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Announcing a Menu Revolution
Coming Soon...
By Ray
It's not every day that I get to announce a major change in the way our restaurant does business. This is exciting! For ages, restaurants have used either a printed menu or menu board to display, sell and market their products. Next week, we are going to change this age-old practice..... we are going digital.
 At trade shows in the past several years, we've seen this coming - menus on handheld tablet computers. We have been considering how it could help us solve some of our many menu problems and this past year we dug into the idea a little deeper and started visiting with several of the major players that provide this service. Slowly I became convinced; however, it does not seem that there are any clear cut leaders in this technology.
Of the four companies we considered, they all seem to have slightly under 50 accounts. This means a conservative guess would be that less than 250 restaurants in the country are doing this. Also, it seems that most of them are using it only to display their wine list, not to hold their entire menu on it.
In looking at our menu problems and goals, we started to discover that this format would solve many of them. For the past five years, we have been looking for a more efficient way of marketing the 500 products that we sell every day. We like to keep things fresh. Every day we layout and reprint several pages - adding specials, removing specials and trying to keep the entire menu accurate with all the fluctuations that happen in day to day business. Needless to say, it's quite an investment in time, toner, and paper. Everything else we've looked at over the past five years has had either major cost, labor or marketing drawbacks.
So this past May at the National Restaurant Show we whittled it down to one company that we really liked and decided to do a cost analysis. We found that with the amount of time and effort that we put into the menu every day and the lack of flexibility that we have, the cost of doing our menu digitally on tablets was financially feasible.
With the cost question out of the way, we started to consider how the transition would affect us:
- Marketing: It allows us some marketing opportunities that you simply cannot get with paper or a menu board. There is not enough room on a paper menu to say everything we want to say about a dish.
- The Cost: Believe it or not, we are estimating this will be less expensive overall than our menu process now.
- Flexibility: The single most important feature of this product to me as an operator is being able to change something "on the fly". If someone walks in the front door with morel mushrooms or heirloom tomatoes, they can be on the menu almost immediately. If something runs out or we are not happy with the quality, we can "86" it. It is as easy as typing "8-6". Within 10 minutes, every single menu in our place is updated. It is like I died and went to heaven.
- Customer Experimentation: When talking to you, our customers, many of you are in a rut! By being able to see and read more about a dish, maybe you will finally try something new! Now if you have 2 or 3 favorite things on the planet that you can only get at Uptown, we have you hooked.
- Menu Size: We are no longer constrained by paper. As long as things are easy to find and get to, the possibilities are endless.
- Promoting: It also allows us to promote other things in house with what we are going to call "flip through pages" These might involve information on our upcoming shows, our banquet room, selling gift cards or items for sale out the door like our homemade breads, dressings and cookies.
And of course the part you're more interested in, how it benefits the customer:
- Menu Item Information: The customer can simply touch the item and up comes a picture and a better description of that item.
- Menu Layout: You can still flip through every page if you like or simply touch the menu button and get right to what you are looking for.
- Wine Pairings: When touching most food item links, a wine will be selected that best accompanies that dish, thanks to the tablet's "Pairing Pro" software.
- Nutritional Information: It will not be used right of the bat (we have to be able to walk before we run). It connects with the USDA database and provides nutritional data such as fat, carbs and calories for that dish.
- The Planet: It is 99.4% greener than printing on paper.
There's more.....
Want to learn more? Curious just how this will work? Click here. We answer some of the top-asked questions, and we welcome your feedback!
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From the Bar
Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
By Jimmy
 As the last of the summer heat blazes through the next month, nothing sounds more refreshing than a cool drink made with lemonade. Our fresh squeezed lemon shakeups are sure to take the hot summer heat away, but we are currently making them even more refreshing by adding a tasty citrus flavor with the help of Solerno Blood Orange liqueur.
Solerno Blood Orange liqueur is a spirit that comes from the creator of Hendrick's gin - Lesley Gracie. (Another one of my favorites spirits). Solerno come exclusively from the slopes of Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily. Solerno starts with a nose burst of blood orange, red berries, orange blossoms and a hint of lemon. On the palate, it is smooth with a mild sweetness, full body and a long dry finish - just like fine wine.
What makes this liqueur special is that the blood oranges are hand picked at the "right" time in its short growing season. Within a day of its picking, the fruit is processed to get the perfect citrus oils and flavor to make this spirit. This oil is blended with Italian lemons and lightly sweetened with natural sugar. Not only does the flavor of this spirit make the perfect cocktail, the bottle itself is something to admire. It is bottled in a Murano style - also known as Venetian style - deep ruby red (like the blood orange) bottle.
