Wednesday, August 17th  

Around the Uptown 

Taste a Little Love of Summer 

By Ray  

In one of my favorite songs "Canned Goods" by my favorite musician Greg Brown, he sings of his love of "July tomatoes". Mr. Brown is from Iowa so I assume his appreciation of tomatoes grown and ripened under the hot Midwestern summer sun is the same as mine. I once heard someone say "you measure how much life you have left by the number of summers you have left to enjoy". One of those enjoyments is the July tomato.


I find it amazing with all the science and hybridization of foods that no one has ever found a substitute for the July tomato. I have never tasted anything from a hot house, the central valley of California, or the Florida orchards that even comes remotely close to comparing. There is nothing better than soaking up the "bagna" in a three day old tomato cucumber salad with some crusty French bread.

 When these tomatoes become available, there are many things we can do with them. My favorite by far is the Caprese Salad. We start with July tomatoes that have never seen the inside of a refrigerator served at room temperature. Then we add slices of fresh pulled mozzarella that we make here. Fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, roasted garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper complete the experience. When you have ingredients this good, the best thing you can do is keep it simple, very simple. This dish is also sized as a side dish so that you can add it to any meal. As Greg says, "Taste a Little Love of Summer."


Also, we are starting a tomato orphanage. Now we are not begging, but the bounty of tomato season often means that many good tomatoes go homeless. We will gladly accept your orphans and make sure they go to a good home. In return, we would love to make you a Caprese salad using your tomatoes. On the house. The one thing we ask. Don't put them in the fridge.

On Special 

Sushi Platter  

By Jim

When talking to customers about all the different items on our menu, it seems I always get the comments, "when are you going to put  sushi on the menu?" or "there is no place around here to find good sushi" or "we went up to the suburbs this past weekend just for sushi". Well, we have given it a try. It is  extremely important to have great quality seafood and it has to be fresh. Just recently, Chef Chris Plankenhorn brought in some excellent sashimi grade seafood to try in our version of a sushi platter. Each week, we bring in fresh yellowfin tuna, salmon and sea scallops and serve it over shredded daikon and cucumber. It is also served with black caviar, wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce. I must say, having it on the menu for this past week, we have heard all kinds of good comments. There are even a few people that have said they have been telling all of their friends too. So don't miss out, for at least another week, you will be able to find it here. Save yourself the drive and give us a try.

Back To School 

Healthier Lunches 

By Nikki

It's that time of year already. Mid-August rolls around and before you know it you are either going back to school or preparing to send your children back. A long summer has passed and not everyone has made the healthiest food choices. Whether you are the parent or the student, we all need to set good examples for others.

When students are in the grades Kindergarten through 12th, the school is required to provide a lunch each day school is in attendence. Many schools around here and throughout the country have changed their lunches to closed campus, meaning if you are at your school, you can't leave to get lunch. The good thing about this, kids stay in school and don't resort to fast food for their meal. The bad thing is, not many schools offer enticing meals or nutritional ones at all.

I read up on school lunches and found that the menu in most school lunch programs contains too much saturated fat and cholesterol and is much too low in fiber, nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Changes must be made to encourage the health of todays children and to prevent them from obesity, early-onset diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases.

The Healthy School Lunch Campaign is sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). They are dedicated to improving the food served to the children in schools and  encouraging schools to offer more healthy low-fat, cholesterol-free options. If you are interested in having the PCRM team help your school district, click below to read five easy steps.

Five Easy Steps to Healthy School Food

National Restaurant Association 

Restaurant Closings  

By Ryan

The National Restaurant Association sends out a daily email that is more or less a recap of the industry's current trends and most recent happenings. A lot of the articles are in relation to chain restaurants and larger corporations, that overall, contribute a larger piece of the pie to the restaurant industry. But, there are also other interesting items that pertain to laws, independent restaurants,  politics, employment or current controversial issues. 

During their edition this week, I found several interesting articles that recapped what the short and long term effects will be of last weeks 15% drop on Wall Street, a recap of the number of restaurant closings during the last year, and a forecasted consumer spending cut over the course of the next year. Overall, it was a lot of "doom and gloom" for our industry in an already tumultuous environment. 

Between April 1st, 2010 and March 31st, 2011 according to The NPD group, there have been 9,450 restaurant closings. That's almost 26 restaurant closings per day over the last year! Of those 9,450 restaurant closings, 8,650 of those were independent restaurants. 92% of restaurant closings in the last year were contributed to operations just like ours! That is an extremely scary number. It is the steepest decline in independent restaurant closings since The NPD group started tracking such numbers in 2001.

Couple those numbers with senior economists forecasting up to a $140 billion cut amongst consumer spending and it is a scary time for our industry. When consumers start to cut spending, realistically our industry would be one of the first things to be cut. When times get tough, consumers have to pay their bills, their mortgages, gasoline for their travel, etc...and items begin to become budgeted out. A nice $100 meal probably falls to the bottom 1/3rd of that list.

As if the above estimates weren't bad enough, now it seems that restaurant employment is becoming an issue. Overall, the reports are showing that finding and retaining employees is becoming more and more difficult. Many of the industry indexes that track these types of numbers are going in the wrong direction. A few numbers I found most interesting were that 33% of hourly employees are on the job for less than 3 months and that another 18% are on the job for less than 6 months. That's 51% of a restaurants average workforce that have training, time, and money invested into them only to walk out the door less than 6 months later. It's a huge price for any business to incur.

