First, he’s from Pittsburgh, and he tell us, “I bleed black and gold.” (That means he’s a Steelers fan – and also Pirates - any sports teams from Pittsburgh.)

Second, he loves all things food. He likes cooking, pairing with wine, and serving it.

But we’ve saved the most important thing you need to know about Scott for last: He believes in the power of caring about people. He believes that simple act can change lives, and that it can elevate a meal to an experience.

That’s what brought him to Eddie Merlot’s. He loved the food, the restaurant, and the high level of service that we expect. But what sealed the deal for him was that the upper management really was interested in who he was as a person, and wanted to do what they could to make him happy.

It reminded him of his experience working in Pittsburgh. Fresh out of Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, he took a job at a high-end steakhouse in Pittsburgh. The restaurant was locally owned, and Scott was the dining room manager and the wine buyer. The owner cared about the employees, treated them well and earned their loyalty, all the while treating diners to the type of high-level experience they enjoyed. Updegraff loved working there, and learned much from the staff.

Eventually, he wanted to move up into positions of greater responsibility, so he moved on to other restaurant groups. He opened several restaurants in various locations across the country, and he loved the experience of building a restaurant from the ground up, which is another reason he decided to come to Eddie Merlot’s.

“I interviewed them just as much as they interviewed me,” Scott says. “It’s got to be a good fit. When I talked to (Eddie Merlot’s founder) Bill Humphries and (Director of Operations) Bruce Kraus, I learned that we all have similar background in the industry and similar expectations and tastes. I really like that they recognize that I am a person with thoughts and opinions, and that they want to hear what I have to say. They care about me as a person.”

Scott has been working towards this type of position his entire working life. His culinary education had elements of kitchen skills and business operations. “I worked in many different kitchens during my training and early in my career,” Scott says. “Ideally, I’m a front of the house guy, but I’ve found a huge value in being able to talk to our chefs and kitchen staff in their own kitchen lingo.”

Scott joined the Eddie Merlot’s team in November, and worked at our Cincinnati and Indianapolis locations learning more about us.

“I like the quality of food with how we put things together and our presentation,” Scott says. “We have everything pulled together, including the lighting and the color scheme that makes it comfortable for everyone. Anybody can put steak on a plate. But Eddie’s adds flair to the meal. There is a lot of table side service. We do table side flambé, and it adds a little flair to the dining room. I like that they’re willing to go to that next level and you don’t find it in every steak house.”

The Warrenville location will open March 6. If you’re dining there, come by and say hi to Scott. He wants to get to know the customers – and for you to get to know him, and Eddie Merlot’s. We’re looking forward to making new friends!

If you’re new to this blog, you can sign up for an e-mail subscription in the upper right-hand corner. You can follow us on Twitter @eddiemerlots and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/merlots. We love to hear from our customers.

Whole lobster

So you’ve been asking on Facebook and Twitter. And we’ve told you we’ll know soon.

We’re ready to announce that yes, we will have another lobster event on Fridays only this spring, and it starts Friday, February 24. Our locations in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus and Louisville will be offering this special menu. Burr Ridge and Warrenville (our newest locations in Illinois) will not offer the lobster special.

The lobster event’s last Friday will be April 6.

Our source for these terrific lobster is Clearwater, and you can read more about them here: lobster source blog post 2011.

This event is on Fridays only, and as proven last year, our reservations book up FAST. You can go ahead and get your reservation now, if you’d like, through OpenTable, by calling the restaurants or through Facebook (see the reservations tab). The phone numbers for the restaurants are below.

For those who enjoyed the lobster event last year, the format will be a little bit different this year. Due to customer requests, we will have more lobster options.

For $39.95, you will get two whole, steamed lobsters (1.25 pounds each), potato and Caesar salad. If you want more, we will offer an all-you-can-eat lobster option for $69.95 that will include Caesar salad and potato.

