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Breaking the Mold
Major Shift in our Wine by the Glass Policy
By Ray
 When we conduct our bi-annual wine tastings to select new wines for our bottle list, and most importantly for our wines by the glass list, we are always in a quandary. If a wine does not fit neatly in some predetermined slot we have just been passing on it. By this I mean, unless it is a popular varietal like a Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, it does not make the list. This is a shame because most of the time the best wines we taste do not fit in a specific category. At our most recent tasting a couple of weeks ago this was the case more so than ever. So much in fact that I have decided we are finished pounding square pegs into round holes. We are breaking the mold of our by the glass wine list. This tasting consisted of mostly lesser recognized (by U.S. standards) varietals with very high quality at an extreme value. We have decided, for both red and white wines, to arrange our glass list with one light, one medium and one bold selection along with one super value selection. On our wine by the glass list starting in the next week you will see things like a Bonarda, a Cotes du Rhone Blanc, and a GSM. Sometimes when we do a tasting we will taste 6 different Chardonnays. Two of them could be a #1, one of them could be a #2 and three of them could be a #3. This will also help to balance our list better to style. When we look at the basic structure of our glass list here are a few rules I want to follow. Keep it simple. - Many times I go to a place that has twice as many wines by the glass as we do and half the business. What you might get is a wine that has been open for weeks. We feel we must limit our selection to 4 whites and 4 reds so we can keep them fresh. Value Value Value - We are going to pick the best value wines we taste and keep the price in the 5 dollar range (this is for a generous 4 to 1 pour). It will not matter what varietal it is. One each, a red and a white, the best wine for your money.
#VW Los Nevados Chardonnay, Mendoza. Grown in Argentina at 3500 feet of elevation, this wine is blended 85% stainless with 15% new oak. Fuji apple with a touch of creamy oak
#VR Micheal Sullberg Cabernet, Sonoma. There is nothing flashy about this Cabernet, not even the label. They put everything into the wine. Great steady consistent value Go For Style - Rather than chasing a varietal we will pick one that we consider to represent a wine style. #1, A lighter crisper wine. #2, one in the middle of the road, and #3, a bigger bolder full bodied wine. This will apply with both reds and whites. #1W Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc Loire. Lately it seems that Sauvignon Blanc has become too grape-fruity bordering on fake. This wine takes us back to the origin of Sauvignon Blanc. Vinified in all stainless and unfiltered. It has a robe so pale it is clear as glass, crisp and fresh with a delightful lemon/lime zest component. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling. #2W La Guicharde Cotes du Rhone Blanc, Rhone. All Stainless, this wine is a great example of a French countryside Rhone. This wine is a blend of 50% Viognier, 20% Grenache Blanc, 20% Grenache Gris, & 10% Marsanne. Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Grigio.
#3W Domaine Jean Touzot Macon Village Chardonnay Macon. Classic French Chardonnay with a lively bouquet of green apples and flowers. Chardonnay  #1R Meomi Belle Glos Pinot Noir Monterey. This has been our house Pinot Noir for several years now and she has developed a loyal following. Meiomi is Indian for "the coast". The fruit comes from Monterey, Santa Barabara and Sonoma counties. Pinot Noir or Sangiovese
#2R Hahn GSM Central Coast California. GSM stands for 62% Grenache, 34% Syrah, and 4% Mourvedre and is aged in 40% new French oak. Hahn pulls off this Rhone inspired blend perfectly and we think GSM is the next big thing.
Merlot, Syrah, Barbera, Cabernet Franc #3R Durigutti Bonarda Medrano Mendoza. Find out why Bonarda is the most grown grape in Argentina and also why they keep most of it for themselves. We loved this classic representation of a "#3 Red". Big, bold, beautiful, and full of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, or Petite SyrahOverall we feel that this will allow us to have a more balanced wine list while also offering the best wine values. As always if you are really not sure if you would like a Bonarda or any of these wines, feel free to ask for a taste. We are down to our "elite eight" and for the first time in years I can honestly say I like every single glass on our list..............and I am pretty hard to please. Busy breaking the mold, Ray
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Uptown Playlist Theater
Griffin House Show Recap
By Jim
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Griffin playing at the Uptown Playlist Theater
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This past Friday night marked the beginning of the Uptown Playlist Theater, Act II, with solo performing artist, Griffin House. After much thought, discussion, planning and training, a phone call from Griffin helped push the re-opening of the Playlist theater. Back in December when we decided to bring back live music to our venue, we thought we would start with a bang by bringing in the artist who seems to be the Illinois Valley's favorite past performer. The tickets for this show sold out in less than 3 hours and a ticket waiting list had over 40 names on it by the next day. We felt we had to try and get him here for another night. It turned out he was already booked on Saturday up in Dekalb so we brought him back on Sunday. Again, the show sold out not very long after the announcement. Wow!, what a weekend. It was all worth it. I hope everyone had as much of a good time as we did.
