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Thursday, January 10th, 2013 |
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Revised Hours: Sunday, January 13th
Employee Christmas Party
By Brianne
Please note that we will be closing early on Sunday, January 13th for our annual employee Christmas party. We will be open the following hours:
12 noon - 4 pm
Be sure to keep an eye out for next week's newsletter when we provide a recap of the event! And a special thank you to our customers for your patronage and for allowing us a much deserved "day off" to celebrate! Cheers! |
$1.7M Tuna Sold in Tokyo Your Price: $6,999.75
 | | Sushi Restaurant Owner Bids $1.7M for Tuna |
By Ray
This past Sunday, I heard a story about someone in Japan paying 1.7 million dollars for a tuna. Yes, one tuna! The highest bidder was the owner of a popular sushi chain 'Sushi Zanmai.' Check out the video at right.
In the past year, our tuna prices more than doubled, and we use a lot of it. We did have to raise the price on all of our menu items with tuna. Lately we have had some pretty grim predictions of the future prices of many of the commodities we use. World markets for things like tuna is global. Because in the last several years our government has relentlessly been printing money, these are the type of things we will be paying more for. We will see how it shakes out, but we are told that price increases for all of our meat are going to escalate soon. Not only are meat supplies at a record low, foreign demand and purchasing power is increasing.  I am sure paying $1.7 million for a tuna is more of a marketing ploy than a restauranteur trying to make money on a purchase at the fish market. He will probably get every ounce back in good press. With all of that in the back of my head, I started to wonder what would we have to charge, at normal mark up, if we had bought that tuna. Just for fun, lets do the math.....  The fish weighs about 222 kilograms, so that is about 488 pounds. Just looking at the fish, I would conservatively guess there is going to be 20% waste... bone, skin and scrap. That takes it down to about 390 pounds. The cost per pound ready to use is about $4,360 a pound or about $272 per ounce. We average about 9 ounces per portion on our tuna. Our cost would be about $2,452 for that 9 ounce portion. Our margin usually on higher cost items is about 65%. We would arrive at a menu cost of $7,005.
Of course, in typical restaurant fashion, we would round it down to $6,999.75 - such a deal!
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Around the Industry
Top 10 Do's & Don'ts
By Josh
 Having worked in the food industry for quite a while now, I understand the small nuances and unwritten rules that go along with dining etiquette and procedures while eating at a restaurant. While we here at the Uptown strive to give you the best service possible according to our standards, we also do our absolute best to live up to yours. And although there are many well-known forms of dining out etiquette that one can expect from a server, many customers who have never worked in the food industry do not see how a wait staff has to quickly adapt to better serve you according to your needs. Just recently I came across this article that showed the top 10 "do's and don'ts" for a quick restaurant etiquette 101.
This is a shortened list of the top 10 Do's and Don'ts.
 Do's
1. Tip your server well
2. Respect the staff
3. Ask for recommendations
4. Be ready to order
5. Tell the manager how your experience was
 Don'ts
1. Switch tables or seat yourself without asking the host.
2. Overstay your welcome
3. Talk on your cell phone
4. Send back your drinks because you don't like it
5. No show your reservation
While I can agree that many of these may seem over-the-top or a little egregious (you can never overstay your welcome!), I assure you these 10 ideas are not uncommon occurrences for any restaurant. Our motto here is that the customer is always right. We have and always will do our best to make sure that your dining experience is one that you'll remember and keep you coming back for more. Now that you have seen this list, it may possibly help you practice these little tricks that could lead to an even better dining experience!
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From The Bar A Sample Anyone?
By Jimmy
 How many times have you just sat down and browsed our draft beer or liquor selection and have a hard time deciding on what you are in the mood for? Or how often have you stuck with the same old drink you always get just because you do not have enough time to decide? With so much to choose from, have you just wanted a little sample of each?
You're in luck, because the Uptown has a few "samplers" to choose from. Two that we offer are our Kentucky Bourbon Sampler and our Microbrew Draft beer sampler. These samplers allow you to get a taste of that beer you have never tried or that bourbon everyone is talking about.
