Birthday Club

by andrew 

  Thank you to all of our customers who have signed up for our weekly newsletter.

As a perk to all of you, we have started a birthday club and you are all in it!  On the first of each month, we are sending out a special message via email to all recipients of the UP-town UP-dates with a birthday in that month.   

Included in the email will be a coupon that is good for the entree of the birthday person, up to a $20 value.  As would any business, we do have a few requirements or rules if you will. We must have your birthday month on record with your email. And you must be signed up to receive the Up-town Up-dates newsletter. If you are not sure that we have your birthday on file you can update your profile by clicking below and re-entering your email address.  Update your profile  

We ask that you bring in a group of 4 or more people (yourself included) to celebrate your birthday.  Your server will ask for the printed out coupon that you received from us, as well as a photo ID.  The coupon  may be used only one time and only on your actual birthday.  The coupon is valid every day including holidays and weekends. As the birthday person, your entree up to $20 value, is on us! We do not restrict this in any other way. 

One of our favorite parts about working in this industry is the fact that we get to have fun with all of you.  We're here to provide great service but we make it as fun as we possibly can.  Please come see us on your birthday.  We would love to party with you!  

It's Not My Job, It's Our Job,  It's the Side Job 

By Ray 

Marsha Klimek- Uptown Waitress- Checking the Server Side Job List

10,000 customers a month, 60 employees, and 16,000 square feet of space.....How do we keep it clean? All the way back to my Red Door Inn days, we knew there had to be a system for keeping things clean, organized and presentable. I thought you might be interested in how we go about this. There is nothing that turns me off to a restaurant faster than to see something dirty or disorgonized. Many surveys of customers reflect exactly the same thing. As we have been in this building for over 15 years, it becomes even more important.

First of all, it helps to have a staff like ours that is consistent and cares about how we present ourselves. With as many long term dedicated employees as we have in the front of the house and the back of the house, it is actually easy. Having a Marsha on staff to lead the charge helps also, but there still has to be a system. If every employee and every department does a little bit every shift it is not such a big job. Here is how we divide it up.

The daily check list - Each department has a daily check list of things they need to do each day to get ready for the shift as well as clean up. These lists, as well as all of our other check lists, are on paper and must be initialed by the staff member that does them each day. They include all the obvious things that must get done every shift like cleaning the glass on the front doors, to rinsing out the draft beer drain, to cleaning the tops of their work tables. Each department has a list of 40 to 75 things they do every day.

The next level of jobs are what we call "side jobs." This is a list of things that do not need to be done every day, but do need to be done on a regular basis. Over the years, we have compiled a list of things like wiping the wood work with oil soap, cleaning the rungs in the chairs, tearing apart a piece of kitchen equipment, polishing the draft tower, to scrubbing out the garbage cans. Each department has between 1 and 5 things they are responsible for each shift of the month for some 60 odd shifts.

And then there is the "extra job". I expect that the manager on duty every shift walks the building and looks for an extra cleaning job. All of us over time become somewhat oblivious to our surroundings. Because we see it everyday, somehow we don't see it any more. When the system is working sometimes it is actually hard to find an extra job.

Hopefully using a system that involves these three levels helps to keep us spic and span.   

Mushrooms

By Chuck 

Now is the time of year for mushrooms. The season of spring with its cool wet nights and some afternoon sun seems to be the best growing conditions for mushrooms. This month morels seem to be plentiful for all those avid hunters. But what really is the dirt on mushrooms? A fungi that we oh so love in pastas, deep fried, on pizzas, in sauces and with our steaks. A mushroom can be found in all sorts of dishes.

Mushrooms have been consumed for thousands of years. The varieties of both wild and cultivated mushrooms are endless however, a relative few actually make it to the markets.

Here is a list of some interesting facts about mushrooms.

-Mushrooms are high in fiber, protein and vitamin B.
-When choosing mushrooms, pick ones that are dry and firm with their caps closed.
-Refridgerate fresh mushrooms in a paper bag to maintain their quality for longer.
-Clean mushrooms just before cooking by wiping and brushing them, drenching them is actually not recommended. Fresh mushrooms soak up and then release quite a bit of moisture when they are cooked, just imagine after you soak them.
-Most wild mushrooms are found in markets in their dry form. They can be expensive but the flavors are intense. A little goes a long way.
-Rehydrate dried mushrooms by soaking in water for 30 minutes. The water can then be used for flavoring soups or sauces too.