Got questions? Ask. Out of all of our blog posts last year, the one about the lobster event was the most read, and most commented on. We’re ready, willing and ready to answer your inquiries.

If you’d like to call to make your reservations, here are the numbers:

- Cincinnati, 10808 Montgomery Road at the I-275 interchange, 513-489-1212
- Columbus,1570 Polaris Parkway at the I-71 interchange, 614-433-7307
- Fort Wayne, 14 and 24 at JeffersonPointe, 260-459-2222
- Indianapolis, 96th and Keystone, 317-846-8303
- Louisville, 455 S. Fourth Street, Suite 102, 502-634-1818

Warrenville General Manager Scott Updegraff says construction at the restaurant is coming along nicely. He is now in the process of hiring, and has about half of the staff in place. He’s conducting interviews in Warrenville at 27554 Maecliff Drive, Suite 123, to stay out of the way of construction. If locals would like to know what Eddie Merlot’s is like, you can visit our location in Burr Ridge.

Our Warrenville location will have a larger patio than any of our other locations. It is the only location that has a forest preserve behind it, so the location lends itself to it, Updegraff says.

We’re looking forward to meeting the Warrenville community, and hope to see you soon.

Chef Dan Tucker

Executive Chef Dan Tucker comes to us with significant culinary cache in the Chicago market. It’s a huge town for restaurants, and we love having someone on board who knows the local restaurant scene, and who, best yet, knows food.

Dan came to cooking in his late teens. He enrolled in college, but found that without an educational direction, it was a wasted pursuit. He got a job instead at a local steak house. “I thought I wanted to be a server, but they wanted me to cook,” Dan tells us. “So I ended up in the kitchen. It was something I really enjoyed. I got to the point that I decided I wanted to pursue it seriously as a career.”

He went to work for Biaggi’s, which serves Italian food, and after that, he was sure he wanted to work as a chef professionally. He enrolled in Kendall College to pursue a culinary education, and also found more jobs in different kitchens. After culinary school, he worked at Alinea, which was recently named one of the world’s top 50 restaurants by Restaurant magazine. He worked at Room 21 as Executive Chef, and the same at Sushisamba, which serves Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food from three different kitchens. The challenge of knowing three different cuisines and three distinct sets of ingredients intrigued him, and helped him build considerable culinary knowledge.

It was there that Dan learned the type of food he loved to make most: great quality ingredients cooked very well. “Fairly simple food done perfectly makes me a happy guy,” Dan tells us. “We have that mandate here at Eddie Merlot’s to use the best ingredients we can find and prepare them meticulously.”

His favorite food to eat? French onion soup. He says he eats it four to five times a week. His favorite food to cook? “I gravitate towards the grill,” Dan says. “My favorite thing to cook is to work with fish at the saute station. It’s a little bit more technical and a bit more difficult. Fish have a very brief window of being cooked. If fish is undercooked, it’s inedible, and if it’s overcooked, it’s inedible.”

Say hi to Dan if you’re visiting our Burr Ridge location.

This is one of the simplest recipes in our cookbook, which we published in December. You can buy it at our restaurants for $34.95 or from the comfort of your laptop for the same price plus shipping from our online store here: http://merlots.securetree.com/Products/Gifts.aspx

Some of our customers pick one cookbook up for themselves and a second or even third for future birthdays. And hey, if you’ve got a loved one (Mom, Dad, husband, wife) who loves to cook, this is a GREAT Valentine’s Day present.