Our Kentucky Bourbon sampler consists of four different, well- respected, and award-winning American small batch bourbons. Taste a 1 ounce sample of Four Roses' Single Barrel, Buffalo Trace, Blanton's Single Barrel and Eagle Rare 10 year Single Barrel from a true whiskey glass. Each of these is unique and has its own distinctive character.
 Four Roses' shows a crisp palate with hints of pear, apple, honey and spice. - The legendary Buffalo Trace is made with Indiana and Kentucky corn and grains that must undergo a fine inspection in order to produce this high quality whiskey.
- Taste Albert B. Blanton's private reserve that was once set aside for ambassadors, dignitaries, family and friends.
- Eagle Rare carefully ages for 10 years with a consistent flavor, though each barrel seems to have its own individual personality.
All for only $13.25, that is honestly about a quarter of what you would pay to try these four bourbons on their own at any other restaurant. Come in and relax with a sampling of these legendary Kentucky Bourbons.
 Or why not choose our Microbrew Draft Sampler? It is a generous 4 ounce pour of all 10 beers we offer on tap. You will get the chance to enjoy a beer from all around the world. From the darker Guinness stout, all kinds of different ales to the hefe weizens and light pilseners, this will give you that opportunity to find your new favorite. This is a quite a conversation piece and perfect to share with a friend.
Each sampler is served with a bit of literature on each of the distilleries or breweries that will help explain who and what you are tasting. It is perfect for 2 but just make sure you get a chance to try each one. Again, you just may find that new favorite you can enjoy a full glass of next time you are in.
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Around the Industry
Word of Mouth Advertising
By Ryan
 A recent survey done by the National Restaurant Association indicated that word-of-mouth advertising remains the #1 way for restaurants to increase their customer base. Advertising remains one of the biggest expenses - beyond food and liquor - that a restaurant incurs each year. As a restaurant, if you can't find a way to let potential customers know that you exist, it will be difficult to increase your customer base. The interesting thing about word-of-mouth advertising is that it's free. A restaurant will spend 5-10% of it's profit on advertising alone, yet the one avenue that brings them in the most business is the one that's free! Makes you wonder why a restaurant would even spend one penny on advertising? We have tried to measure our most effective means of advertising by training our staff to recognize a customer's first visit and engaging in conversation that allows them to find how the customer found us. Very, very rarely does a customer find us by the traditional "word-of-mouth" advertising that the NRA says is the #1 way for restaurants to increase their customer base. Usually the answers we receive are through magazines, billboards, review sites, or highway signs, but not often is it "word-of-mouth." Why?  The reason is simple. Word-of-mouth advertising is very difficult for a restaurant to gauge, unless you want to include Yelp or TripAdvisor or other review sites which are considered social media, but really are a larger outlet for word-of-mouth. More often than not, customers will be less apt, in a face to face setting, to divulge that they found us through a friend's suggestion.  Conversely, when a customer has a bad experience, it's more rare when the customer informs the restaurant's management or service team about their poor experience. The restaurant doesn't even get the chance to make things right. Instead, that customer will tell 3 or 4 friends who tell 3 or 4 friends and so on and so forth. So just as easily as word-of-mouth advertising can help business, it can hurt you just as quickly. Word-of-mouth is a very easy way to get positive PR flowing, but once it turns negative, can be almost impossible to stop. When the NRA conducts studies like this they are asking the customer, and not the restaurant, how they find places they like. The overwhelming response is through word-of-mouth and that's how the NRA concludes it's the #1 way for restaurants to increase their customer base. That............and ease of parking.
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Uptown Playlist Theater
We now have tickets available for sale on our website. Tickets $30 Friday, March 1st Tickets $35  Friday, April 12th Tickets $30 _____________________
Wednesday, May 15th
Tickets $20
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"Not Your Everyday Specials"
Monday Nights, Steak Diane
Every Monday after 4 pm, we will be serving Steak Diane for $17.75. 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 $7.75 or $2.75 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 $12.75.
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.
 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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Burger Me Thursday
Choose any microbrew or bottled beer to accompany a different and
enticing burger, every Thursday, for just $10.
