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At the Bar
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New Wines Added to Our List
By Jim
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 A few weeks ago, we held another one of our seasonal wine tastings to choose some new wines to add to our list. As always, we sampled some amazing wines. It can be a lot of fun picking wines for our list, especially the tasting part, as you can see in the picture below. Listed below are the "new" wines that we have added. Some of which have scored high ratings in Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. We feel these are all great wines for you to try next time you are in. And remember, if there is any portion of the bottle left, we have "wine doggy bags" to take the unfinished portion home. This gives you the opportunity to try some of these great wines, yet still be able to enjoy what you do not finish here, at home.
Cheers!
Domaine Talmard Chardonnay is from the Macon (ma-cone) region of France, 2008 vintage. Very fresh chardonnay fermented in stainless steel, not oak. It is not a buttery oaky chardonnay but a full on the palate white wine.
Colterenzio Pinot Grigio is an Italian white round wine, 2009 vintage.
Skyleaf Reisling is from the Waipara Valley, New Zealand. This 2009 is fermented in all stainless steel casks. This area is the newest and fastest growing wine region in the country and is known for its reisling wine.
Rainer Wess Gruner Veltliner , pronounced (rain- err - vess) (groo - nrr velt - liner), This is an Austrian white wine. Rays says this is going to be the next popular white wine. Gruner accounts for over 33% of grapes grown in Austria. It is a light minerally wine.
Graham Beck Gamekeeper's Reserve Chenin Blanc This white wine varietal is the most widely grown grape in South Africa. It is a very crisp white wine.
Chateau de Paraza Rouge, Minervois (min-eh-vwah). It is from the Minervois region of France and a 2007 vintage. It is a dry red wine made from 40% syrah, 40% grenache (gre-nosh) and 20% mourvedre (moor- veh-dre). This wine was rated 90 points in wine advocate. The Chateau de Paraza is knows as one of the oldest vineyards in the Mediterranean. This is our featured wine of the month.
La Flor Cabernet Sauvignon is from Mendoza, Argentina. (la - floor) is part of the Paul Hobbs wine import portfolio. This is a renowned leader in wine imports and is part of the Pulenta Estate winery. We currently carry this vitners sauvignon blanc.
Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Washington, 08- The label of each wine is the periodic table of elements. Example the cabernet is Cb and Merlot is Me. The wine is medium bodied with dark fruit.
Michael Sullberg Reserve Merlot is from California. This is a great value that has true merlot characteristics.
Neyers Merlot is from Napa Valley. This winery is certified organic. This wine scored 89 points in Wine Advocate. It is made with 75% merlot and 25% cabernet sauvignon.
Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir from Sonoma, California. pronounced (bell- glahs) (may-oh-mee). Belle Glos is a reputable winery on the Sonoma Coast of California. This is a very soft, silky texture pinot noir. This is my new favorite red wine.
Westrey Pinot Noir is from Dundee Hills, Oregon. This is a dynamite pinot noir. Westrey got its name from the combination of names Amy Wesselman and David Autrey. Both amazing wine makers that have worked for many reputable wineries, finally merging together to form Westrey.
Clos la Coutale Cahors (cloe- la- coo-tah -lee) (ca hors). This French red is made from 80% malbec and 20% merlot. It is a full flavored red wine. it scored 88 points in wine spectator.
Sheridan Kamaikin Red is from Washington. This red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. A medium bodied wine with a hint of anise.
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| Coffee and Your Health | |
Wake up Call
by Rene
|  Are you one of the more than 100 million Americans who routinely drink coffee as part of your daily routine? If so, you may actually be doing something good for your health, not just staying alert. According to several studies, coffee drinkers have a lower rate of some diseases. A recent study from Harvard University included data from more than 120,000 people and found that drinking one to 3 cups of coffee per day dropped risk of diabetes by single digits but drinking 6 cups or more dropped risk by 30% in women and 54% in men. And while a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests coffee may offset alcohol's effects on the liver and aid in the prevention of cirrhosis, the researchers say they don't know whether the caffeine or another ingredient in the coffee provides the apparent benefit to your liver. The study also found coffee drinkers had better results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Other studies have shown a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, gallstones and colon cancer in those who drink coffee on a regular basis. (eatright.org)
You certainly don't need to go on a caffeine kick to reduce your risk of these diseases, but if you're already drinking coffee in moderation, you can enjoy knowing it may have some health benefits.
Rene is a registered dietitian and we are glad to have here contributing to our newsletter.
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Around the Area
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The Canal Connection
by Ryan
 Last year I experienced my first canal connection race. It was the first race I ever took part in that was longer than a 5k. The race was a lot of fun. Normally you get to start at L-P High School and run from LaSalle to Utica via the towpath. However, last year the race was moved to Utica grade school where you started and finished, because the lower levels of lock 16 were flooded and inaccessible.This year I look forward to running the race again in what is one of the area's most picturesque runs. The entire course is either flat or down hill and the wind is usually with you most of the way. You will not be disappointed by the course.
The race will be held at 11am on Sunday November 7th beginning at L-P High school. Each participant will receive a canal connection sweatshirt and hot chocolate, cider, fruit and other nutritional food at the end of the race. The Starved Rock Runners Club does a great job putting on the Canal Connection and makes it a fun local race to participate in. We are proud to say we have been one of the race's major sponsors for many years now. This is the 28th running of the event.