If you decide to make this, let us know how it turns out. Tweet us a photo; we’re @eddiemerlots on Twitter, or post a photo on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/merlots.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Makes 3-4 servings
1 1/2 cups Five Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
4 cups cellentani pasta, cooked al dente
1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons bread crumbs, buttered

Over medium heat, warm the cheese sauce. Once warmed, add the pasta and toss until hot. Pour pasta into a casserole dish. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Five Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese Sauce

2 cups Half & Half
6 ounces Mascarpone cheese
4 ounces Pepperjack cheese
2 1/2 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
6 ounces Cream cheese
2 1/2 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tsp. salt
Pinch of white pepper

In a sauce pan, add Half & Half and heat over medium heat. When hot, add the rest of the ingredients and reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat, stirring often until sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Eddie Merlot's Indianapolis

For Indianapolis, the Super Bowl is not a one-day event. It’s turned into a multi-day festival celebrating sports and Indiana’s state capital. We’ve created a special menu available ONLY at our Indianapolis location. The Indianapolis location is the ONLY restaurant in our group that will be open on SuperBowl Sunday.

The special menu is printed below. If you’d like to  make a reservation in Indianapolis, do so quickly. We have space available on Thursday night. On Friday and Saturday, we have availability for those willing to dine early and late. On Sunday, we open at 4 p.m., and while we have some banquet business, we will be seating customers for regular dining. We anticipate having extra large-screen televisions placed throughout the restaurant so guests can watch the big game in style with us.

Eddie Merlot’s Indianapolis phone number: 317 846-8303

Chef’s Features

Strube Ranch Wagyu Ribeye cut to Order

14 Oz – 64
18 Oz – 79
22 Oz – 99

Lobster Thermidor – 29/58

Lobster blended with cream and Parmesan cheese baked golden in the shell

24 Oz Porterhouse – 99
with roasted mushrooms and truffle butter

Surf n' Turf

Surf and Turf for Two – 150
Two 8 oz. Filet Mignons paired with a Canadian 3 Pound Lobster, Eddie’s potatoes and steamed broccoli

Whole Snapper – Market Price

Make any Entrée a Surf and Turf

Add 6 oz. Canadian Lobster Tail – 24
Add Lobster Thermidor – 29

2009 Duckhorn Vineyards, Napa Merlot
Glass – 20
Bottle – 80

2008 Simi Landslide, Cabernet
Glass – 23
Bottle – 92

Cincinnati

CityBeat’s survey is extensive. We’re in the “best steaks” category. You can also write us in under any other categories you like, including best restaurant, best bar, etc. Look under Eats for the categories that pertain to us. Voting ends February 19.

http://citybeat-survey.wehaaserver.com/survey-2-best_of_cincinnati_2011.html

Columbus

We aren’t listed in any categories in the Columbus Alive Best of Columbus contest, but there is room to write us in. We’d suggest the Best Steaks and Best Romantic Restaurant categories. Voting ends March 1.

http://www.columbusalive.com/content/topic/2012/best-of-columbus-ballot.html

Louisville

Best of Louisville is operated by Louisville Magazine. It’s a fill-in-the-blank survey, and according to their rules, we qualify for best new restaurant. You can write us in there, or in several other categories. NOTE: You are required to fill in 20 blanks for your entry to count. Voting ends March 31.

http://www.louisville.com/content/vote-best-louisville-2012-louisville-magazine

So did we miss any contests that you know about? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add them to our list.

Winemaker's Steak

Beef Bourguignon – $21.95: Beef tenderloin simmered with roasted mushrooms, cippolini onions and Burgundy wine.

Winemaker’s Steak – $31.95: Twin Filets with a rich burgundy pan sauce enhanced with prosciutto, mushrooms and shallots.

Steak au Poivre – $31.95: All Natural New York Strip encrusted with peppercorns, flashed with Cognac then finished demi glace.

Steak Diane – $31.95: Two 4oz. Filet Mignon medallions served with a traditional Diane Sauce of mushrooms, cognac, butter, veal stock, cream, mustard, and thyme.

Veal Chop Dijonnaise – $29.95: Porterhouse chop in a Dijon mustard sauce with cippollini onions and wild mushrooms.

Add the perfect complement to your meal with a glass of Joseph Drouhin Chorey-Les-Beaune for only $10. Or, enjoy a bottle for just $39.

