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February 3rd, 2011

Uptown Playlist Theater

Samantha Crain Show Recap

By Ray
 

Samantha CrainThis past Friday, Samantha Crain and a couple of her friends graced our stage. She was on my personal bucket list to have here before our series of shows are over in April. I find it amazing that someone as young as she can write music with such depth that is coupled with a voice that is so mesmerizing. I was kind of nervous because the show was booked originally with her full band The Midnight Shivers. I was informed of a new arrangement and decided to go ahead with it anyway. I have seen her rock show and can tell you if you ever get a chance DO NOT MISS IT! I am not sure but I think we saw one of the first "Folk Samantha" shows. When the night was over I told her now she has two products to sell, Rock Samantha and Folk Samantha. I am not sure which one I like more.

Apparently, she was on someone elses bucket list too. She told us about a cruise she was invited to perform on. It is called Cayamo. She performed with a group of musicians somewhere along the likes of Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Brandi Carlile, Robert Earl Keen, Edwin McCain, and Buddy Miller. In searching for more information about this event (because I want to go!) they used her music in a promotional video. With all that talent on the cruise they picked her song.

Another musician that was on that cruise that Samantha knows is Lissie. Lissie is from Rock Island, Illinois and seems to be getting really big. She is also on my bucket list. We have tried to get her. So Lissie if you are out there....


 

There are less than 20 tickets left for Fred Eaglesmith.
 

 

Check out these links!

 

Cayamo Video Featuring Samantha Song

 

Cayamo List of Artists

 

A Snippet of Friday Night's Sound Check 

 

 

In the Business

The $874 Eyewash

By Ray
 

Workers CompMany employers have complaints about the workman's compensation system in the State of Illinois. Thankfully, in the restaurant business our workman's compensation costs are not near as expensive as they are in some industries. We have a pretty good experience "mod". This is a rating you get based on the number of claims that are filed against you. If you have many or large claims your rate goes up. For every employer in Illinois it pays to keep your "mod" low by helping your insurer keep claim expenses to a minimum.

This is sometimes difficult because we don't have an urgent care facility in our area and usually we have to send our employees to the emergency room. A few weeks ago we had an employee splash some sanitizing solution in his eye. This is not by any means a caustic chemical but would cause discomfort. We are always concerned foremost about the health of our employees and told him to go and have it looked at if it is bothering him. It seems like anytime a hospital gets a patient that is workman's compensation related the price goes up, way up! Our insurance company was billed $874 for an eyewash, $290 for the doctor, $446 for E/R charges and $138 for "I/V solution". Yes $874 for rinsing someones eye with a bottle of saline solution. I remember back to our early days when you could get three or four stitches for under a 100$. What a bargain. I do not blame the hospitals for this. It is our system. I am sure there are two important parts this. One is liability and the other ability...... to pay that is.
 

Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich

This led me to think. What if I charged my customers prices based upon their ability to pay. I understand that the hospital probably does not get paid for many of their services and have to charge more for the patients that can pay. As far as the liability, in today litigious society, I do not think I would want to rinse out someones eye for $874.

My rights are limited as the insured. Most times I am not allowed to see the bill. I did talk to my adjuster on this one, and he told me that it would get negotiated down. He told me this is the battle they fight all day long. The whole idea stinks. Bottom line, as an employer we have to watch these costs because when our rates goes up, so do my customer's.

I kind of got a chuckle this week from a couple of related stories in the news. The first was one of our U.S. Congressmen, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio suing the congressional cafeteria because he had an olive pit in his sandwich. He was suing them for, get this, $150,000. This is one of the people that are making these laws. Number one, you would think that he has pretty good dental insurance. Number two, you also kind of wonder why he did not file a workman's compensation claim.
 

Marion Prison
Menard Prison

Also, I recently read an article about workman's compensation claims between the State of Illinois and prison guards at the Menard Correctional Facility. The claim involves repetitive stress injuries incurred from locking and unlocking the cell doors occasionally. It looks like a huge portion of the staff got in on the bonanza, including the warden who received a payout for over $75,000. Overall, over 5 million dollars has been paid out but what is really troubling is that a vast majority of the claims went uncontested by anyone, including the Illinois Attorney General's office whose responsibility it is to protect the state from fraud. The state does not contest 5 million dollars worth of questionable claims and here I am contesting an $874 dollar eyewash. I guess that is why we have a balanced budget and the state does not. I have a sign hanging in my office that says "to run a business you need brains, determination, and the ability squeeze a nickle until it screams" This is just one more way we squeeze.

