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Friday, September 27th, 2013
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From the Bar
Hofbrauhaus Munchen Oktoberfest Beer
By Jimmy
As you know, the German Oktoberfest season is among us, and we are currently serving the "area's most authentic" German plate. We had set our goal of preparing over 150 Oktoberfest meals starting this past Sunday, September 22nd and serving until supplies last. With over two-thirds served already, this seasonal featured dish will not be around much longer... so do not miss your chance to experience a German tradition!
 Just remember that the food is only half the experience. Enjoying a stein of authentic German beer makes the dish complete, and we are serving a traditional German Oktoberfest from the Hofbrauhaus Munchen brewery.
Hofbrauhaus is a state-owned brewery that is located in the heart of Munich, Germany. It is one of the six ORIGINAL Oktoberfest breweries that is still mastering this brew each year.
Dating back several hundered years, the largest fair and beer festival in the world has taken place for a 16-day food and fun extravaganza. It starts on September 18th and lasts until the first week of October. Every year, over 6 million visitors from all over the world go to Munich to drink beer and eat sausage or other traditional German food favorites. You can expect to drink beer out of heavy steins and join together in song. The Bavarian festival allows you to link arms with locals, swing to the Oompha of Bavarian bands and admire traditional costumes.
 At Uptown, our Oktoberfest season may not last as long, but we will serve the Hofbrauhaus beer in those heavy 20 ounce steins. Our only hope is that everyone at your table breaks out into German song. It would definitely be an experience we would remember!
So come out this week before our supply is gone, and enjoy this traditional deep golden lager with a creamy malty taste and mild sweetness. Along with the German plate, it is the perfect food and beverage combination that you simply have to experience.
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On Special
Beef Wellington
By Josh
This week, we are offering a famous English dish that many people know about, but seldom find in our area. Our chef has put together the classic Beef Wellington.
Named after the Duke of Wellington (the famous military general who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo), this dish is named in his honor due to the fact that it was the only thing he would serve at dinner parties. Others believe that it is named after the final dish because it looks like that of a wellington boot, but we'll let you be the judge of that.
Beef Wellington is a cut of filet wrapped in pate and then baked in a pastry crust. Our own version of this is similar, but still has a few eclectic twists to make the dish something unique. Instead of typical pate, we use imported pate (pate being a mixture of meat and liver ground with herbs, vegetables, and animal fat to create a spreadable paste).
We then mix it with freshly made duxelle and bake it until the pastry is a flaky and buttery golden brown. For those of you who are not fluent in French cuisine, duxelle are finely chopped mushrooms (in our case, porcini) with shallots and herbs that are reduced to a paste, similar to pate. It is served over our housemade béarnaise.
This hearty dish pairs perfectly with a glass of merlot or cabernet sauvignon (or for the more daring, any sherry glass of one of our many port wine offerings) and is sure to help usher in the cooler fall weather.
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Food for Thought
Hangover Cure
By Ryan
 Yakamein. It's the soup that promises to cure your hangover.
Folklore has it that American soldiers from New Orleans stationed in Korea in the 1950s learned to appreciate yak-a-mein on the morning after, and brought a taste for it back home. It may be a good example of intuitive science - an effective remedy, and with the scientific basis revealed only years later. Many of us have had those rough morning-afters, where we would do anything to quell the ill-effects of a little too much fun the evening before.
A well-known secret remedy in the New Orleans area, not many others know how to create the miracle soup. In essence, it's not too complicated to make. All it takes is beef brisket, spaghetti noodles, hard boiled egg, soy sauce, green onion and hot sauce. The soup is said to make you feel alive in the morning, earning it's local nickname of "Old Sober."
Read more to discover why this soup works. Plus we share the recipe... if you do try it at home, let us know if it did the trick!
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From the Bar
Sake Joins our Liquor Collection
By Natalie
 When one brings up the topic of 'sake,' you may automatically think sushi or Asian cuisine. You probably imagine yourself only trying this Japanese rice wine when out for sushi. But that is simply not the case! Sake is actually quite compatible with many Western dishes, and you will now be able to experience it yourself on your next visit to the Uptown. We have brought in a few different styles of sake for you to choose from.
Let's first talk about sake and what to expect upon your first taste. Sake is a Japanese rice wine that can be served slightly chilled or even hot. It is generally light bodied, crisp and smooth, with a very clean finish. In terms of flavor, you have to separate it and not compare it to other wines you may be used to. Sake can be fragrant, but pure sake is never infused with any type of fruit, tannins or other additive... therefore resulting in that clean flavor. Sake can also be paired with meals and flavors exactly the same way a cabernet or sauvignon blanc can.
We will be offering a few different styles of sake for you to choose from, each being premium  quality sake served chilled or warmed in traditional porcelain sake cups:
- Junmai -- pronounced "ju-mye" -- is translated into pure rice sake. It has a fuller, richer body with higher acidity than other styles. We are featuring Murai Family Junmai that is dry and crisp with floral and fruity notes.
- Diaginjo -- pronounced "die-ee-gin-jo" -- is made from special yeast at lower fermentation temperatures and involves labor intensive techniques to make for fragrant, intricate sake. We are featuring Hakutsuru Diaginjo, which has a full body with a very smooth, fruity finish.
- Nigori -- pronounced "nee-go-ree" -- means "cloudy" and is unfiltered sake. It has a smooth creamy texture with bold, sweet flavors. We are featuring Muria Family NIgori that has a smooth, creamy texture with hints of vanilla and coconut.
Read more to discover what pairs well with a glass of sake. Do you have any favorites? |
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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: October 3
Sunrise Burger
It's ok to eat this tasty breakfast treat any time of day! We take our gourmet half pound angus beef patty and top it with a fried egg and bacon before surrounding it with a "bun" of two grilled cheese sandwiches. Combine that with our housemade fries and your choice of brew...even your local drive-thru can't compare!
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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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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 above)
 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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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 starchy variety of banana is treated like a vegetable and is sometimes called the "cooking banana?"
2. What heritage breed of animal are Bourbon Red, Narrangansett, and Bronze?
3. Who is the cooking-show-averse author of the book In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart, which pairs with videos of the author and her friends?
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: Cinnamon, cassia, and cassia-cinnamon are different labels for the same spice........false
2. Which method of cooking rice does not rely on toasting the grains in fat before adding the cooking liquid - pilaf, risotto, or absorption? .............absorption
3. What was Wilbur Scoville measuring in 1912 with his Scoville Organoleptic Test? ...........measures the chile pepper's heat levels
Last Week's Winner: ...................Patty Austin
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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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