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Patio Re-Opening
Enjoy, Weather Pending
By Ryan
Our outside is now complete and ready for the 2013 season. We were able to enjoy a couple days of nice weather this week, but it seems the rain has set in for the weekend. However, following the weekend, spring appears to want to pop again. The flowers are planted, the tulips are in full bloom and the furniture is in place. We have put in a lot of work towards our patio area in the last year. New furniture, new awnings, new signage and new plants. We are very proud of our outside patio area and hope to continue to bring our customers the best outside dining experience in the area.
What are the advantages to dining al fresco at the Uptown Grill? Sure, we may not have the view's of some other area patio's, but what we lack in views we make up for in cleanliness, lack of bugs, (we are screened in after all), atmosphere and most importantly service.
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Playlist Theater
Sam Baker Speaks about the Boston Bombing
By Ray
I like to keep track of some of our  Uptown Playlist Theater Alumni. One of my all time favorite shows was an Austin based singer songwriter by the name of Sam Baker. Before I knew his story, I was attracted to the beautiful simplicity of his music. Afterwards I found out Sam was the victim of a terrorist bombing as a young man. This is something he has seldom if ever spoken about. Back in the 80's he was on a train in Peru, South America, he was sitting with a German family of three including a young boy. A terrorist group by the name of the "shinning path" had planted a bomb on the train. The family was killed and Sam was severely maimed both physically and mentally. He came very close to dying and required years of surgeries and therapy. He lost most of his left hand which is why he plays guitar backwards.
Last week Sam spoke about the incident with the purpose of putting it in context with the events in Boston a couple of weeks ago. He speaks to it as only someone with his experience could possible be able. I just thought this was something worthy of sharing with our readers in the hopes that one day we could get Sam back here for another show.
 | "Angels" by Sam Baker
For Bombing Victims, Everywhere |
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On Special
Skate Wing Meuniere
By Josh
 This week on special, we are offering something that isn't seen too often in our area. Skate wing meuniere with meyer lemons has found its way onto our menu. This entree is served over a bed of Israeli cous cous mixed with red peppers and asparagus. Because the title alone lends itself to curiosity, read on to discover what this dish consists of.
Skate is a type of fish most closely associated with the sting ray... their appearances are nearly indistinguishable. Like the sting ray, the skate also has large wings of meat and cartilage that are used primarily in cooking. Since there are no bones, the meat is springy like lobster and is many times compared to the sweetness of fresh scallops. Skate is found world-wide in the ocean's waters, but most of the skate served on tables in the United States comes from the Gulf of Maine in the Northeast.
Meuniere is the French style of cuisine in which a fish filet is dredged lightly in flour and then quickly sauteed in an extremely hot pan. This gives the fish a crusty outside while not being overbearing like the typical batter or coating from fried fish. The remaining liquid after the sautee is then used to create a sauce. It consists of adding butter, lemon and a small amount of vegetables that are sauteed and poured over the top of the fish. In our version, we are using freshly cut shallots, meyer lemons and capers to create our perfect meuniere sauce.
A meyer lemon is a Chinese citrus fruit that is a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin or an orange. It's not as tart as the typical lemon and in many cases can be eaten by itself. These fruits became popular again in during the California Cuisine Revolution.
All in all, this is a rare find that will only be here for a short time. This light dish pairs perfectly with a glass of white wine and a cool spring night on our patio!
Blog with us........share your first experience with skate wing.
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From the Bar
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale
By Jimmy
 New to our draft selection this week (and just in time for spring) is a beer from Victory Brewing Company. We have brought in their Headwaters Pale Ale. This is a crisp ale with a soft malt base and herbal hop complexity. It has a lemon aroma with the flavor of a tea-like earthiness from the American hops. Fresh spring waters located just miles from the brewery are what makes this beer - and brewing company - so great. Come try a taste of Victory!
Victory Brewing company was founded back in 1996 by childhood friends, Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski. These two had a competitive mindset when it came to what was originally a hobby to them, brewing beer. Each would try to out-do the other in producing these quality craft beers. As their love of brewing grew, along with the experience they gained, they became partners and opened up a brewery in what was once a Pepperidge farm factory in Downtington, Pennsylvania. In its first year alone, they produced over 1,700 barrels of 3 different kinds of beer. The next decade saw great growth as their production increased 10-fold.