 

Article on the Menard Correctional Facility Workman's Compensation Case

 

Story on Cleveland.Com about Mr. Kucinich's Lawsuit

In Our Area 
Asian Carp as a Delicacy?
By Jim


Asian Carp JumpingAs a child, I can remember the Illinois River was actually a fun place to be. Whether it be boating, fishing, swimming, I am sure all of us have done it on the river. With not much to do in this area, the river was a place to hang out and even as I got older, party. The past 10 years, I don't think I would even take a boat on it anymore. We all have seen the invasion of the Asian carp. The last few years have been a carp growth explosion. I have seen these jumping monsters first hand out on a boat last year and although fascinating to watch, they are really quite an ugly fish. I have even seen our river featured on the Animal Planet's show "River Monsters". They are so overpopulated in the Illinois River, you will find many of them dead on the shores along the banks. Their reproductive cycles enable them to take control of an area very quickly.

Over the course of the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion in trying to control these species and preventing them from getting into the Great Lakes water system. This would be catastrophic to that ecosystem. Many of you have probably read about the city of Spring Valley receiving interest from a few different companies in building a processing plant here in our area to take action against this invasive species. After much debate and with a few different ideas as to what type of plant would be best suited in our area, they finally decided to call off talks because of a lack of funding.

Asian Carp FoodWell, just recently, I seen this article from the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, MN. The Asian carp has that stigma of being a fish that people just do not eat. The carp species itself is not normally a good fish to eat. The common carp is fatty and has a strong flavor. According to those that have tried the Asian variety it is a mild flavor, flakey textured fish similiar to the characteristics of cod or walleye. The Japanese, they have begun doing the same with their own invasive species, the catfish. We eat catfish here, right?. They now serve catfish burgers on street corners over there and this is helping to control their nuisance.

I am not saying you will find Asian carp served here, but I wonder if they just never labeled it a carp, would people have viewed it differently. They dont call it that in China and people love it. You can't knock it until you have tried it, right? At least there are talks about putting together a program to market and export the fish to China or processing them here in the United States. But then again, how long will it be before action is taken. The ideas are in place but again the funding or lack of funding has again seemed to stall the process.

Star Tribune Article Asian Carp a Delicacy?
Around the Industry
Random Musings From the Blizzard of 2011
By Ray


front buildingSomething like the Blizzard of 2011 seems to happen about once a decade. I was 8 in 1967 living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago when that blizzard blizzed. I distinctly remember the snow and the fun as most eight year olds would. I love this weather now too!

This is terrible for business. In fact we even decided to close Tuesday night and Wednesday lunch for only about the fifth time in our 25 year history. In this current environment it is just not worth fighting. The reasons for staying open are mainly consistency for your customers. The reasons to close are many, employees safety, lack of business and profit. I don't know if it is the stormy weather or the stormy economy but it does seem like the weather effects business five times as much as it did in the past. Personally, I am one that likes to go out in this weather.

Once again the forecasters are our worst enemy. The storm forecast seemed to be presented that no normal person should go out from Monday through Thursday. Monday's weather was fine and so was Thursday's. I heard one forecaster on NBC Chicago say "This will be a storm of biblical proportions". Come on....... You hear stories that the grocery stores shelves are empty because of everyone getting ready for the armageddon. I don't understand.

snow pileWhat was really interesting was Sunday & Monday night. Ryan was working and late Sunday we had a 40 walk in. All ice boat racers here for an international race in Henry. Those are some hearty souls!

Tuesday night when leaving work the roads were really bad going home. My 12 minute commute took about 40 minutes. Upon waking Wednesday morning it was business as usual for me. I was not going to let weather deter me from my work. I think it might be my Swiss heritage. My drive in took the usual 12 minutes and the roads in great condition in all three towns that I travel through. For most people, getting out of the driveway is the hardest thing.

Either way we will be here for you always. Well almost always. Happy Blizzard.
Things to Try This Week
three things to try
Here are three things picked by our staff, the people who know our menus the best, that they think stand out from the more than 500 items you will find on our food and drink menu.