To me, it seems that I've been reading and hearing about how difficult of a business climate we are living in for at least the last 5 years, and it greatly interests me to discover what it might be like to operate during a booming economical period. It almost feels as if this is all I've ever known and all I ever will know. With all of the struggles reported from around the globe and around the industry, we seem to be holding steady, which in this environment can be viewed as a huge positive. Because of that, we'd like to think that all of our staffs hard work has been paying off. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank our customers for their continued loyal patronage. We've made it 26 years and have not yet showed signs of slowing down. We plan on being around for many more years to come. In a time of "doom and gloom" I hope this at least helps to create a little optimism.

Restaurant Closings

Consumer Spending Cut Forecast

Changing Employment Statistics

New Weekly Special   

Taco Tuesdays  

The idea behind our weekly specials is to offer our customers something new and interesting that you can't already have anywhere else. To round out our list of weekly specials, we have added "Fish Taco Tuesday." The addition of this special allows us to offer an affordable and interesting special every day of the week.

"Taco Tuesday" will be available all day every Tuesday for dine-in or carry-out. The offer will be for our version of a fish taco which will include panko breaded tilapia, red cabbage and chipotle mayo with a mango salsa. They will be served with corn chips and adobo sauce.

We will offer 3 tacos for $6.75 or for $2.50 each,  no limit.

 

Stop in for this deal and try a Corona or any of our freshly made margarita's, chips and salsa, del caribe cheese or anything else you might associate with an authentic Mexican meal.

"Burger Me" Thursday - Italian Stallion 

Burger and a Beer 10 Bucks!  

Available all day every Thursday, we will be offering an enticing and different gourmet burger along with any beer for just $10. This is correct, any beer, including our selection of 10 microbrews! 

This week we are offering the "Italian Stallion" burger. This burger is going to be topped with salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a pepperoncini.  

 

Three Things to Try 

By Aly - Scarpetta - We have a large selection of wines that we offer in house. I would say we probably have the largest selection around this area. The wine I would like to focus my attention to (and that is one of my personal favorites) is Scarpetta. Scarpetta Pinot Grigio comes from northern Italy in hillside vineyards in the village of Vento. The word scarpetta in Italian means "small shoe". I enjoy this wine because of its aroma and fruit accents of peaches, pears, and apples. The subtle touches of lemongrass and coriander made this pinot grigio memorable. This wine can best be enjoyed by itself, of course, or along side any of our fish entrees. Come in sit back and relax while sipping on this pinot grigio on our patio or sidewalk tables!



By Andrew - Bitburger Pilsner - Out of all of our ten beers on draft, this is the kind of beer I choose to drink on a hot summer day. It is a very light-bodied tasting beer. Not only does it have a great flavor, it isn't an overpowering one. Once it hits you, you feel that cold, refreshing taste. There's bright carbonation that lingers to a crisp finish. Please try this beer, or why not even try them all? You can ask for our beer sampler which offers every beer we have on draft.





By Nikki - Jack Daniels BBQ Baby Back Ribs - Who doesn't love barbecued ribs? Whether you are out to eat or serving them for dinner at home, you can almost never go wrong with ribs. I have heard people talking about how good these ribs are and I am going to have to agree with them. Don't worry.. the chef has ordered more so they don't have to come off of the menu just yet! We offer a full rack of baby back ribs covered with the delicious Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce and serve it with chipotle roasted corn on the cob. Get yours soon!

"Not Your Everyday Specials"

Monday Nights, Steak Diane

Every Monday after 4 pm, we will be serving Steak Diane for $14.75. This will be just like the Red Door Inn. With Victor's stamp of approval.

Fish Taco Tuesdays

Every Tuesday, we will be serving fish tacos. The taco includes panko breaded tilapia, red cabbage, chipotle mayonnaise, and a mango salsa. They will be served with corn chips and adobo sauce. Available for dine in and carryout. 3 for $6.75 or 2.50 each. 

Wienerschnitzel 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.

Burger Me Thursday - "Italian Stallion" 

Each week we change our bizarre burger and serve it all day with any beer in house for only $10.00! This week we are doing the "Italian Stallion" Burger. Topped with salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a pepperoncini. Available ALL DAY Thursday, August 18th. 

Friday 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 Saturday 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 or 16oz   

Boneless Pork Loin, Saturday Nights

Saturday night after 4pm we will be serving a slow roasted boneless pork loin. It will be served with our mashed potato of the day, our special vegetable of the week and a bourbon demi glaze. All for $16.75  

Sunday, All Day, Sizzling Fajita and Margaritas

You get a chicken fajita with a 64 ounce pitcher of margaritas, perfect for a relaxing Sunday! Serves 2 for $20!

On Special This Week

"Like" our Facebook and be the first to know about food specials, drinks, and MORE!

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 country mandates animal welfare guidelines for living space, access to the outdoors, natural light, and herd or flock size? 

2. In what French wine region is the Chablis district? 

3. What is another name for the Chinese wok-skimmer made of woven brass wire and a bamboo handle?  

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 weeks questions and answers...

1. What sandwich is named for a comic strip character?  THE DAGWOOD SANDWICH 

2. What kind of bowl reacts with egg proteins to create more stable, voluminous beaten egg whites?   AN UNLINED COPPER BOWL 

3. How many hours is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's general limit for leaving perishable foods out at room temperature?    TWO HOURS (THE MAXIMUM)  

Last weeks winner of the free lunch .......  Kathy Washkowiak 

Uptown Grill

601 First St.

La Salle, IL 61301

815-224-4545

Monday - Thursday

11AM -10PM

Friday - Saturday

11 AM - 11PM

Sunday

12PM - 10PM

uptowngrill.com 

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