Friday, August 24, 2007

Chicago restaurants sidestep foie gras ban


By Lindsey Klingele on 8/24/2007 for Meatingplace.com

Nearly one year after the controversial ban of foie gras from Chicago's menus, restaurants are finding creative ways to bypass regulation and serve the dish, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Citywide restaurateurs have managed unique ways to serve the popular dish since its ban on Aug. 22 of last year, including offering it as a garnish or serving it as a complementary item with other meals. City inspectors have deemed these acts as compliant.

Only one restaurant has been fined for serving foie gras after the ban was passed. Doug Sohn, owner of Chicago's Hot Doug's, was fined $250 for serving a foie gras and duck sausage sandwich. He has since stopped serving the item.

Chicago Chefs for Choice, a coalition that was formed to oppose the foie gras ban, continues to lobby for a repeal of the ordinance. Chicago's Department of Public Health also would favor such.

"Every hour we spend on foie gras is an hour we don't spend protecting people from food-borne illnesses," Department of Public Health spokesman Tim Haddac told the Tribune.

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