Guests are encouraged to make reservations online at EddieMerlots.com, or by calling Eddie Merlot’s at one of these locations:

- Burr Ridge, 201 Bridewell Drive, 630-468-2098
- Cincinnati, 10808 Montgomery Road at the I-275 interchange, 513-489-1212
- Columbus,1570 Polaris Parkway at the I-71 interchange, 614-433-7307
- Fort Wayne, 14 and 24 at JeffersonPointe, 260-459-2222
- Indianapolis, 96th and Keystone, 317-846-8303
- Louisville, 455 S. Fourth Street, Suite 102, 502-634-1818

So we’re posting detailed information here about the Platinum Club that hopefully answers lots of your questions about it. If we failed to cover something you want to know, please post it in our comments and we will get answers for you.

For a one-time enrollment fee of $25 in our Platinum Club, customers earn points every time they dine with Eddie Merlot’s

During a member’s second visit, they receive a $15 credit on their check that visit. On the third visit, they get a $25 credit on their check that visit. So for a one-time enrollment fee of $25, customers receive $40 in benefits for dining with us three times.

Jenny Boyd, Platinum Coordinator for Eddie Merlot’s, says the feature is highly popular with customers. Currently, Eddie Merlot’s has a staggering13,000 Platinum Club members spread out over six, soon to be seven, locations, which are Burr Ridge, coming soon Warrenville, (Chicago area), Cincinnati, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Louisville. Our seventh location will open in March in Warrenville, IL, another Chicagoland location.

As Platinum Club members gain points, they move up into different levels within the program. Here’s a look at the benefits of the different levels:

Platinum Card

1 Food Dollar = 1 Point

Diamond Card

After you spend $1,500 within one year

1 Food Dollar = 1.25 Points

Preferred Seating for Diamond Cardholders

Black Card

After you spend $3,000 within one year

1 Food Dollar = 1.5 Points

Preferred Seating for Black Cardholders

As members move up in levels, they accumulate points that are worth even more rewards. “We have a lot of people who take pride in their points,” Jenny says. “Right now, we have a member who has over 32,000 points. The person with the second-most points often uses her points to donate to different causes. In the past, she has redeemed her points for gift certificates to donate.”

Prizes include a $25 dining credit at Eddie Merlot’s, which costs 350 points. An Indy Car experience trip costs 6,500 points, which gives the customer a chance to ride in an actual Indy Car on a real race car track. At 30,000 points, a customer can redeem for a trip for two to a vineyard in Oregon. And at 150,000 points, customers can receive a four-day, three-night trip to Burgundy, France.

If you want to accumulate points, be sure to indicate you want to opt-out of the automatic redemption feature, Jenny says, as most members are choosing to receive the $25 Eddie Merlot’s dining rewards credit on their club card using the 350 point auto redemption.

As a Platinum Club member, you can also expect to receive a $25 bonus card good towards dinner for two at Eddie Merlot’s on your anniversary and a $25 bonus card on your birthday to use good for your next visit.

The benefits are amazing – and it makes sense to join, Jenny says. If you’re going to dine with us even a few times, the Platinum Club pays off.

“You can go anywhere and eat,” Jenny says. “If you are a Platinum Club Member, you’re putting money back into your pocket by dining with Eddie Merlot’s. At the base Platinum Level, you’re earning 1 point for 1 food dollar you spend. You’re rewarding yourself by dining with us.”

Want to join? Great! You can do that right here: http://www.eddiemerlots.com/The-Platinum-Club/Register-for-the-Platinum-Club-179.html

Recently, we were treated to a host of terrific photos from Tatiana, who enjoyed a lovely, leisurely meal with a birthday-celebrating friend at our Burr Ridge location. Tatiana is @GourmetRambler on Twitter, and you’d be remiss not to follow her adventures. She writes for TheBrideScoop, a web site for brides and grooms to be. You can find her writing here: http://thebridescoop.com/category/food/gourmet-rambler/

Thank you, Tatiana for the feedback. We love the photos and we’re happy you chose to celebrate this special occasion with us!