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Downtown LaSalle Halloween Parade Recap
Thanks for Another Wonderful Success!
By Nikki
 It isn't a surprise that the downtown LaSalle Halloween parade this past Saturday was a big hit! It has been a great pleasure for everyone to see that the activities put on have been getting bigger, better, and more fun each year. Jazz Fest was a wonderful success with a lot of participating merchants, and now First street was swarming with so many children enjoying themselves Saturday afternoon. Neil Pleskovitch and his staff made the day quite an experience! People walking by sure got their eyes caught by his salon, Luscious Moi. Neil says his favorite holiday is Halloween and you sure could see that by the enthusiasm that was spread all down First street. You could find different Disney characters at his shop such as Snow
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Uptown Girls Emersyn Anderes with Ella and Ava Lannen
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White, Tinker Bell, Jasmine and Aladdin, and more. Two employees were sprinkling glitter down onto First street from overhead, it sure was a fun experience!
Thanks to everyone that participated in the trick-or-treating candy hand out and to all that came out and enjoyed the day with us. It's great to see more and more people every year. Let's make each year keep getting even better!
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Behind the Bar
Stone Brewery and the Arrogant Bastard
By Jim
The time has come to bring in new styles of beers on our draft selection. A few times a year, we try to bring in new flavors and styles that fit the season. We have seen Goose Island go from Summertime to Harvest Ale and coming this week, we will retire the Leinenkugel Berryweiss for the winter. Not to say there is anything wrong with this beer, (we have two very loyal Berryweiss drinkers that may want to have a few words with me) it is just more of a style of beer that is fit for the warmer weather. So this week comes a beer from Stone Brewing Company. Some of you beer aficionados may have heard of this brewery before.
Stone Brewing company is a fairly new brewery located in Escondido, California. It was created in 1996 as a maker of craft brews. While orginally distributing to California and its neighboring states, it has now seen growth into over 36 states and even some other countries. Although the economy has seen better days, the trend seems to have moved away from macrobrewed beers such as Budweiser or Miller to more of these smaller craft beers. Over the course of the last 15 years, sales have averaged at least 40% growth. This microbrewery was recently named the "All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth" in Beer Advocate magazine in both 2008 and 2009. It has become one of the fastest growing breweries in the United States. While growing, Stone has also become a major leader in the "green" movement. Along with running a restaurant that uses organic products on its menu and a brewery that treats its own wastewater, the brewery's itself, lined its roof with solar panels to help cut its energy usage. In fact, the brewery actually sells back power to the power company each year. It is quite amazing in a market like this, you could see so much growth. We have brought in their Arrogant Bastard Ale. It is a strong American ale that was created in 1997 and remains one of its flagship craft brews. According to the brewery, "The Arrogant Bastard is an aggressive ale. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory-maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better." So next time you are in, try its arrogance in a 16 oz. pint glass.
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Industry Legalities
Automatic Tips Legal?
By Ryan
 The last several weeks of industry news have included reports of restaurants and bars adding automatic gratuities to customer checks. The two most recent were in relation to a bar in New York that was charging all bar patrons automatic gratuities and a restaurant in San Francisco where the service staff was in favor of and actively pursuing a mandatory 25% gratuity fee. Is this legal?
The short answer is, it depends. Each state has its own law on this matter. Mostly, I would say you see these automatic gratuities on parties of 8 or larger, usually anywhere from 17%-20% and it's widely accepted regardless of state law. In the case of the New York bar, I could certainly understand why a restaurant might want to do this. If a restaurant's staff can not make good money from their tips, and they hear that they can make $100 a night at a place in the next town, it becomes a very easy decision for the employee. It's how they make their living. So the automatic bar gratuity in New York, I get that, because overall bartenders probably do the most work in a restaurant, but get tipped the least. In a lot of places the bartenders will be paid a higher wage to compensate for this difference, but that's all the bar in New York is trying to do. Keep their best help happy!  As far as the 25% gratuity fee in San Francisco on ALL tabs, well, that makes me cringe. Not only would I not want to pay an automatic 25% gratuity fee on my dinner tab, I'm sure most other customers would not want to either. Any time I see the term "18% gratuity included on parties of ? or more" I think of one thing; how horrible of an evening is this going to be? It just doesn't seem right that your server can know he or she is going to make 18% off of your table before they have even addressed you. There is no incentive there. I think they should have to earn that gratuity and it's why we don't include gratuities at the Uptown. They need to be earned. Uptown policy on larger parties, which are deemed 8 or larger, is that the server must receive approval from their manager before adding any gratuity. Meaning that if they screw up your order or if your party is getting up to leave and all the plates are still dirty on the table, that server will not be granted approval. They must meet our service standards prior to being allowed to add a gratuity. Generally, I am finding "service" in all industries to be quite lacking. It seems more and more difficult to find a person that can be helpful and courteous at the same time. And if those same people know that they will be rewarded at the end of it all no matter how much service they give, I think we are all grossly missing the point. This attitude that people have where they feel that they just deserve things like a 25% gratuity is partly what's wrong in todays society. Gratuities aren't given, they are earned. Are Mandatory Tips at Restaurants Legal?
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Dining Etiquette
It's Good to be a Gentleman
By Ray
 Every once in awhile I see an advertising campaign that just makes sense. The makers of Gentleman Jack (Jack Daniels) recently started this series on gentlemanly pursuits. From the distillers perspective, it goes perfectly with their name and brand. From a male customer's perspective, I find it very interesting that someone is
actually talking about this. 
In their series, they cover things like dining etiquette, tipping, proper attire, travel, and even common sense about scents. While much of it may be common sense to someone like me that has been around the block a few times, there does seem to be a need. Where does a young gentleman turn to for pointers like this?
