Look Out, the 80's are Coming!

The 80's certainly were one heck of a decade. I was born in 1980, so most of the decade happened before I could really start to formulate too many of my own memories. My first real one being Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in the '88 World Series and the legendary Vin Scully shouting, "sheeeee iiiiiiissssss gone!" And that, ironically seems to be the common theme from most fads and trends of the decade we call the 80's!

Yes we had the '85 Bears, the knocking down of the Berlin Wall, the Rubik's cube and MTV, but the 80's also yielded the mullet, leg warmers, fingerless gloves and parachute pants........what were you all thinking?!

So here we are - it's now 2015 - and we have some 80's food trends, according to our industry newsletters and trade magazines, that are poised for a comeback this year. While perusing the list, there were 2 items on it that brought back some good memories, and one of them certainly was not quiche which comes in at #1!

My two most memory-inducing items were swordfish and glass plates/table weirdness. Many of you may remember swordfish as being one of the staples at the old Uptown Bar & Grill (right next door to our current location). And remember that goofy glass fish plate it was served on? I know I do. I probably had that meal 8 out of 10 times I sat down for dinner there. Not sure if it was because I liked swordfish that much or if it was just for the plate! For some reason nobody ever warned me about mercury back then.

Other items on the list we've already begun unearthing include:

• Potato salad which we offer occasionally with all sandwiches and burgers.
• Blackening, which can be done on pretty much any item on our menu. (In fact, it wasn't until we changed to our digital menus that we removed a blackened snapper from our offerings.)
• Pasta primavera, which dominates our Easter menu sales year in and year out. Who doesn't like a good pasta primavera?
• Something called Nages, a term I have never heard of or used in all of my cooking experiences.  But now that I know, I sure will give it a try.
• Chicken marsala, another menu item we just recently retired.

...and oh yeah, back to that quiche!  We do offer a few quiches on our banquet menu for those of you interested in any type of shower or luncheon event.

While many of you may begin to see these items returning to everyday restaurant menus around the country, I'm sure some 1980's nostalgia may return along with them. Please share your 80's Uptown moments with us. (Memories aside, I'm with the rest of you in terms of the 80's when I say, I'm happy that she is gone!)

Check out the full list of 80's dining trends that are poised for a 2015 comeback - some of which you will see here soon!