 This Week: January 10
Texas Toothpick
They say everything's bigger in Texas. This burger is no different. We take our traditional half-pound beef patty and pile it high with cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, barbecue sauce, fried jalapeno peppers and onions. Enjoy a bite, Texas style!
 Next Week: January 17
Resolution Burger
Last week, we vowed to revisit this one since you may have missed it the first time around... Start the New Year off right with a healthy black bean burger on whole wheat topped with all your favorite fresh veggies: sprouts, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and portobella mushrooms. We'll even skip the fries in favor of a quinoa salad!
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Specials This Week
appetizer
oysters on the half shell
wellfleete oysters from the northeast cost of long island
sound. medium in size with a high salinity and a clean sharp
flavor. served with a mignonette 10.75
oysters rockefeller
oysters on the half shell filled with creamed spinach, bacon
and parmesan cheese 10.75
artisanal cheese sampler
1. MontChevre Le Cabri (Wisconsin) 2. Reny Picot Gouda
(Michigan) 3. Caragaline Beechsmoke (Ireland) 4. Cahill's
Whiskey (Ireland) 5. Saga Blue Brie (Denmark) 6. Sap Sago
(Switzerland) serves 2 to 4 people 19.75
crab meat and cream cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers
four lightly battered and deep fried housemade
jalapenos stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese.
served with adobo sauce 8.75
salad and sandwich
roasted lamb & mesculyn flat bread salad
roasted lamb, feta cheese, grape tomato, cucumbers, capers, kalamata olive and mesculyn tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil with grilled flat bread.
with tzatziki sauce 13.50
mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
oven roasted turkey, white cheddar and roasted red
tomatoes. served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola
salad. balsamic vinaigrette dressing 11.50
with cup of soup of the day 13.50
housemade chicken salad sandwich
housemade walnut chicken salad, applewood smoked bacon,
cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato served on seven grain
wheat bread. served with housemade french fries 9.75
open faced roasted pork sandwich
boneless slow roasted pork loin served open face on sourdough bread and topped with caramelized onion, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato and garlic aioli. served with housemade french fries 9.75
sides
green bean almondine with shiitake mushrooms
sauteed french beans, shiitake mushrooms, onions, white
wine and plugra butter with toasted almonds. 5.75
entrees
stuffed chicken breast
breaded boneless chicken breast stuffed with smoked ham,
cheddar cheese and fresh chives. served with our seasoned
rice blend 13.75
broiled walleye filet
10 oz. broiled walleye filet topped with a champagne lemoncream sauce.
served with sauteed french beans, shiitakemushrooms, onions,
white wine and plugra butter with toasted almonds 21.75
pappardelle pasta with imported italian tuna, asparagus, and capers
imported italian tuna, capers, grape tomatoes, asparagus,
garlic, cracked red pepper and parsely tossed with white
wine and olive oil 15.75
dessert
turtle cheesecake
layers of caramel cheesecake and chocolate fudge layered on
a chocolate fudge brownie. topped with pecans 7.75
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food specials, drinks, and MORE!
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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 is the term for the finishing technique in which nubs of cold butter are whisked into a sauce to add sheen, texture, and flavor?
2. What move by publisher Conde Nast in 2009 shocked the gastronomical world?
3. What is added to animal feed in concentrated feeding operations (CAFOs) to prevent disease and boost growth rates?
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 up to 3 times a year.
Last Week's Questions & Answers:
1. What grater is manufactured using a photochemical process that revolutionized citrus zesting in the 1990s? ..............the microplane
2. What is the marketing makeover name for Patagonian toothfish?
............Chilean sea bass
3. True or false: The energy flow in all stove types is measured in British thermal units, or BTUs. ............false
Last Week's Winner: ...................Sandy Falco
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Uptown Grill
601 First Street | LaSalle, IL 61301 | 815.224.4545
Monday - Thursday: 11am -10pm
Friday - Saturday: 11am - 11pm
Sunday: 12noon - 10pm
uptowngrill.com
Uptown respects your privacy and will not sell or distribute your personal information. |
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