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Playlist Theater
Chris Knight: Show Report
By Jim Moskalewicz
 Last month, we featured a sold-out show with Chris Knight. When concert-goer Jim Moskalewicz agreed to offer his take on the evening, we happily obliged. Without further ado...
Hailing from a small town in northern Kentucky, Chris Knight brought his gritty style of country music to the Uptown Playlist Theater in LaSalle, IL, on Friday, April 12. Uptown's back room provided its renowned, intimate setting for the sold-out show, and the Chris Knight-faithful were treated to a perfect mix of old and new songs. The two-set performance included classics such as Becky's Bible, It Ain't Easy Being Me, Framed, and Down the River mixed with newer tunes such as Little Victories, In the Meantime, Out of This Hole, and Low Down Ramblin' Blues.
The power of Knight's music emanated from both his quartet and his lyrics, which, although grounded in a hardscrabble life, were laced with a resilient hope:
- "I'm digging myself out of this hole, they say it can't be done, but what do they know."
- "I've got dreams that will come true."
- "People have to come together...we all have to live as one."
- "When you're so afraid to be alone. I'll be right here."
- "God'll be good to you son, if you try."
These lyrical snippets confirm that Chris Knight's poetry transcends his dark-edged reputation.
 | | Uptown Playlist Theater Chris Knight Sound Check "In the Mean Time" |
Chris Knight and his band delivered their music with integrity and passion. At the conclusion of the second set, the crowd enthusiastically rose to its feet, in demand of an encore. The front-row faithful requested the song Dirt, and in closing the show, Knight, in subtle irony, delivered it to them clean and pure.
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New Cappuccino Machine
Meet the New Member of our Family, Franke
By Ray
Many times on a busy shift I would see the glazed
over eyes of a server. "I need a cappuccino!" Believe
it or not, often in crunch time the bartender, manager
or even the CEO would end up helping out in these situations. For years we have used an old relic our "Astoria" for making cappuccino, espresso and other coffee drinks. Everything was done manually. Not only did it take time, the entire set up consumes much
space in our kitchen and is not conveniently located.
 We recently purchased a fully automated Franke Flair espresso/cappuccino machine. Not only is it in a much more centrally located kitchen position it will be faster and require nothing but a push of a button to pour you a perfect espresso, latte or cappuccino. It also will make our coffee drinks much more consistent. As hard as it to train a barista to make only coffees all day long, try training 30 service personnel, whose main job is service, to make coffee drinks the proper way. It does not lend itself to consistency.
So fear no more when ordering that coffee drink. It is as easy as pushing a button. We hope you enjoy!
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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: 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.
 Next Week: May 9 Steak Diane Burger
Similar to our Monday night special, we're bringing this tasty treat to a Thursday for one day only! We do apologize that you'll have to "settle" for a beef patty rather than a filet, but we promise the fixin's will more than make up for it: mushroom marsala sauce, celery and button mushrooms!
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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
wellfleete oysters from the northeast coast of long island
sound. medium in size with a high salinity and a clean sharp
flavor. served with a mignonette 11.75
smoked salmon quesadillas
two 6 inch tortillas filled with smoked salmon, mango salsa,
avocado, fontina cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. served with
house made adobo sauce 9.75
grilled and chilled white asparagusgrilled 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
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
skate wing meuniere with meyer lemon
lightly floured skate wing sauteed and served over israeli
cous cous with asparagus and red pepper. topped with meyer
lemon, caper and shallots. 16.75
tortellacci
locally handmade spinach filled tortellacci in a white wine
cream sauce. with freshly grated reggiano parmesan 15.50
dessert
strawberry cream cake
strawberry cake filled with white chocolate, yellow cake and
french cream. served with strawberry sauce and whipped cream 6.75
homemade apple cinnamon golden raisin strudel
served with sislers french vanilla ice cream 5.75
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"Like" us on Facebook and be the first to know about
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 British breakfast spread is made from yeast extract and comes in a brown jar resembling a French stockpot by the same name?
2. Which kind of garden does Mario Batali grow at his adjoining Hollywood restaurants?
3. What famed chef of Noma restaurant said home cooking for him is "a very strong reminder of why I do what I do...there, you really have a sense of giving something to people you love"?
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 2009 animated film based on a children's book features an inventor, sardines, and food that falls from the sky? ..............Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. What crop produces huitlacoche, a gourmet delicacy in Mexico and a dreaded plant infection in the United States? ......................corn
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? ................salsa
Last Week's Winner: ...................Scott Scheuer |
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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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