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Uptown Playlist Theater
| Paul Cebar- Friday, January 7th, 2011
By Jimmy
| | Click the picture for more about Paul Cebar |
Many attempts have been made to describe Paul's mixture of wide-ranging musical influences. A good basic description is a combination of singer-songwriter, that is heavily into African, Latin, Caribbean, reggae, zydeco, R&B and soul styles. He is a long time king of Chicago and Milwaukee's live music. Paul Cebar And The Milwaukeeans have been igniting dance floors since the mid-80's at high, low, and in between-class joints not only in Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, and Chicago, but also throughout the world. They have appeared at several House Of Blues clubs and can be said to be a fixture at Milwaukee's Annual Lakefront Summerfest Festival. They can also invariably be found in New Orleans during the Jazz And Heritage Festival, which Paul has been attending since 1979; in 1998 Paul attained a long held personal goal when the band played the main stage. They have also appeared on the Prairie Home Companion radio show several times.
The past Cebar show at the Playlist Theater was by far one of the best performances, with the least number of people attending.This show is sure to be an excellent one again, so don't miss out. You cannot listen to this band live and not dance.
Samantha Crain- Friday, January 28th, 2011
By Nikki
| | Click the picture for more about Samantha Crain |
According to the music preference from our restaurant, we are thinking that this will be one of the best of the last shows to play here. Samantha Crain has a unique voice, on top of her wonderful musical skills. She is from Shawnee, Oklahoma and is of Choctaw heritage. She often played as part of the Ramseur Records band, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers. Crain's first pressed collection of songs was recorded under the watchful eye of Joey Lemon of the Chicago-based band, Berry. The EP (extended play) is a concept album based around five short stories she had written involving the themes of redemption and betrayal. Ramseur Records took notice of this self-released EP and decided to reissue it in July 2007. Crain's first long-playing album with the Midnight Shivers was the April 28, 2009 release "Songs in the Night". "Songs in the Night" was met with much critical praise. Rolling Stone magazine reviewed it with 3.5 stars out of 5, saying "Her voice is gorgeously odd - all fulsome, shape-shifting vowels that do indeed billow like fog." Indeed, her voice is shocking. Tickets are still available, so be sure to not miss this amazing musician.
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An Inside Look
| One Minute in our Kitchen on New Years Eve
By Ray
| | Click the picture for a behind the scenes video! |
New Years Eve this past Friday seemed to be a resounding success. 572 people were served at 46 different tables in about 6 hours. The average wait for reservations was less than 5 minutes. We served from our full menu with no New Years Eve price increases and no holiday packages were forced on to our customers. Each year we take great pride in our performance. I thought you might get a kick out of an inside look. One random minute in our kitchen. This is not the peak, just a couple moments to let you know what it is like back there in hell's kitchen. Great Job Guys!
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Unchain Yourself
| Consumers Rank 2010 Favorite Chains
By Ryan
Being that we are, have and always will be a family owned restaurant, our biggest enemies are "The Chains." When a new "chain" comes into the area they already have a distinct advantage over any of the local competition. That advantage is that a large percentage of people are already familiar with their brand. They don't need to perform to earn loyal customers. Most restaurant consumers think Olive Garden, and they are already pleased regardless of what  experience they are about to encounter.
The non-chains, such as us, we probably get one chance to make a good impression. If we don't, there goes a customer for life. People are not as forgiving to the little guys. One enjoyable trait of our area in general, is that we have several restaurants that are individually or family owned that do a fantastic job. Even though the chains move in....one by one by one......the rest of us still remain. It's a credit to the many fine restaurants we have and a credit to all of our loyal customers.
I just wanted to share with you an article from the National Restaurant Association newsletter, ranking the top chains of 2010 according to customer survey. Cheesecake Factory ranked at the top and I honestly can't dispute it, that place is good! But, it was nice to see Applebee's towards the bottom since we have one just 5 miles away.
I'd like to think that if a local survey on favorite restaurants were taken in our area, that Applebees and Buffalo Wild Wings and the like would remain towards the bottom, with the "non-chains" dominating the top of the list.