Come taste a little bit of Italy these next few weeks with the late summer heat. Not only could you enjoy this spirit with our fresh squeezed lemon shakeup, it also goes well as highball mixed with club soda or even as an refreshing after dinner drink. Chill out on our patio this month with one of these refreshing drinks.
Blog with us: Share your thoughts if you've given this liqueur a try!
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Playlist Theater
Recent Upgrades, Plus Andy Frasco
By Ray
 We are serious about our sound! Or are we just geeks because we added some new equipment. Since the addition of Mario Data (our engineer) to our Playlist Theater crew, no other addition has sparked more comments than the replacement of our main speakers with new JBL speakers.
 We just completed the package by replacing the rest of our speakers with JBL speakers from the same line. For the corners we added the smaller brother to the main speakers. We are using now, the JBL VRX928LA. They will be placed above the stage and work to fill in the corners better. We also bought a new sub woofer - a JBL VRX918SP. I know that these numbers will not mean much to most of you, but we are now 100% JBL, and I think you will notice a further improvement in the quality of our shows.
This upgrade is just in time for our next show: Andy Frasco and the United Nations. There are not too many shows that I feel the need to push like this. I have seen him and will say DO NOT MISS THIS!
High energy party blues. Five great musicians. Andy's show has the charisma of a Griffin House and the fun of a Chuck Prophet. I can see having him play here whenever he comes through the Midwest.
 | | Andy Frasco & The UN - Documentary |
See for yourself. Check out Andy's YouTube page with quick access to all of his greatest videos. The video at right is a fun one to watch.
One other note of interest: I was recently setting up the details of this show with his planner, and he asked us if we had room for 40 foot tour bus and trailer. We have yet to see someone bring a rig this big on the road. I got the impression he had a pretty small entourage. It sounds like this is something new.
Have you seen Andy's show elsewhere? What did you think?
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Cooking Tip
Corn on the Cob
By Ryan
When serving food in a high volume restaurant, one tends to look for ways to make things not only easier, but quicker. More often than not, shortcuts do not produce an equal product. So it's not often we stumble upon cooking or set-up methods that make things faster, all while creating an equal or better product. However, "we" just may have stumbled upon one.......
Last week, when cooking dinner with some family, my aunt taught me a neat little trick that was not only quick and clean, but easy. In return, I thought it might be nice to share what I was taught with some of you, especially in the midst of sweet corn season.
Usually, cleaning corn can be a messy chore. Tearing off all those little silk hairs can be a bit tedious and one can never quite seem to get them all. This simple trick helps to solve that little problem:
- Take the corn on the cob - husk and all - and put it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. It will depend on the strength of your home microwave, but 3 to 4 minutes is about the average.
- When the corn is done, take it out of the microwave and cut off the end where the knob sticks out, enough to cut off maybe an inch of the corn cob itself.
- Use a napkin or hot pad to help with the next step, when you will grab the corn from the other end and start to squeeze the corn cob from the bottom until it slowly removes itself from the husk and the silk.
If done properly, the corn on the cob will be done perfectly and not one single silk hair will remain. It's quick, it's clean, it's easy... and I hope it saves all of you some time this summer!
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In the News
Parking Ticket Fines
By Josh
 Everyone always complains that the price of everything in the city is always more expensive than outside. For instance, a $7 drink here may cost you $13 in a big city. Higher prices have even found their way into law enforcement within many major cities.
Just recently, the San Francisco Chronicle released an article stating that the price of parking tickets will raise substantially to $75 per ticket. This ticket fine will set you back just about the same as a meal at a nice restaurant. Ticket fines in San Francisco will be the highest fines for a parking ticket than any other city in the nation... only barely beating New York and Chicago who both have $65 fines. While you may think "Well these are large cities and have a lot of traffic that needs to be monitored carefully," other major cities such as New Orleans and Philadelphia only have $20-$25 tickets.
It never fails that on a busy Saturday night here at the Uptown, we always get comments that people had to walk a block or had difficulty finding parking spots around the building. But think about it - if you go to a major city, most parking spots that aren't run by a meter will set you back $25-$50 for only a couple hours of parking and you're still going to have to walk a good distance to get anywhere close to shopping districts or tourist spots.
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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.
 Next Week: August 8Caprese Burger
Fresh heirloom tomatoes, freshly pulled mozzarella and a hint of fresh basil all combine to highlight our half pound angus beef patty. Fries and your choice of brew round out this perfect summer selection!
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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.
Friday, August 16th
Tickets $20
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With our weekly specials menu, you won't find any 2 for 1 deals or two 4-course meal options for $20, but what you will find are quality products offered at a true value. Come see why we sell more steak diane or weinerschnitzel in one night than we do some menu items in a week. Or why some of these evenings have developed a type of cult following. They are the real deal.