Race Website
Course Map
Registration Form
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A Look Inside the Business
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Hood Cleaning, Someones got to do it..
by Ray
 Something that most restaurant people are familiar with but very few outsiders are, is the dreaded bi-annual hood cleaning. We did this last week. I am not sure if it is law but you can not obtain fire insurance with out having your exhaust ducts and fans cleaned by a licensed professional twice a year. The amount of grease that can build up inside a duct can be extremely flammable once it gets hot. I have read this is one of the hottest fires and hardest types of fire to put out.
Restaurant grease with the addition of heat, dirt and air dries to a pasty almost pine tar like consistency. It gets under your nails in your hair and soaks into your skin. It is a messy disgusting job. This involves doing an all-nighter because there is no way it could be done while you are open for  business. All the equipment china and utensils are disconnected and removed from our 40 foot long cooking line. After that the duct cleaners can get to work, starting with the fans on the roof, down through the duct work. and eventually ending up working on the hood in the inside of the building. The hood is draped in plastic. The grease and chemicals are contained in large garbage cans and taken back to their facility to be processed. They use a high pressure steam cleaner along with grease dissolving chemicals. It takes until about 5AM at which time we have to reinstall and re-connect all the equipment, and place all the china and equipment to get the line ready for the next morning. I feel so sorry for the hood cleaners. Many times after they are done with us they have to go and clean another hood someplace else. It has to be one of the hardest jobs there is.
While we are waiting for the hood cleaning to be finished we take this opportunity to "take care of the old equipment". Using scrapers, chemicals and our own hotsy steam cleaner, we clean the insides, outsides, and bottoms of all the line appliances. All the gas equimpment gets the orifices and jets cleaned out so they run more efficiently. The walls and floors are de-grimed. Then everything things is put back in a sparking condition until another 6 months is up.
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Things to Try This Week
|  Several years ago I was in one of the major Chicago wine stores and I noticed a display where some of the members of their staff would recommend a certain wine for the week. Any of you who have visited one of these wine stores knows your choices can be daunting. Many of the recommended wines were a very good value from unknown wineries. I thought to myself what a great way to offer suggestions. After time if you were a regular customer you would come to know that you really like the type of red that "Joe" would pick and "Molly's" white wine selections were great quality also. This is what we are going to try and do in this section every week. With over 100 items on our food menu, 400 behind the bar and ever changing specials we are asking our in house foodies, servers, winos, chefs and supervisors for their suggestions. These are not things we are trying to sell or get rid of, just things that are really good this week from the people that know our product the best. Hopefully over time by reading our newsletters you can find one of our staff members whose taste you really trust.
 From Ray - Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir 2008 - I am going to take the very first staff recommendation and this week it will be pretty easy. One of my favorite wineries is Belle Glos. While on a recent vacation I noticed that 2 different restaurants had a Belle Glos on the wine by the glass list. Since we already have a Belle Glos on our bottle list I asked Jimmy to see if there was some kind of promotion and sure enough there was. Sometime wineries will do this in restaurants to get some extra exposure. This is a great deal for us and you! I can not tell you how proud I am to have this on our glass list. From the same people that brought us Mer Soleil and Conundrum. It is a blend from 3 vineyards. Spice and berries with a lightness not found in California Pinot Nior. Meiome means coast. I am not sure how long we will have this by the glass so try it soon. You can purchase it by the glass for $9.75 or by the bottle for $36.00.
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From Ryan - Swordfish is on our menu this week and while we don't serve it like we used to next door at the original Uptown, it is still one of my all time favorites. We sautee the swordfish after placing a light panko breading around it. While the thought of sauteing swordfish did not at first seem appealing, the variation in texture between the crunchy panko and and meaty swordfish is really interesting. It is topped with chipotle lime butter and served with carnival cauliflower and broccolini.
From Jimmy -Anyone can make nachos, but we like to do things different. We use fresh wontons and serve them with rare seared tuna, ginger, avocado, red and green pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and scallion. This is what nachos were intended to be for people with real taste.
From Chef Chris -Our pumpkin cheesecake is housemade and served with caramel sauce and sugared walnuts. I chose this dessert because pumpkins are naturally healthy for you and perfect for the season. Everyone always eats pumpkin pie this time of year, why not a pumpkin cheesecake? Only $5.25.
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| Not Your "Everyday" Specials |
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.
Wienerschnitzel Wednesday
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.
Friday 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
Prime Rib, Friday and Saturday Evening
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 $19.75 or 16oz $22.75
A Lamb Lovers Delight, Saturday Nights
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
Sunday, 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!
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| On Special This Week | |
Grilled Artichokes
Tuna Nachos
Permaquid Oysters on the Half Shell Served With Mignonette
Green Goddess Chicken Salad
Liver and Bib Wedged Salad with Balsamic Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
Panini Sandwich with Madrange Ham, Aged Gruyere Cheese, and Stone Ground Mustard
Panko Crusted Swordfish
Pork Porterhouse
Pappardella Pasta with Porchini Mushroom Blue Cheese Sauce
Sauteed Broccolini and Carnival Cauliflower
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| Win a Free Lunch | |
Foodie Fight Free Lunch Contest
 Each 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 is the most popular occasion for eating out?
2. What commonly cultivated mushroom has a parasol shape, curved stem, and white gills?
3. What spice is sometimes called a health food due to studies suggesting that it may help regulate blood sugar and that its fragrance may enhance brain activity?
email your answers to foodiefight@uptowngrill.com
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 is made with the juice by-product of sugar refining? MOLASSES
2. What was designated as a vegetable to help make budget cuts in the school lunch program during the Raegan era? KETCHUP
3. What square-shaped, long-strand pasta is traditionally cut on a frame strung with wire, like a guitar? PASTA CHITARRA
Last weeks winner of the free lunch ........ Debbie Hennigan
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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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