Chain Survey Article
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Fast Food Industry
| The 10 Worst Items for Your Health
By Ray
| | Four Mozzarella Stick inside of Grilled Cheese Sandwich |
If you haven't noticed by now I get a kick out of the 10 best, or worst lists. Here is a list from the Huffington Post about the 10 worst food items for your health. These foods are actually sold by our fast food culture. I could not help but get a chuckle out of a couple of these. Do people really buy some of this garbage? What would possess some one to eat these things. Now really, would you eat a hamburger that uses a grilled cheese sandwich as the the top and the bottom bun? Meat Munchkins hmmm..
The 10 Worst Fast Food Products of 2010
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Employee Updates
|  January Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays
Janet Ruzicka
Aly Witek
Jim Lannen
Anniversaries
Melinda Andreoni- 4 years
Janette Beach- 1 year
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Things to Try This Week
|  Here are three things our staff (the people who know our menus the best) has picked that they think stands out from the more than 500 items you will find on our food and drink menu.
 From Ray - Grouper Sandwich - One of the things that I will have here occasionally is the grouper sandwich. Every time, I do think to myself why don't I do this more often. Grouper hand breaded and fried to order served on a 5 inch sesame seed bun. Topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and American cheese. Served with our fantastic homemade tartar sauce and freshly fried chips. All for 8.75
It is so good that several times a year I have a customer say "this is better than the Snook!" The Snook Inn is in Marco Island, Florida. Dennis, the owner, and I worked together at a couple of restaurants long ago, before we went our separate ways. He opened a place on the Gulf of Mexico that is famous for its fried grouper sandwiches. The fish is caught near there which is probably why his are so good. Now I have never had their grouper sandwich, but Dennis if you are reading this, this is a challenge!
 From Jimmy - Escargot - Something that I just got into this past year was escargot. I never tried them and just the thought of cooked snails, did not sound like it was for me. Well, I am sure a lot of you have had that same thought. I decided I needed to open my palate to try new things and for the first time, try escargot. I did not know what I was missing, they are fantastic. Escargot is typically found in French cooking and often viewed as a delicacy. The secret is having tender snails and cooking it in garlic butter. Our garlic butter is made with fresh herbs, garlic and onions ground and mixed with butter. It has a ton of flavor. Not a lot of places around here have this on their menu. I like them so much now that I even make them at home too. For all of you that have never tried them, I ask you to try it once. If you love garlic, you will find this dish quite interesting.
 From Aly - Crab Bruschetta - One of the specials we currently offer is Crab Bruschetta. I had this for lunch today and loved this dish. This dish consists of lump blue crab, scallions in lemon plugra butter over arugula on toasted pane bigio. Blue crab is a crustacean found in the waters of the Alantic ocean, the Pacific coast of Central America, and the Gulf of Mexico. Initially, I was expecting the crab to be blue but sadly it was not. I did some research and learned that once the crab is cooked, the alpha-crostacyanin breaks down, leaving only the astaxanthin which turns the crab red-orange. The lemon plugra butter gives this dish a richer flavor than regular butter. I loved the combination of the crunchy pane bigio bread, the crisp peppery flavoured arugula and soft lump blue crab. I recommend trying this dish as an appetizer, and pairing it with either a Sauvigon Blanc or Reisling wine.
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Uptown Playlist Theater
| Upcoming Shows
April 15th Bill Kirchen will be our last show at the Uptown Playlist theater, don't miss out on the final acts. Tickets are on sale now for all shows. Concert tickets make great gifts for those music lover's in your life. But don't wait until it is too late, buy your tickets today to make sure you will be able to attend.
| | Click the picture to watch a Paul Cebar video |
Paul Cebar Friday
January 7th, 2011
Tickets Available Now! $18 advanced/$20 door
Paul Cebar is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and bandleader from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who has a penchant for African, Latin American and Caribbean music. He recently played here in September of 2009. Cebar began performing in coffeehouses on the local folk scene in the mid-1970s. His repertoire consisted in large part of rhythm and blues and jump blues songs, played solo on his guitar.
| | Click the picture to watch a Samantha Crain video |
Samantha Crain Friday
January 28th, 2011
Tickets Available Now! $15 advanced/$18 door
Samantha Crain is from Shawnee, Oklahoma and is of Choctaw heritage. Shawnee is a town whose remote location influenced her quirky, earthy interpretation of folk music. She often played as part of the Ramseur Records band, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers. Although inspired by the sounds of her father's music collection, including Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, an adolescent Crain took even greater solace in the music of her home state, from the rootsy Americana of Woody Guthrie to the sonic experiments of the Flaming Lips.
