschnitzel. Served with roasted asparagus, spaetzel and veal demi glaze it is only $11.75.







fajitasSunday, All Day, 
Sizzling Sunday Fajita and Margaritas

You get a chicken fajita for two with a 64 ounce pitcher of margaritas for only $20! Imagine this on a Sunday afternoon on the patio or at a sidewalk table with the sunshine and a nice breeze! No, your not in Cabo, but it sure feels like it! 







Lamb A Lamb Lovers Delight
Every Saturday night after 4pm we will be serving slow roasted herb crusted leg of lamb with mint demi glaze. It will be served with our mashed potato of the day and roasted cauliflower topped with parmesan cheese. $19.50







Prime RibPrime Rib
Available after 4pm every Friday and Saturday night is our herb crusted prime rib of beef. Our prime rib is slow roasted for several hours in our 1980's alto shaam. It is served with au jus, mushrooms and your choice of side dish.

Available in 12oz $18.75 or 16oz $21.75



On Special This Week
Roasted Beet Salad Topped with Salemville Bleu Cheese, Sugared Walnuts and a Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette

Tune Poke

Blackened Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad

Panini Sandwich with Madrange Ham, Stone Ground Mustard and Aged Gruyere Cheese

Sauteed Halibut Cheeks Over Anglehair Pasta

Broiled Escolare Steak Served With a Roasted Red Pepper Butter and Sauteed Arugula

Salmon and Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

10oz Lobster with Roasted Cauliflower and Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Cauliflower
Win a Free Lunch
Foodie Fight Free Lunch Contest
by Jimmy

foodie fightEach week in the newsletter we will ask 3 questions from the foodie fight cards. The first person to email us (see link below) the correct answers to all 3 questions will receive a complimentary lunch. The winner has to have the correct answer for all 3 questions, no exceptions! The following week we will publish the correct answers and the winner of the previous week. So come in and have a drink, study the cards, test each other and have fun. Good Luck!



1. What Italian high-alcohol, after-dinner drink is made from the residue of pressed grapes?
 
2. What dish, often served at high tea, is the English version of the American grilled-cheese sandwich?

3. What cow's milk blue cheese is England's "king of cheeses"?

email your answers to
[email protected]

Fine Print...
You must be the first person to respond with all three correct answers.
The response must go to the email address in the above link.
You must reply within 24 hours from the time the newsletter is published.
Participants are eligible to win a limit of 3 times a year.

Last Week questions and answers....

1. What herb can taste like soap to a person with a particular saliva enzyme? Cilantro

 
2. What has contributed to ocean pollution, habitat destruction, and loss of food sources for wild fish?   Fish Farming or Aquaculture

3. What has the highest sugar content of all vegetables and comes in varieties that are red, purple, white, gold, or striped?   Beets

 
Last weeks winner of the free lunch ... Steve Wrocynski
Uptown Playlist Theatre

Upcoming Shows


Griffin at Uptown


Griffin House

Sunday
October 3rd
Tickets Sold Out








Johnny A



Johnny A

Friday
October 15th
Tickets Available Now                                                  
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
Join Our Mailing List
You can read all of our past UPtown UPdates by clicking the link below.
UPtown UPdate Archives
Email Policy
Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information.