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Thursday, April 25th, 2013
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Around The Area
Water Street Flooding
By Ray
When you eat, sleep, and breath your restaurant, as most of us restaurateurs do, nothing could be worse watching a river slowly devour your establishment as it did to several of our area's restaurant's last week. I not only have sympathy for them......I have empathy. In my years at the Red Door Inn I went  through four major floods including the pre-2008 flood record in 1982. The 1982 flood was labeled the flood of the century. We were very lucky that the flood water got to the middle of the road in front of the Red Door and stopped there, teasingly for several days before receding. I know what a mess it can be and how depressing that it can be.
In my days it was never thought that the water could actually get so high as to threaten the first floor at the Red Door, but this last flood had come very close. The Red Door is the highest spot on Water street. In a restaurant the basement is usually full with mechanical's that are difficult if not impossible to move every time the water level threatens. If it gets in your first floor it is almost like rebuilding the physical part from the ground up. What do you do with all of your employees, recipes, customers and procedures that you tirelessly built up over the years. It has to be worse than starting from scratch. A home is a big part of a person's life. A business is a big part of many person's lives.  Back in the late 70s and early 80s we did not have the internet to watch river levels. Nor did we have accurate predictions as to how high the river would rise. It was all guess work. We got caught several times before we were able to get things out of the basement. Also back in those days the Red Door had a lounge in the basement. Some of you might remember it, "The Gatsby Lounge". The lounge was carpeted, not just on the floor, but on the walls and the ceiling also. You want to see a mess.... check that out after a flood.  | | Girl Crossing the Spring Valley Bridge on Horseback |
 | | The flooding at its highest level Saturday morning |
Blog with us......and read what Victor had to say about this disaster
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On Special
Grilled and Chilled White Asparagus
By Josh
To hopefully usher in better weather and thoughts of Spring we are offering a light appetizer that is perfect for this time of year. While supplies last we will now have grilled and chilled white  asparagus and fresh fiddleheads. It is then topped with a housemade meyer lemon and garlic vinaigrette and freshly grated goat cheese. The sweet and tangy lemon garlic dressing works perfectly with the creamy and slightly tart flavors of goat cheese. This light dish is perfect as a starter for anyone not looking to be bogged down by a heavy or fried appetizer and still leaving room for dinner.
Fiddlehead greens are the furlong frongs of a young fern which are harvested while they are still curled into themselves. The term fiddlehead derives from the curled, ornam
 entation style ending (or srcoll) of a stringed musical instrument. These ferns have a slight crunch to them, close to that of asparagus and are rich in potassium and a strong source of dietary fiber. Fiddleheads are only able to be harvested over a small span of a few weeks in the beginning of spring so are not available throughout the year.
White aspar agus is normal asparagus that has gone through the process of etiolation. This is the process in which during the growing period of aspargus, the entire plant is covered in dirt so that no light touches it, thus giving it the white color. Doing this in turn gives white asparagus a slightly milder flavor and a more tender product than that of normal asapargus. Finally, a meyer lemon is a chinese crossover of a normal lemon with that of either a mandarin or orange, giving it a slightly tart yet citrusy taste that allows it to be eaten on it's own, without the extremely sour taste of a normal lemon.
While the recent weather has put a damper on plans and slowing the progression towards warm weather, we hope that this spring dish helps you usher in a new wave of weather.Blog with us........share your first experience with fiddlehead ferns
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From the Bar
Jeppson's Malort Liqueur
By Jimmy
We all know the distinctive faces that can be made af ter tasting a lemon or a lime, right? It is not so good when it is you that is experiencing it, but it can be quite amusing watching someone else's reaction. We all know..... the look! Every muscle in your face seems to tighten all at once and you hope that the taste passes as quick as possible. Well, we recently brought in a liqueur that has been known to cause that same affect on people. This is its main purpose and what is odd about it, is people are willing and actually pay for it. In fact, it has become the new look in the Chicagoland area bars and clubs. It is called Malort. But what actually is this that has taken over the Chicago night scene?
Malort is a type of Swedish liquor called a besk brannvin and it is flavored with wormwood. The word malort itself is Swedish for wormwood. Hundreds of years ago in Sweden, Malort was found all over and many families had their own recipes. It became the most popular drink in the country and no one knows why.
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Around the Industry
No-Show Reservations
By Ryan
All of us in business lose money when customers don't show. It's also why all of us in the service industry take the time and effort to pay employee's to call and confirm these appointment's or reservations. There is much talk amongst our industry specifically, about how to handle taking reservations. Recently, an article for the National Restaurant Association highlighted some of those ideas. Some idea's range from not taking reservations at all or on a very  limited basis, purposeful overbooking, or even public shaming thru social media (cringe)!
