Wine Kegs  

By Ryan

We are all aware of wine that comes in a box. Some people swear by it, some would never drink out of it. Well, it looks like the new wave of wine in a box is starting to become a trend, at least on the west coast. This new trend is wine in a keg. It's something I had never heard of before until I came across this article in the Chicago Tribune.

The idea originated in Italy and was brought back to a Napa winery that is now shipping its wine in stainless steel kegs. Other wineries are beginning to follow suit. One of the wineries that is also shipping wine in kegs is the Saintsbury vineyard of which we have on our wine list. The producers are claiming that this will guarantee a fresh glass of wine every time.The producers use a blend of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (the guinness blend) to push the wine out of the keg. Each keg is equivalent to about 26 bottles of wine and the kegs are reusable, making the entire wine bottling process that much more "green" and eco-friendly.

Wineries have been trying to eliminate the number of bad bottles that restaurants might receive because of too much air getting into the bottle which happens most frequently in corked bottles. More recently many wineries have been using the stelvin screw cap to ensure freshness and now we are seeing a trend towards putting the wine into kegs which producers are saying will produce a fresh glass of wine every time. This would be a huge savings to restaurants. For example, we pour 4 glasses of wine to a bottle. What happens when you open a new bottle of wine and then don't sell another glass of that particular wine for a day or two? Here at least, we consider that bottle to no longer be useable for glass wine and we use it for cooking. Sometimes that's a loss of 3 glasses to a bottle and at $6 or $7 per glass, it adds up pretty quickly. I myself have not had a glass of wine out of a tap, but I will certainly be on the look out now.

Chicago Tribune- Wine Starting to Come in Kegs 

Update Your Newsletter Profile for our Birthday Club! 

By Nikki  

As you might have read in a previous newsletter, we started the Uptown Birthday Club. When you sign up on our email card, we put your name, e-mail address, and birthday month into the system. For some reason, some peoples have been wrong, and others have chose not to put their birthday month. We wanted to send out a reminder and instructions to check to make sure yours is right, and add your birthday month if it is not already in there. Therefore, everyone can receive their birthday club e-mail to receive the special offer. If you are not sure that we have your birthday on file or if it's correct, here are easy instructions on making sure. 

1. Go to the bottom of any previous newsletter and click on Update Profile/Email Address

2. It will bring you to a screen where it says Update Your Uptown Grill Profile. Hit "Submit".

3. You will come to a screen that looks like this below, and you will then continue to hit "Update Your Profile".

4. You will come to the screen where you can change or enter your birthday month! 

On the first of each month, we are sending out an e-mail to all that receive our newsletter with a birthday in that month. Included is 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. You must be signed up to receive the Uptown Updates newsletter and must have your correct birthday month on record with your e-mail. 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. Tell your friends!   

Fish Tacos 

By Aly 

If you missed out on tasting our fish tacos during Lent, well then you're in luck. For a limited time, Chef Chris has taken a new spin on our already delicious fish tacos that I'm sure you will enjoy. We will be serving to order three fresh Blackened Mahi Mahi tacos paired with an avocado mango chutney, ancho salsa, and served with our house made fried potato wedges. Ancho salsa is considered a mellow salsa that is made with dried ancho chiles. To achieve the blackened rub, we use a blend of ground black, white and cayenne pepper as well as garlic, herbs and a smokey paprika which adds the perfect amount of spice and a bold flavor. I would describe Mahi Mahi fish filet's as meaty, and flavor-wise it is medium to mild. The Mahi Mahi fish is found close to surface in temperate, tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The Mahi Mahi that we will be serving comes from Florida. So come in try our Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos, while supplies last. They would be perfect to help unwind after a hard day or week of work, while sipping one of our Margarita's on our patio!

Congratulations LP Girls Softball Team 

By Ryan

Recently our local high school girls softball team made it to the state championship game. The girls eventually would lose the state championship game 1-0 in the bottom of the very last inning. We always like to follow our local sports teams and give them recognition where recognition is due. Making it to the state championship game is an accomplishment in and of itself.

