"duck liver" news and stories

Just before New Year's Eve we learned from Nicole that several eateries in the Windy City intended to transform themselves into duckeasies to ring in the new year. That's right, they planned on serving foie gras in spite of the city's recent ban on the sale of the luxurious liver.

Yesterday I read that several Chicago restaurants and specialty markets are continuing to flout the ban. At Hot Doug's, a gourmet sausage store, the owner continues to sell foie gras and has framed his warning letter as a point of pride.

While some restaurants such as Sweets & Savories continue to openly sell foie gras, others have devised creative ways to fly under the radar as it were. Rumor has it that ordering the "special lobster" at several restaurants will help you score a plate of the banned delicacy.

And the award for the most straightforward way to skirt the ban goes to Bin 36, which also has the dubious honor of being the only eatery inspected to date. It seems the restaurant wasn't actually selling foie gras, it was giving it away. Well, not quite giving it away. The menu offered a complimentary foie gras terrine with its wild mushroom confit salad. The inspectors neglected to ask whether the salad would cost as much without the terrine. As anyone who's ever purchased any foie gras can tell you, it wouldn't.

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Assemblywoman Joan Voss is disgusted by foie gras.

But she doesn't want to go the way of Chicago and ban the sale and serving of it. Voss simply wants to regulate how it's produced. She wrote a bill that would prohibit farmers from force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes. "I don't care if people eat it. My bill just says produce it in a humane way."

Such a regulation doesn't go without opponents. Foie gras distributors in New Jersey would lose millions of dollars in sales.

Chicago's foie gras ban went into effect last week (and has already had its first violation!). Philadelphia and New York state officials have also discussed outlawing production and sales. California currntly has a ban on force-feeding poultry.

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Yesterday, August 22nd, was the last day that foie gras was served in Chicago without penalty to restaurateurs. All across the city, diners were savoring their last few bites of the rich, fatty delicacy that could be purchased within the city limits.

And instead of expressing resignation, people are still worked up over the ban. Chicago Mayor Daley, who had a change to veto the ban but did not take it, wants the City Council to reconsider and says that he won't push for aggressive enforcement of the law. Daley asserts that only a handful of restaurants even serve the food, though other sources note that even a number of "downscale" places added it to their menus, making the total higher than Daley's guess of 5 or 6 restaurants.

The city council has no intention of repealing the ban, according to Alderman Joe Moore, especially because they are not alone in banning foie gras, joining ten European countries and California that have total or partial bans on the manufacture and sale of the delicacy. Alderman also notes that the Mayor cannot "pick and choose which laws to enforce," so the ban will receive the same attention as other matters.

For those still looking to get a taste of foie gras in Chicago, chef Tony Mantuano at Spiaggia is serving up a vegetarian version "made from chickpeas, vin santo and olive oil, among other ingredients" on crostini. At Tru, the caviar lounge is serving a "faux gras" made with chicken liver.

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