By Ray

My favorite holiday of the year is by far Thanksgiving. There is something genuine about it. Friends, family, food and drink, what could be more real? In our earlier years, when we did not have nearly as much help as we do now, it was also a much needed break before the holiday season got underway. In most years, we are open 361.5 days, closing only Christmas day and Eve along with our company Christmas party and of course Thanksgiving. When you own a restaurant, there really is no such thing as a day off. Most "days off" involve some kind of contact or responsibility related to the business. At the very least, there is a certain level of stress related to what's happening every day at work whether you are there or not. This is the main reason I love Thanksgiving. Friends, family, food, drink and no cares.

I have thought about opening on Thanksgiving. For some restaurants, it is one of the busiest days of the year. This is where I draw the line, for myself and my wonderful staff.

The really great thing about owning a restaurant at Thanksgiving time is the weekend. With us living in a "hometown" and not in a city, it seems that people flock home. When that happens, they also catch up at places like ours for some Thanksgiving cheer. It lasts all weekend long. Families, friends and all those other people you bump into that you have not seen for a while. It is a great vibe, and I always enjoyed working and playing a little especially on Thanksgiving Eve.

Back in 2008, we had William Elliot Whitmore play on Thanksgiving Eve, and it was a blast. The only thing you need in the previously mentioned mix is to add some really good music. It just adds to that vibe.

Booking a show on Thanksgiving Eve is not easy. Most of the artists we have play are from quite a distance and do not want to be away from home on the holiday. Back in April, we had Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts play here. He and his band live in the Rockford area and I thought this would be a great fit. Miles agreed, and so for the second time, we are able to present a Thanksgiving Eve show.

 

Miles is the son of Cheap Trick rocker Rick Nielsen. This past year, Miles won an Academy Award for his sound track to the movie "Undefeated". The band will consist of the same 4 guys that were here last time, all of which sing great harmonies. For this show, the group is adding to their array of instruments by bringing along drums. 

 

Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts Check out the video for "Kentucky"

Miles was great last time and I am sure we are in for more of the same. The show is really close to being sold out with only 20 or so tickets left.  So I would recommend getting your tickets now and spend the Thanksgiving cheer with us.

 

To purchase tickets online, click here.







 

By Ryan

By Jimmy

For those of you that like to eat light but still get your protein, our salads are a great source for both. When it comes to salad toppings, we have many options on our menu to choose from. Choose a mesquite or butter garlic infused chicken, seared tuna, tuna burger and even a portobello mushroom. The only thing missing is a steak.

Although you will not find it on our menu daily, this week we are featuring an amazing steak salad. We have a char-grilled, marinated strip steak prepared medium over a bed chopped romaine lettuce with a ton of goodies. We have roasted shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, garlic, red potatoes and red onion. The flavors are then finished with an Italian vinaigrette and topped with Salemville bleu cheese. Wow, the cheese adds the perfect tang to this dish!

 

Salemville bleu cheese is an Amish cheese that is renowned both nationally and internationally from a small community in Pennsylvania. They have been making these award-winning cheeses since 1984 from herds that range in size from 4 to 24 cows. This handcrafted cheese has a rich, earthy flavor that is well balanced. Combine this with the roasted vegetables from this salad, and it packs a ton of flavor. It is beautifully veined, creamy, and rich with a smoky flavor. Come try this salad for yourself... tons of flavor combinations that are sure to please. 

 

By Jennifer

Here at the Uptown Grill, we take pride in the fact that we offer a fresh variety of Artisan cheeses on our platter that come from all over the world and change frequently. Often, when we think of cheese platters, the first thing that comes to mind in respect to a pairing, is wine.

What if I told you that the new craze in the industry is actually pairing cheese with beer? Sounds strange you think?  I thought so too, but considering where cheese and beer originated, it's not really that farfetched.

  The making of cheese and beer both originated around three or four thousand years ago... both by accident. Both are made very close to the way they started; with age-old recipes that have only been improved over time. They both originated on the farm, and the grain that is used to make beer is often the same as the grain that is used to feed milk cows that produce cheese. Also, the flavor profiles of both - including earthy, toasty, fruity, musty, floral, rich and yeasty (not to be confused with sleepy, sneezy, dopey and the rest of their crew) - complement each other in such a way as to bring out the flavors in both.

At Uptown, we not only offer a wonderful cheese sampler, but we pride ourselves in our large selection of micro-brews on tap, so next time you're in for a nice lunch or dinner, give our cheese sampler a try.  And although we have many great wines to enjoy, try pairing it with one of our delicious beers on tap! We also offer a 10 beer microbrew sampler. Ten 8 ounces beers for 14.50

By Josh

With thousands of different types of whiskeys produced and sold around the world, the search for the right one may be a daunting task. Do you decide on a scotch, irish whiskey, single malts, blended, corn, or rye whiskey? How can you even decide?! With the popularity of whiskey steadily growing, why not focus on the typical American whiskey: Bourbon.

Bourbon has made a steady rise over the last 20 years due to the availability of materials for Americans to produce and market their own small batches of whiskey. While made famous in southern states like Kentucky, bourbon is becoming increasingly popular throughout the nation. It has allowed for companies to create and distribute bourbon whiskeys with distinctive tasting notes and characteristics that shy away from the ever-popular peat based scotches and Irish whiskeys that have flooded the markets for centuries. With this new found interest in American style whiskey, distillers like Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and Woodford Reserve have recently spent millions of dollars in order to renovate and expand their distilleries in order to provide for the high demand and make a name for themselves within the whiskey industry.

 

Legally in order to be called a bourbon, a whiskey must be produced within the United States. It must be made of at least 51% corn and aged within new, charred-oak barrels for a minimum of two years. It then must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof or 40% alcohol. Depending on how long a whiskey is aged for or the ingredients used in the distilling process, bourbon can lead to different flavors on the pallet. Due to the barrel stipulations required by law, most bourbons will have an oak taste that will give way to other flavors with each brand. Here at the Uptown we offer a wide selection of bourbons for you to try from the well known Wild Turkey and Maker's Mark to others that may be a whole new experience.

And for those that can't decide on which one to try, we offer our bourbon sampler which is a sampler of four small batch bourbons that will offer different tasting experiences. Our
complete bourbon list entials: 

• Blanton's Single Barrel
• Buffalo Trace
• Bulleit
• Eagle Rare 10yo Single Barrel
• Knob Creek 9yo
• Old Charter 10yo
• Old Fitzgerald 12yo
• Woodford Reserve
• Four Roses Single Barrel
• Basil Hayden's 8yo
• Bakers 7yo  

Even if straight whiskey is not for you, bourbon acts as a great mixer for classic American cocktails like the Old Fashion or Manhattan. So stop in to the Uptown, relax, enjoy an appetizer and dinner, and feel free to peruse our extensive bourbon selection that will easily complement any meal or help you unwind after a long day.