| | Click the picture above to watch Fred Eaglesmith on David Letterman |
Fred Eaglesmith
Thursday
February 10, 2011
Tickets Available Now! $20
Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels is a show you want to be here for. Country-folk singer/songwriter Fred J. Eaglesmith was one of nine children born to a farming family in rural southern Ontario. Eaglesmith gradually became an underground favorite in his native Canada during a relentless touring schedule with bassist Ralph Schipper and mandolinist Willie P. Bennett. Eaglesmith won a Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album - Solo, is a winner of the Canadian Independent Music Award, and was a finalist in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition for his song, "Alcohol and Pills."
| | Click the picture to watch a Spampinato Brothers video |
The Spampinato Brothers
Friday
March 4th, 2011
Tickets Available Now! $15 advanced/$18 door
Joey Spampinato is a founding member of NRBQ, the only band to appear at the Berlin Jazz festival, the New York Folk Festival, and the Grand Ole Opry in the same year! About 25 years after NRBQ's formation, Joey had welcomed his brother Johnny into the band. Joey and Johnny now are doing what they knew they should always have been doing, recording and performing music together as the Spampinato Brothers. Joining them, Aaron Spade plays the guitar and Jay Cournoyer is on the drums.
| | Click the picture to watch a Bill Kirchen video |
Bill Kirchen
Friday
April 15th, 2011
Tickets Available Now! $18 advanced/$20 door
Some of you may already know, but Bill Kirchen will be the last show at the Playlist Theater! Famous for his indelible Telecaster sound on "Hot Rod Lincoln," his 1972 Top 10 hit with Commander Cody, Kirchen has been everywhere since he first became known during the mid-'60s. He was a founding member of the legendary Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, he's released eight critically acclaimed solo albums, he's toured internationally with Nick Lowe and has performed with the likes of Doug Sahm, Gene Vincent, Elvis Costello, Dan Hicks, Emmylou Harris and Link Wray. Be sure not to miss the last show here at the Uptown Grill.
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| Not Your "Everyday" Specials |
 Monday Nights, Steak DianeEvery 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 WednesdayEvery Wednesday after 4pm, we will be serving authentic German Wienerschnitzel. Served with roasted asparagus, spaetzel and veal demi glaze it is only $11.75. Throwback Thursday
Each Thursday, we will bring back one of your old favorite menu items and serve it ALL DAY. We would love to hear your past favorites so we can bring them back for you!
Click here to vote what you want us to bring back!
This Thursday, January 6th, we will be serving the Mexican Club.
 Friday Nights, Seafood Mixed Grill
4 oz broiled lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz salmon filet
with basil cream, and 4 ozwhitefish parmesan with lemon caper butter. All for only $19.75
Prime Rib, Friday and Saturday EveningAvailable 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 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 NightsEvery Saturday night after 4pm we will be serving slow roasted 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 Fajita and MargaritasYou get a chicken fajita with a 64 ounce pitcher of margaritas, serving 2 for $20!
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| On Special This Week | |
Blackberry Point Oysters on the Half Shell from Prince Edward Island, Canada
Crab Bruschetta
Applewood Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp
Antipasto Chop Salad
Panini Sandwhich Combo- Four Cheese, Tillamook Cheddar, Manchego, Fontina and Emmentaler Cheese. Served with Walnut, Mesculyn and Gorgonzola Salad
Orange Roughy Etouffee
Pork Filet
Curry Infused Chicken Breasts
Roasted Vegetable and Smoked Sausage Penne
Steamed Broccoli with White Cheddar
Housemade Apple Crisp Pie
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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 is the term for plunging just-cooked foods, such as vegetables, into ice-cold water to halt the cooking?
2. What kind of fresh bean can fight malaria but may also trigger a potentially fatal reaction in people with a certain genetic blood-enzyme deficiency?
3. What kinds of foods are serrated knives designed to cut?
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 country produces the most variations of artichokes? ITALY
2. Which part of an apple contains the highest level of antioxidants? THE SKIN
3. What distinguishes classic French-style rolling pins from classic American-style pins?
AMERICAN PINS HAVE HANDLES, FRENCH DO NOT
Last weeks winner of the free lunch ....... Heather Francis |
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.
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