But, some of the more popular ideas have been deposits via credit card or even pre-paid ticketing to hold a reservation. While we are a long-way from pre-paid ticketing, we have used the deposit system on larger parties (5 or more) for our busier holiday's. Ray has asked us to institute this policy on many more occasion's for ALL reservations. But, since Jim and I make the decisions around here you won't see this happening any time soon. While it does seem crazy and it does make a lot more work for us, there is some serious discussion about it. It's fair to say cancellations and no-show's are a problem in, not only our industry, but the service industry as a whole. We know we are not in a large city like Chicago and we don't have millions of people knocking down our door's, but nonetheless it is still a real issue facing our industry.
Ultimately, reservations are a service that we offer for FREE. We try our absolute best to hold our commitment to you and we feel we do a great job at honoring that commitment. When we aren't on time for you, nobody feel's worse (trust us)!
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Uptown Playlist Theater
We now have tickets available for sale on our website.
Please purchase tickets either online by clicking here or in person only.
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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.
 Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb,
Saturday Evenings
Available after 4pm every Saturday night we have our sliced leg of lamb with a mint demi glaze served with our daily mashed potato and vegetable side. Sure to be a new favorite! $19.75
 Sunday, All Day, "The Oscars"
Take your pick of a New York strip, grouper, veal, chicken or portabello mushroom... then top it with asparagus, lump crab and bearnaise sauce. Award-winning! $12.75
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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: April 25
Earth Burger 
Happy Belated Earth Day! We celebrate with a concoction that looks earthy... but certainly doesn't taste like dirt! We take our black bean burger and pile it high with sprouts, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and portobella mushrooms.
Next Week: May 2
Fresh Ground Lamb Burger
It's all Greek to me! We take a half pound of fresh
ground lamb and top it with cucumber, tomato,
red onion, feta cheese, arugula and tzatziki sauce
and serve it on a housemade kalamata olive crusted foccaccia bun. Come try this Mediterranean burger twist.
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Specials This Week
appetizer
artisanal cheese sampler
1 . Taleggio (Italy) 2. Coach Farm Triple Cream (New York)
3. Quickes Oak Smoked Cheddar (England) 4. Schweizer Gold (Switzerland)
5. Cypress Grove Chevre Truffle Tremor (California)
6. Sap Sago (Switzerland) serves 2 to 4 people 19.75
oysters on the half shell
watch house point oysters from the eastern coast of virginia.
medium in size with a medium salinity and a
clean sharp flavor. served with a mignonette 11.75
grilled artichokes
three artichoke halves, grilled and served with parmesan garlic sauce 7.75
grilled and chilled white asparagus
grilled and chilled white asparagus over a bed of arugula. topped with goat cheese, grape tomato, and fiddlehead fern. served with meyers lemon viniagrette. we recommend this as an appetizer or a side dish 9.75
salad and sandwich
mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
roasted zuchinni, portobello mushrooms and red peppers
with swiss cheese and garlic aioli. served with a mesculyn,
walnut and gorgonzola salad. balsamic vinaigrette dressing 11.50
with cup of soup of the day 13.50
grilled chicken, goat cheese, arugula and orzo salad
grilled chicken, orzo, red onion, fresh basil, green and red
bell peppers tossed with arugula and topped with goat
cheese. served with a balsamic vinaigrette. 13.75
bbq meatloaf sandwich
housemade meatloaf topped with sweet baby ray's bbq
sauce, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
served open face on light rye bread with french fries 8.75
entrees
pan seared scallops
fresh sea scallops pan seared and served on a bed of
sauteed spinach with a roasted red pepper butter. 24.75
broiled halibut with artichoke and tomato broth
10 oz. broiled halibut served over tomato and artichoke
broth. served with tomato crown and grilled asparagus 31.75
garlic and herb marinated top sirloin
12 oz. marinated top sirloin char grilled, sliced and topped with a
chimmichurri sauce. served with roasted asparagus
and fingerling potatoes. 19.75
shrimp and asparagus over pappardelle pasta
sauteed shrimp, asparagus, peas and carrots in a white
wine and lemon broth over pappardelle pasta. topped with
shaved reggiano parmesan. 17.75
side
sauteed swiss chard and asparagus
sauteed swiss chard and asparagus with grape tomato, white wine,
cracked pepper, and plugra butter 5.75
dessert
custard pie with caramel sauce
housemade custard pie and caramel sauce. topped with
crushed walnuts 5.75
homemade apple cinnamon golden raisin strudel
served with sislers french vanilla ice cream 5.75
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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 2009 animated film based on a children's book features an inventor, sardines, and food that falls from the sky? .
2. What crop produces huitlacoche, a gourmet delicacy in Mexico and a dreaded plant infection in the United States?
3. What sauce does Stephen Colbert make in a an episode of the Colbert Report while demonstrating a knife app for the just released iPad?
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. True or False. Runoff of agricultural fertilizers into the Mississippi watershed is cited as a contributor to the Gulf of Mexico's oxygen-starved dead zone.......... TRUE
2. What Italian knife has a curved double-handled blade for rocking back and forth across food and a name to match its half-moon profile?........MEZZALUNA
3. Who wrote "The Boston Cooking School Cookbook?" .........FANNIE FARMER
Last Week's Winner: ...................NATHAN BEER
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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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