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Griffin House, Bernie Victor, and Ray talking after his performance
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The start of Act II consisted of Ryan and I learning a lot more of what needs to be done to put these concerts together. I can now see sometimes why there are those 16 or 17 hour work days. But in the end, to provide our area the opportunity to come out and enjoy live music makes it all worthwhile. I heard so many great comments from everyone that attended the shows. One of the most heard comments was how amazing the sound was. It sounded so much sharper, crisper and clearer. Mario, our new sound man, has brought in his digital state of the art sound board. Wow, can you hear the difference. To think, all those years Bernie had to work with 1st generation equipment makes you realize all the wonders he was able to do just to produce the past shows. And you can say no show is complete without Tom Ptak on the intro. I look forward to his announcement every show I am able to see. He fits the job description so well and we thank him and hope he will continue. We were given a pretty easy show to start back up with. A one piece band really does not require a ton of work. Even the infamous buzz was not that promiment with just a guitar and a mic.
Once Griffin got here, it was like a reunion for him and Ray. While watching them catch up, you can see they have developed a pretty good relationship that seems more of a close friendship than a business partnership. Griffin just seems to enjoy this place and this area. He says he always looks forward to this Central Illinois stop. In talking to him, he says the people around here make it feel like home. Everyone is always so nice. With playing 2 shows here in 3 days, he was even taken on a tour of the area by the Verrucchi's. And also attended a yoga session at one of our local studios. Each show he played some amazing new songs that we have not heard yet. Some were on the softer, quieter side, being that we have seen him with his 3 piece band seemed a little out of character. But while watching the audience, there was a complete hush and gaze as he performed. Each end of a song, resulted in an incredible applause. He just has that rhythm and voice that people here love, whether with the full band or playing solo. As we were helping him pack up, I asked him where the next stop was. He said he was taking about a month and a half off and heading home to spend time with his family......we wished him well and told him he is always welcome back to play for the Illinois Valley family he has created. He smiled and said, "see you soon".
We would like to thank all of the loyal patrons. Thank you for supporting the Playlist theater. We hope to continue to provide an evening of entertainment normally found only in the bigger cities. Don't forget to grab your tickets for April's show.........Willie Nile. The last time he played here, he was confined to a chair on stage because of a torn calf muscle. I can only imagine what a good leg will do to his show after performing with Bruce Springsteen for years.
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In the Industry
How do Chefs Contend with Rising Food Prices
By Ryan
 Well, here we go again. The talk of $4 per gallon gas, rising food prices, etc, etc......! The restaurant industry is tough right now, but we don't share that distinction alone. Many businesses are going through the same type of things that we are. It's what you do to counteract these rising costs that make you or break you. The problem with our industry is that we can make our money by essentially selling only two goods. Food and beverage. Sure we have some T-shirt sales and other miscellaneous odds and ends, but 99.9% of our revenue comes from the sale of food and beverage. So, what happens when most of the items we purchase and sell, rise in cost along with shipping charges to receive those items due to $4 per gallon gasoline! You adjust and that's all you can do. What we do here is simple. First and foremost we have to evaluate processes. Where can we save money in labor and what can we do to makes things easier? After that, we have to start looking at pricing. This is something we do at the beginning of every month. We review our reports and we see what items sell well and what items do not. We are able to see which items sell at a good food or beverage cost and which items are killing our food or beverage cost. From there we have to decide; a.) if the item is worth keeping on our menu if it's killing us and, b.) if there is room to raise an items price that we may do well on. Most of our customers do not make these decisions easy. There might be something we sell 18 of in one month and run a terrible cost, but we are very uneasy of removing it from our menu because of the backlash we usually receive. And to raise any prices in this type of economy is a very risky move. FYI, we have not made any significant menu price increases in at least the last 7 or 8 months.  While thinking about all the things there are to look at in this tricky economy, I came across the attached article from the National Restaurant Association and it discusses what other chef's are doing to deal with this type of environment. Mostly, what they struggle with is exactly what we struggle with. I thought a lot of the chef's quotes would really help our customers gain an understanding of how pricing and a menu might be put together. Hope you find this informative. Chefs Weigh In: How Do You Deal With Price Hikes?