Our weekly specials (a new one each day) are below:
 steak diane, every monday evening
the original red door inn steak diane! 6oz filet mignon medallion. served with mushroom marsala sauce, celery and button mushrooms. Victor approved! available monday evening only after 4pm. 17.75
 fish tacos, every tuesday all day
soft flour tortillas filled with panko crusted tilapia, red cabbage, chipotle mayonnaise and mango pineapple black bean salsa
3 for 7.75 or 2.75 each
weiner schnitzel, every wednesday evening
veal cutlet lightly floured and sauteed, served with veal demi glaze, spaetzel and roasted asparagus. available wednesday evening only after 4pm. 12.75
 "burger me" every thursday all day
choose any microbrew or bottled beer to accompany a different and enticing burger every week. served with a heaping plate of our housemade fries. all for 10.00.
(see this week's creative concoction below)
 oscar sunday! every sunday, all day!
every sunday is oscar sunday. choose from the following oscars: new york strip, veal, chicken, grouper or portobello mushroom. Top your choice with asparagus, lump crab and béarnaise sauce.
12.75 each
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Specials This Week
artisanal cheese sampler
1. Corsendonk Brugge (Belgium) 2. Tronchon Madurado
(Spain) 3. Cottonwood River Cheddar (Kansas) 4. Coach
Farm Triple Cream (New York) 5. Cambozola Brie with Blue
Cheese (Germany) 6. Sap Sago (Switzerland)
serves 2 to 4 people 19.75
oysters on the half shell
prosciutto wrapped fresh calimyrna figs and burrata
mozzarella over arugula and balsamic cream. 11.75
prosciutto and fresh fig with burrata mozzarella
housemade roasted garlic hummus served with corn tortilla
chips and fresh vegetable assortment 8.25
panko breaded cheese wedges
chihuahua cheese wedges, breaded in panko crumb and
deep fried. served with cilantro, salsa and guacamole 7.25
salad and sandwich
mesculyn salad & panini sandwich combo
lamb, feta cheese, arugula, kalamata olives and tomato.
served with a mesculyn, walnut and gorgonzola salad.
balsamic vinaigrette dressing 11.50 with cup of soup of the day 13.50
shaved prime rib of beef sandwich
shaved prime rib, havarti cheese, rosemary olive oil, tomato,
green onion, garlic and horseradish cream served on
toasted focaccia bread with housemade french fries 11.75
meatloaf sandwich
roasted red pepper and spinach meatloaf served open face
on sourdough bread. topped with provolone cheese, lettuce
and tomato. served with housemade french fries 10.50
calamari, snap pea, cashew and jalapeno salad
fried calamari atop a bed of mesculyn greens. topped with
fresh herbs, toasted cashews, celery, jalapeno, red onion,
tomato and snap peas. asian mustard vinaigrette 13.50
broiled lobster tail with a saffron butter
6 oz. lobster tail broiled and served over sauteed arugula
and grape tomatoes with gnocchi in a saffron butter. served
with roasted corn on the cob 33.75
pesto, pancetta, sun dried tomato and pea pasta
sauteed pancetta, sundried tomato and peas tossed in housemade
white wine pesto sauce. served over radiator pasta 16.50
fish n chips
fresh cod, battered in harp beer batter, fried and served with
"chips," and housemade coleslaw 10.75
broiled haddock
10oz haddock filet topped with lemon parsley butter crumb.
with sauteed zucchini sticks 19.75
braised boneless beef short rib over polenta
8oz boneless beef short rib, braised and served over
housemade polenta, topped with veal demi glace. with
roasted corn on the cob 24.75
sides
miso coconut glazed sugar snap peas
sauteed fresh sugar snap peas in a miso coconut glaze 5.75
chocolate lovin' spoonful torte
layers of dark chocolate cake and chocolate pudding covered
with chocolate ganache 6.75
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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. Which conventionally raised vegetable is likely to be lowest in pesticide contamination - bell pepper, celery, kale or onion?
2. True or False: In winter squash, a green stem and skin that is easily scraped off are signs of a fresh squash picked at maturity.
3. What is the not-part-of-the-recipe purpose of keeping a bowl of ice water nearby when cooking caramel?
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 New England dining institution originated with Native Americans, was shunned by the colonists, and became an icon of American cuisine after the Civil War?........clambake
2. True or false. The term 'cage-free' on a label guarantees that the eggs or poultry came from birds raised in outdoor pasture.............false
3. What did David Letterman plant in a mussel on a 2010 Late Show cooking segment with chef David Chang? ..............cigarette butt
Last Week's Winner: ...................Heather Francis
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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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