Dining Etiquette Do's and Don'ts
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Employee Updates
November Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays Anna Marini Tracey Schmitz
Anniversaries
Craig Bartlett - 4 years Geena Biccochi- 5 years Janet Ruzicko - 7 years
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"Burger Me" Thursday
Burger and a Beer for only 10 Bucks!
 "Nacho Burger"
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, our gourmet half pound burger is topped with nacho cheese, tortilla chips, jalepenos, cilantro, pico de gallo, and sour cream.
Available all day Thursday, November 3rd
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Three Things to Try
 By Kim - Stolichnaya Vodka - There is a wide variety of vodka that we offer here at Uptown. When a customer asks for a vodka mixer, my first question is, "do you have a preference on your vodka?" If they cannot make up their mind, my first suggestion is always Stoli. It is one of the most famous Russian vodkas. I love how smooth it goes down, and the taste is fantastic. Better yet, it comes in many different flavors for your choice! We offer the original Stoli, Stoli Bluberi, Razberi, Peachik, and Gala Applik. Any of these flavors can be mixed with cranberry, sprite, in a cosmo, or my favorite, add to one of our famous shake-ups!
 By Nikki - Mesculyn Salad & Panini Sandwich Combo - This week our panini sandwich has changed to one of my favorite sandwiches. This panini has turkey, bacon and swiss cheese on it. Bacon on any kind of sandwich is going to be mouth watering to me, but this fresh turkey along with it makes it even more enjoyable. Our panini is always served with our delicious mesculyn, walnut, and gorgonzola salad. If you are looking for something to eat without going overboard, this is definitely good choice for a tasty meal.
 By Andrew - Fish Tacos - One of our newer additions to the menu here is our panko crusted fish tacos. They have very quickly become one of my favorites here. We fill soft flour tortillas with panko crusted tilapia, red cabbage, chipotle mayonnaise and mango pineapple black bean salsa with spicy adobo sauce on the side. The panko crust on the fish gives them an awesome crunch. I like to be generous with the adobo sauce on mine. With the mango pineapple black bean salsa it makes for a great sweet-hot contrast and I love the flavor it creates. Our chipotle mayonnaise is good on almost anything and it really works perfectly on these tacos. We run a great special on these every Tuesday where we sell the tacos as 3 for $6.75 or $2.50 apiece. I strongly suggest you come in and try them out. They really are great.
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"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 pineapple black bean 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 - "Nacho Burger"
Each week we change our bizarre burger and serve it all day with any beer in house for only $10.00! This Thursday, November 3rd, we will be offering our gourmet half pound burger topped with nacho cheese, tortilla chips, jalepenos, cilantro, pico de gallo, and sour cream.
Friday Nights, Seafood Mixed Grill
4 oz. grilled lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz. broiled 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!
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On Special This Week appetizersartisanal cheese sampler
1. Life Prov St. Paulin (France) 2. Reny Picot Mantoro Michigan Manchego(USA) 3. Amber Valley Wendlseydale Cranberry (England) 4. Pinna Brigante (Italy) 5. Bleu D'Auvergne (France) 6. Sap Sago, Switzerland. serves 2 to 4 people 19.75
oysters on the half shell
beavertail oysters from northwest coast of prince edward island, canada. clean, crisp medium to large size. initial mild sweetness with medium to high salty finish. served with a mignonette 11.75
escargot stuffed button mushrooms
five jumbo button mushrooms stuffed with escargot baked in our housemade garlic herb butter 9.75
sashimi tuna plate
sashimi tuna, pickled daikon, pickled ginger, wasabi, cilantro and a ponzu sauce. 9.75
salad
poached pear and salemville bleu cheese salad
poached bosc pears stuffed with salemville bleu cheese and served over a bed of mixed greens and arugula with grape tomatoes, sugared pecans, dried cherries, figs and apricots. cherry vinaigrette 12.50
sandwich
mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
turkey, bacon, and swiss cheese. served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola salad. balsamic vinaigrette dressing 10.75 with cup of soup of the day 12.25
pasta
butternut squash ravioli with brown sage butter
butternut squash stuffed ravioli with fresh toasted pecans and browned sage plugra butter 15.75
meat
pork filet medallions with a port wine sauce
chargrilled pork filet medallions with a port wine sauce. served with steamed yukon gold parsley potatoes and a trio of spaghetti squash, zucchini, and carrots 16.75
seafood
broiled red snapper
broiled red snapper filet baked with blue crab stuffing and topped with hollandaise. served with a trio of spaghetti squash, zucchini, and carrots 19.75
chicken
infused chicken
two six ounce butter garlic infused chicken breasts served with a white wine cream sauce and our seasoned rice blend 13.75
side
roasted beet and arugula salad
roasted beets and arugula topped with balsamic, gorgonzola, sugared walnuts, and hard boiled egg. 4.75
dessert
snicker pie
chunks of snickers bars, fudge brownie, caramel, peanuts and a tart cream cheese filling. 6.75
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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 part of a meal is the responsibility of a sommelier?
2. What is a term that explains a beauty treatment for tightening flesh, loosening unwanted skin, and improving colors in food?
3. What chef from Lyon, France, with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, and Las Vegas, is regarded as one of America's greatest chefs?
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 is the cooking term for dissolving cooked "bits" stuck on the bottom of a pan by adding a liquid and stirring over a stovetop burner? DEGLAZING
2. In what Chicago restaurant could you eat your menu or watch your food cook on the plate in a polymer box? MOTO RESTAURANT
3. What British stove was invented in 1922 as a "heat storage cooker," using radiant, not conduction, heat? THE AGA STOVE
Last weeks winner of the free lunch ....... Donna Sorcic
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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
Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information.
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