Here is a short list of the most common mushrooms.

Chanterelle 

This trumpet shaped wild mushrooms has a delicate flavor and ranges in color from yellow to orange. It has a meaty texture and toughens when overcooked.

Enoki  
These have a sweet flavor but are very brittle and delicate. The are best used raw in salads or briefly cooked in Asian dishes.

 

Morels 
A favorite of mine. A rich, smoky spring time favorite. Great deep fried or sauteed in butter.

 

Oyster 

This is a peppery flavored mushroom that is often found in fan shaped clusters on rotting tree trunks. Best when fresh.

 

Porcini
An earthy Italian rarely found fresh in the United States. Often found dried where its flavor is even more potent.   

Portobello
Huge flat, deep flavored great with steaks on the grill.

 

Shiitake 

Japanese mushroom that has a woody flavor to it. Its flavor is intesified when it is dried.

 

 Straw

Tiny mushrooms with a musty flavor to them.

 

 Truffle 
One of the worlds most prized and costly foods. Specially trained dogs sniff out these treasures in France, Italy, and Oregon.

New Single Malt Scotch Addition  

By Jimmy

We have recently added a new single malt scotch to our vast selection of liquors on our back bar. Glenmorangie, The LaSanta is a single malt scotch aged twelve years in both bourbon and sherry casks. Glenmorangie, located in the western portion of Scotland, means "glen of tranquility" and this scotch whiskey definitely fits the bill. For over 165 years, this distillery has been producing some of the finest scotch whiskeys around. The distillery itself has the tallest stills in Scotland and is categorized as a Highlands single malt. This refers to it being produced around the outer edges of the island of Scotland. Beginning in the 1990's, Glenmorangie experimented with maturing its scotch in different wood casks the last few years of maturation.

The LaSanta, spends 10 years in American white oak casks that used to store bourbon. It is then extra-matured an additional 2 years in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain. The result is a full bodied, rich in texture single malt scotch that has a long and smooth finish. It smells of warm spices, has the sweet flavor of sherry and the finishing taste is spiced orange and hazelnut. MaCallan drinkers will love this.  The LaSanta just won the 2010 San Francisco Double Gold Award in the single malt category.  

sauteed soft shell crab

lightly breaded and sauteed soft shell crab served with garlic butter.   10.25

northern nova scotia oysters on the half shell

tatamagouche oysters from the northern coast of nova scotia, canada. medium size salty and rich. availability is erratic but well worth the wait. this season runs from may thru the winter months. served with a mignonette   10.75

 lamb lollipops

three lamb lollipops (french trimmed lamb rib chops) served over an arugula salad with quinoa and balsamic vinaigrette   12.25

artisanal cheese sampler

1. Castelinhos (Portugal)  2. Pinna Brigante (Italy) 3. Soignon Buche Goat Log (France)   

4. Idiazabal, sheep cheese (Navarra-Spain) 5. Life Prov Velours Bleu (France)     

6. Sap Sago, Switzerland.  19.75

fried chicken salad

fried chicken breast over a bed of spinach with strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapes, hard boiled egg, alfalfa sprouts, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled asparagus and cashews. served with raspberry honey vinaigrette  13.50

mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo

raisin river ham, stoned ground mustard and emmentaler cheese. served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola salad. balsamic vinaigrette dressing 10.75

with cup of soup of the day 12.25

fried oyster po'boy

deep fried oysters, shredded lettuce, tomato and remoulade sauce on a french roll  11.75

broiled walleye with lemon walnut crust

broiled walleye filet with a lemon walnut crust. served with sauteed broccolini 19.50

sauteed soft shell crabs

2 lightly breaded and sauteed soft shell crabs served with garlic butter.  served with fried shoestring potatoes   23.75

shrimp and asparagus pappardelle

sauteed shrimp, asparagus, shallot and grape tomatoes served over pappardelle and watercress in a light lemon mascarpone white wine sauce  16.75

chargrilled flat iron steak

10 oz. center cut, garlic and herb marinated flat iron steak served with broccolini and sauteed shiitake, oyster and portobello mushrooms  21.50

infused chicken

two six ounce butter garlic chicken breasts served with white wine cream sauce and our seasoned rice blend  13.75

sauteed broccolini

fresh broccolini sauteed with white wine and plugra butter with a touch of cracked red pepper  5.75

chocolate mousse torte

chocolate layered mousse torte served with raspberry chambord sauce   6.75