3 meat lasagna
From Nikki
- Three Meat Lasagna - Lasagna has been around for a long time, and many variations exist. Supposedly lasagna came from the Greek, and was a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. Wherever it came from, you should try out our version. What's better than home-cooked lasagna though? I love meat and pastas, and this lasagna is by far one of the best from our kitchen. Our veal, pork, and beef will melt in your mouth. The spinach and ricotta is the perfect addition to top off the dish.
 



cheese samplerFrom JimCheese Sampler - This week I want to bring to everyones attention a dish that I think is not ordered enough. The Artisinal cheese sampler is a wonderful dish for many different occasions. As an appetizer, dessert, with a glass one of wine at the bar or as a great conversation piece, the possibilities are endless. The dish serves 2 to 4 people and includes a 2 ounce sample of 5 artisinal cheeses from around the world. The cheeses range from a very light flavor to a full flavored some sort of bleu. We throw in a bonus cheese, Sap Sago, a Swiss green cheese mixed with butter that is the oldest brand in the world. We provide a plethera of information when we serve this dish for everyone to follow along on the characteristics and interesting information about each cheese as each one stimulates your taste buds. Along side we serve dried figs, dried apricots, bosc pear slices, glazed walnuts, honey, quince paste, a Mediterranean olive mix and fresh baked breads to find the best compliment to each cheese. Come in and try it, it can be a fun evening and quite interesting.

Collard GreensFrom Ryan
Collard Greens - Each week we put together a side vegetable to accompany our entree specials. This week is something out of the ordinary, Collard greens. We sautee the greens with white wine before adding bacon, red onion and roma tomatoes. They are also offered as a side dish on their own. Until this week, I have never had collard greens before. I had only heard stories about them. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they remind me of a cross between cabbage and swiss chard. The way they are prepared is excellent. In the future, this is an item I would now be looking to order off restaurant menus.
Uptown Playlist Theater
Upcoming Shows

Fred Eaglesmith
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 Ginn Sisters 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 K
irchen

Tickets SOLD OUT!


Friday
April 15th, 2011

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
steak dianeMonday 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 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.

Throwback Thursday 


Sausage BurgerSausage Burger
 
Just like the old days. Delicious sausage burger served on a sesame seed bun with our housemade chips.

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!
 

seafood trio newFriday Nights, Seafood Mixed Grill

4 oz broiled lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz cod filet
with basil cream, and 4 oz whitefish parmesan with lemon caper butter. All for only $19.75


 

Prime Rib, Friday and SaturdayPrime Rib 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 alto shaam. It is served with au jus, mushrooms and your choice  of side dish. Available in 12oz $19.75 or 16oz $22.75



LambA Lamb Lovers Delight, Saturday Nights

Every 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

fajitas
Sunday, All Day, 
Sizzling Fajita and Margaritas

You get a chicken fajita with a 64 ounce pitcher of margaritas, serving 2 for $20!


 
On Special This Week
Blackberry Point Oysters on the Half Shell from Prince Edward Island, Canada

Deep Fried Mushroom Blend

Caramelized Asian Pear and Salemville Bleu Cheese Salad

Panini Sandwich Combo- Roasted Pork Loin, Caramelized Red Onion and Tillamook Cheddar. Served with Walnut, Mesculyn and Gorgonzola Salad

Broiled Lemon Pepper Snapper Filet

Applewood Smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese Meatloaf

10 oz. Chargrilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak

Curry Infused Chicken Breasts

Three Meat Lasagna with Spinach and Ricotta

Collard Greens with Red Onion, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Roma Tomato and White Wine


Housemade Pineapple Upside Down Pie

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cobbler
Win A Free Lunch
Foodie Fight Contest 

 

foodie fight
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, in diner slang, is a "sinker"?
 
2. Who is the target market for $26 per pound, gourmet, dried, round steak sold by mail-order company Omaha Steaks?

3. What state has the top producer of cultivated oysters in the United States?


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 weeks questions and answers...

1. What spice is the berry of the evergreen pimiento tree, also called the Jamaica pepper? ALLSPICE

2. Where did many Americans get their meals during the Great Depression, following the 1929 stock market crash?  SOUP KITCHENS OR BREADLINES

3. What is made in a plunger pot? COFFEE

Last weeks winner of the free lunch ....... Theresa Zandi
Email Policy
Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information.

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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