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Lent Specials
available all day every friday during lent
Fish and Chips
deep fried harp beer battered whitefish served with fresh fried "chips," tartar sauce, malt vinegar and housemade coleslaw 9.75
Fish Tacos
three soft flour tortillas filled with panko crusted tilapia, red cabbage, chipotle mayonnaise and mango pineapple black bean salsa 9.75
Tortellacci
locally handmade spinach filled tortellacci in a white wine cream sauce. with freshly grated reggiano parmesan 15.50
Tilapia En Papillote
10 oz. tilapia filet baked with spinach, baby zucchini, baby carrots and roasted red potatoes in parchment paper with a lemon tarragon sauce. 17.75
Seafood Trio
a seafood trio including 4 oz grilled lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz grilled tuna prepared medium with tomato caper relish and 4 oz whitefish parmesan with lemon caper butter. **available after 4pm every friday 19.75
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"Burger Me" Thursday
Burger and a Beer for ONLY 10 Bucks!
 The Meat Lover's Burger
Available all day Thursday, March 1st
We are going to top this gourmet half pound burger with mouth watering applewood smoked bacon, salami, prosciutto, and provolone cheese.
Check out "Battle of the Burgers" on our Facebook if you haven't already. You then can vote for either of two interesting burgers we picked to be served all day on the following Burger Me Thursday. Next week the Cuban Burger will be battling the Jalapeno Burger!
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Uptown Playlist Theater - Upcoming Shows
Willie Nile
40 tickets left
Opening Act- Nicholas Tremulis
Wednesday, April 25th.
Tickets on sale now! $22 in advance/$25 at door!
Doors open at 6:30 - Show begins at 7:30
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"Not Your Everyday Specials"
Monday Nights, Steak Diane
Every Monday after 4 pm, we will be serving Steak Diane for $15.75. 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
The Meat Lover's Burger
Each week we change our bizarre burger and serve it all day with any beer in house for only $10.00! The Meat Burger will be topped with delicious applewood smoked bacon, salami, prosciutto, and provolone cheese. Next week check out Facebook to vote between the Cuban Burger and the Jalapeno burger!
Friday Nights, Seafood Mixed Grill
4 oz. grilled lobster tail with drawn butter, 4 oz. grilled tuna with tomato caper relish, and 4 oz. whitefish parmesan with lemon caper butter. All for only $19.75
Friday Nights, Surf Your Turf
Friday nights we offer a 4oz lobster tail that you can add to any steak on our menu for only $5.18! This means that you will pay what we pay for the lobster and not a penny more!
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.
 Slow Roasted Boneless Pork Loin,
Saturday Evenings
Available after 4pm every Saturday night we have slow roasted boneless pork loin with a bourbon demi glaze. 10oz sliced pork loin served with our daily mashed potato and vegetable side
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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Specials This Week
appetizer
beer battered provolone wedges
served with a bolognese sauce 6.75
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
artisanal cheese sampler
1. Port Salut (France)
2. Capriko (USA)
3. Widmer's 1 Year Aged Cheddar (USA)
4. Queso a La Sidra (Spain)
5. Shaft's Aged Bleu Vein (USA)
6. Sap Sago, Switzerland.
serves 2 to 4 people 19.75
salad
nicoise salad
pan seared tuna prepared medium-rare, new potatoes, fresh green beans,
eggs, grape tomatoes and kalamata olives, over mesculyn g
reens with red wine vinaigrette dressing 12.50
sandwich
mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
sopressata, roasted red peppers, and provolone cheese.
served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola salad. balsamic
vinaigrette dressing 10.75 with cup of soup of the day 12.25
seafood
broiled walleye filet
10 oz. walleye filet with a lemon walnut crust. served with
steamed broccoli topped with tillamook cheddar cheese 19.75
pasta
lobster mac n cheese
fusilli pasta and maine lobster meat, tossed in a mascarpone,
gruyere and cheddar cream sauce. crusted with parmesan
cheese 21.75
chicken
chicken marsala
lighlty floured and sauteed chicken cutlet with a shiitake
mushroom marsala sauce. served with cous cous and steamed
broccoli topped with tillamook cheddar cheese 16.75
infused chicken
two six ounce butter garlic infused chicken breasts served with
white wine cream sauce and our seasoned rice blend 13.75
dessert
strawberry cheesecake
housemade strawberry cheesecake with graham cracker crust. served
with strawberry sauce and whipped cream 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 type of chicken is less tender tahn a roasting chicken and is often used to make soups and stocks? 2. What food product did the American Academy of Pediatrics argue in 2010 needed a redesign or at least a warning label? 3. What is the general name given to wholesale cuts of meat that divide a carcass into the large sections from which retail cuts are taken? E-mail your answers to foodiefight@uptowngrill.comFine 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 farm animal can be called a doe, buck, kid, wether, or nanny? GOAT 2. What spice is the bark of an evergreen tree that is rolled into "quills"? CINNAMON 3. What is the marketing makeover name for slimehead fish? ORANGE ROUGHYLast weeks winner of the free lunch... Curt Sesto |
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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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