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Around The Uptown
| The Evolution of Christmas Decorating
by Ryan
 When the Uptown opened in 1985 my parents would do what they could do to decorate the restaurant in a festive Christmas Season atmosphere.
During the early years, the decorating slowly turned into an early Saturday morning EVENT. Each year in late November or early December there would be a Saturday when all of the staff would be invited to come to the Uptown early in the morning and decorate.
I vividly remember those Saturdays while I was growing up.  There would be doughnuts, soda and at that time, most of the waitresses were my babysitters so it was a really fun day for me to hang out with everyone.
My father tells me that there would be early morning Guinness's, but I don't remember those. The staff would get the decorating done by 11, we would open for business and a lot of those staff members would put in 12-14-16 hour days. But, they were fun.
Over the last decade though, it has transitioned from one early morning day done by the staff to a several day process done usually by Rita, Ray, Kris, Jimmy, Ryan, other managers and whatever staff happens to be here on decorating days.
What I remember as, so thoroughly enjoying, has really turned into something I don't look forward to so much anymore. We have to bring up all the decorations from storage, fluff trees, usually re-string lights that have gone out. It's just not as fun as it used to be, but the end result always makes it worth it.
We put a lot of time and effort into our holiday decorating to create an atmosphere in the fun of the holiday spirit. Our banquet room is decorated for all of the Christmas parties we will have this season and all throughout the building, even in mid-November you feel ready for Christmas.
Rita did 90% of the decorating this year and it was such a burden off of Jimmy, myself and the rest of the staff. We think the place looks great and you did a great job! We appreciate it.
All of this and we haven't even discussed the 3000 some odd balloons we blow up for New Years Eve! We hope that our readers stop in soon to enjoy the atmosphere. | |
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In The News ~ Small Business Saturday
| Buy Local and Independent
by Ryan
This Saturday is "Small Business Saturday." This is a campaign to promote independently owned restaurants, retailers and other independent operations. According the NRA (National Restaurant Association), small businesses have created 65 percent of new jobs in the past 20 years, and they bolster local  economies. For every $100 spent in a locally owned, independent business, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other means.
American Express is a partner to the NRA and American Express will reward cold holders for supporting local restaurants and retailers this Saturday November 27th. They are offering a statement credit to 100,000 card holders who spend at least $25 at an independently owned restaurant or retail business. Business owners who sign up will receive $100 Facebook credit to use towards advertising on their Facebook page.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is typically the busiest shopping weekend of the year, thanks to the infamous Black Friday. But, when you are out and about this weekend at all the area malls, before you go to the nearest chain because it's convenient or because it's all you see, maybe you should stop, come to downtown LaSalle and shop the local independent business we have right here.
Consumer registration
Business Registration
Small Business Saturday Article
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| Around the Industry | Functional, Interesting, Mass Marketing Email Program Constant Contact
by Jimmy |
The Uptown Newsletter that you receive every week is created through a email program called Constant Contact. I am sure many of you have seen their advertising at the bottom of our newsletters, but I want to explain how easy, functional and organized it is to use. During the mid to late 1990's when email began to explode and become more and more one of the main forms of communication, the Roving Software company was formed. Their goal is "to develop an affordable, easy-to-use email marketing tool to help small businesses build successful, lasting customer relationships". Over the course of the next 10 years the company had grown from a small start up company to a leading provider of email marketing. In 2004, they changed their name to Constant Contact. This is about the time we started to hear about them.
Up until around 2005, we were not familiar with any mass marketing email programs that were easy and functional to use. Ray had stumbled upon one of their ads in a trade magazine and then seen them at the Annual National Restaurant Show in Chicago. Ray had always had the idea of getting our specials into your inbox to keep you up to date on what was new on the menu each day. At the time, we had previously used a generic template where we would have to copy and paste our specials into it each day and send it out. Some of you may remember this. We only had about 50 faithful customers that subscribed to get our emails daily, most of them were the downtown beauty salons wondering what our soup of the day was. Well, this all changed when we became familiar with Constant Contact. It was so easy to use and start up. It has become a very useful tool for any small business looking to advertise via email. In early 2009, the Newsletter was born as we learned more and more on how to utilize the features that Constant Contact had to offer. What used to be having to make sure formatting was just right, now turned into just copy and paste with an easy to use tutorial on how you can make your email look. A 30 day trial has quickly turned into 4 years, and 4,000 subscribers later we are still finding new things to incorporate into our emails. It is a functional program that pretty much anybody could use. You do not have to be a computer programmer to navigate around and create a interesting email to get your customers attention.
For those of you that are interested in learning more. Click on the link below.
Constant Contact Information
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To Your Health
| Omega 3's
by Rene
Omega-3 fatty acids is a term that in recent years we have grown used to seeing on TV, in magazines, at the grocery store and even on menus. But why is this nutrient something that we should pay attention to?
The benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems, as well as certain skin ailments. Omega-3's are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to play an important role in cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. In fact, infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers, during pregnancy, are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems. Some research has even shown that omega-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from an array of illnesses including Alzheimer's disease. Just how do o mega-3s perform so many health "miracles" in people? One way, is by encouraging the production of body chemicals that help control inflammation, in our bloodstream, tissues, as well as our joints. It is also important to understand how our bodies obtain these essential fatty acids. The human body can not create them, and therefore is dependent upon outside sources to obtain them. In all circumstances where they are believed to be medically beneficial, we must get them from either food (i.e. eating the recommended 2 servings of fish per week) or via supplements.
Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish (salmon, lake trout, tuna, mackerel, sardines), walnuts, and flax-seeds, just to name a few. We serve several dishes high in omega 3's, so stop in this week to try a few!! Some of these dishes include our cedar planked salmon, seared or grilled tuna steak, trout appetizer or sandwich, mesculyn walnut and gorgonzola salad. And always look for our specials that often use tuna, sardines, mackerel, etc. Who knew eating healthy could be so enjoyable!?
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Things to Try This Week
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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 Ryan - Broiled Scallops - This week our special seafood is broiled sea scallops served with a lemon dill caper cream sauce. Sea scallops differ from bay scallops in that they are much larger. Sea scallops are mostly wild caught while bay scallops can be farmed. Scallops are one of my favorite seafood dishes that we offer. Stop in this week to try it out. Broccolini and carnival cauliflower sauteed in white wine and olive oil accompany this dish.
From Jimmy - Raspberry Honey Vinaigrette - I would have to think that most of us have tried this form of dressing before. It is a pretty common vinaigrette. However, if you have ever tried our version, I would have to argue that the rest does not compare. I will admit, while out grocery shopping, I have tried to buy different versions of this dressing and each time I come up dissapointed. I probably have 3 of them in my refridgerator at home now. I finally realized, everything else is not the same. I work here, why not just buy it from here. Of course, it is a secret recipe that has been the same for 25 years, so I can not reveal all the ingredients but I do want you to know that we do sell it togo. Actually all of our dressings and sauces are available in 16oz. jars. It is often imitated, but never duplicated.
From Chef Chris - Moody Blue - As always, we have an Artisinal Cheese Sampler on our menu. For those of you that have never tried this dish, it is an assortment of 5 artisinal cheeses from all over the world together with fresh fruit, mediterranean olive mix, dried figs and apricots, sugared walnuts and honey. Just recently, through our import house, we have added some amazing new cheeses that you will be seeing soon. This week we have added Roth Moody Bleu cheese from Wisconsin to the sampler. This cheese is awesome. It is a pasteurized cow's milk bleu that is delicately smoked over fruit wood. It has subtle smokey undertones with hints of roasted nuts and coffee. This cheese has some flavor to it. Keep your eye out for other new cheeses that we will be bringing to the menu.
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Uptown Playlist Theatre
| Upcoming Shows
Arthur Lee Land
Tuesday
December 28th, 2010
Tickets Available Now
$15
Paul Cebar
Friday
January 7th, 2011
Tickets Available Now
$18 advanced/$20 door
Samantha Crain
Friday
January 28th, 2011
Tickets Available Now
$15 advanced/$18 door
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| Not Your "Everyday" Specials | |
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| On Special This Week | |
Blackberry Point Oysters on the Half Shell Served With Mignonette
Asian Chicken Salad
Panini Sandwich with Roasted Lamb, Feta Cheese and Roasted Red Peppers
BBQ Meatloaf Sandwich
Broiled Fresh Cod Filet with Sauteed Spinach and Artichoke Orange Compote
Broiled Deep Sea Scallops with a Lemon Caper Cream Sauce
Center Cut Pork Chop Stuffed with Spinach, Cherry and Shittake Mushrooms
Stuffed Chicken Breast - Italian Sausage, Oyster Mushrooms, Scallions and Provolone Cheese
Penne Puttanesca with Chicken
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 three questions from the foodie fight cards. The first person to email us (see link below) the correct answers to all three questions will receive a complimentary lunch. The winner has to have the exact answer for all three 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 hip durable design did 250 year old wineglass company Reidel launch in 2004, targeting young wine drinkers?
2. What is the average life expectancy of a refrigerator?
3. What Italian cheese is sometimes made from the milk of water buffalo?
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's questions and answers...
1. What is a good indicator that cut fish is fresh? ITS ODORLESS
2. What element in eggs causes silver to tarnish? SULFUR
3. What Native American tuber is a member of the morning glory family and is neither a potato nor a yam? SWEET POTATO
Last weeks winner of the free lunch ........ Brian Duttlinger
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Email Policy
| | Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information. |
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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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You can read all of our past UPtown UPdates by clicking the link below.
UPtown UPdate Archives |
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Prime Rib, Friday and Saturday Evening