It was decided by our newsletter staff that I would be the individual to write this article, being that I understand the heartbreak of losing a state championship game (yes our staff is very funny, ha ha)! I'm sure the girls would rather have lost 10-0 than 1-0. To be so close to winning and have it taken away at the end is not an easy thing to swallow. Years down the road this group of girls will be able to look back proudly on their accomplishment. To go through that many playoff games without losing, when just one bad day or even one bad inning can end your season, it really is amazing to get so far. They all can hold their heads up high and be proud of their accomplishment. It is something that can never be taken away from you. Congratulations and good luck to all of you in the future.

The article below, from our local newspaper gives a little insight to how the girls viewed their title game run.

La Salle-Peru softball: In their own words 

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. 

From Nikki - Cajun Infused Chicken - This week I'm telling you to try our infused chicken. Every so often we change what we infuse the chicken with. Right now we have cajun infused chicken. It has a "Louisiana spicy" taste to it. The creole sauce served with it is not blazing hot but has more of a mild bite. The best part of our chicken is you can enjoy the entree and get it served with our delicious rice blend. If you want to add a little bite to your salad or a pasta dish perhaps, you can also order this cajun infused chicken to top it off. 

From Tracy R. (Uptown Waitress) - Sunset Martini - Every time someone asks me what drink to try on a hot summer day, I almost always will recommend the Sunset Martini. This perfect combination of orange, raspberry, and pineapple flavors is a great way to relax and refresh while you are out to dinner. Served in a frosted martini glass, this drink consists of Stoli Raspberry Vodka, Triple Sec, and fresh pineapple juice. It is then shaken and served with a sugar coated rim and a fresh strawberry. Nothing says summer quite like a sunset at the Uptown.  

From Jim - Gorgonzola Meatloaf Sandwich - The meatloaf sandwich used to be a very popular sandwich on our menu in years past. In an effort to bring new menu ideas, we found we had to remove it from the every day menu. We just did not think it was special enough. Well, we like to bring it back now and then but with an Uptown twist. This is not just like mom used to make. We have taken a traditional meatloaf and baked in some gorgonzola cheese. It is served open faced on black forest rye bread and topped with caramelized red onions. Perfect combination of sweet and sour. Stop in for lunch and try something different.

appetizers

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. serves 2 to 4 people 19.75

jalapeno poppers
four lightly battered jalapeno peppers stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese. served with uptown salsa 7.75

oysters on the half shell
blue point oysters, long island, new york. medium choice oyster with a bright brine and firm meat. on the half shell, with mignonette sauce 10.75

salad

blt club chop salad
chunks of toasted warm pane bigio bread, smoked turkey, applewood smoked bacon, grape tomatoes and green onions tossed with romaine. applewood smoked bacon dressing 13.50

sandwich

mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
sopressata, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and arugula pesto. served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola salad. balsamic vinaigrette dressing 10.75 with cup of soup of the day 12.25

gorgonzola meatloaf sandwich
housemade gorgonzola meatloaf topped with caramelized red onions. served open face on black forest rye. 9.75

flat iron steak sandwich
garlic and herb marinated flat iron steak topped with salemville bleu cheese and caramelized onions. served open face on multi-grain bread with lettuce, tomato and fried potato wedges 10.75

entrees

grilled mahi mahi
grilled mahi mahi filet with strawberry mango chutney and black pepper cous cous 19.75

infused chicken
two six ounce cajun infused chicken breasts served with creole sauce and our seasoned rice blend 13.75

grilled pork filet
6 oz. pork filet grilled and served over polenta with a shiitake mushroom and black garlic demi glaze. served with fresh corn, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, onions and celery sauteed with white wine and sweet plugra butter 16.75

gorgonzola meatloaf
housemade gorgonzola meatloaf topped with caramelized red onions. served with steamed vegetagbles and gorgonzola and chive mashed potatoes topped with mushroom marsala sauce 13.75

side

sauteed vegetable blend with pancetta
broccolini, zucchini, yellow squash, celery, onion, and carrots sauteed with pancetta in white wine and sweet plugra butter 5.75