Results tagged “restaurantassociation”

A federal judge yesterday upheld Chicago's ban on foie gras, disappointing chefs across the city, and of course, giving renewed energy to both sides to persevere. In dismissing the Illinois Restaurant Association's lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning ruled that the city does have a constitutional right to prohibit the sale of foie gras. On a related note, we were alerted yesterday to a tiny section (Section 123) of the pending USDA Farm Bill that...

Another innovation previewed at the National Restaurant Association's trade show this past weekend was Sara Lee's new coffee and dessert pairing tool. The pairing tool, which Sara Lee unveiled two weeks ago, is a response to the increasing diversity of coffee options in restaurants these days. It also takes the guesswork out of finding the right dessert to go with your decaf.

The National Restaurant Association trade show (we'll just call them the "good NRA") is still in full swing through tomorrow at McCormick Place. We went this weekend, took in some of the exhibits, marveled still at the sheer enormity of McCormick Place, and got enough Cholula samples to last us through the summer, or at least the next bloody mary, and our clothes reek of fried food.

The big event happening this weekend is the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at McCormick Place. The event features over 2,000 exhibitors in nearly 900 product categories showcasing the latest kitchen innovations and technology, sustainability concepts, and fine cuisine. Highlights of the show this year include a celebrity bookstore (a new feature where celebrity chefs and restaurateurs will be in attendance signing books) a food fair featuring regional specialty foods from across the country,...

Last week, the Illinois Restaurant Association named Sheila O'Grady as its new president. Her first order of business will be working to get the foie gras ban repealed. The press release announcing O'Grady's appointment said that "she brings an incredible depth of knowledge and experience to the position at a very dynamic time in the restaurant industry." Much of that experience is in City Hall. O'Grady is a former chief-of staff for Mayor Daley and...

Tribune food critic Phil Vettel enlisted the help of some fellow Trib staffers last week in another of those "What if?" columns; this time Vettel managed not to mistake two separate chefs with the same surname as brothers on a lost weekend in Vegas. The mission of the article was to test the newly enacted "cork-and-carry" law, an amendment to the State Liquor Control Act that allows restaurants to let customers leave with unfinished bottles of wine, permitted that the wine was a part of their dinner, placed in a sealable plastic bag, and with a dated receipt attached.

You have to love Ed Burke. Either he truly means well, suffers from the "Second City" inferiority complex, or he reads Chicagoist and can't help himself. Regarding our post last week about Culver's decision to ban trans fats, we wrote:

More than 1000 chefs were surveyed about industry trends for the coming years by the National Restaurant Association, and the results announced yesterday provide a glimpse of what diners in both Chicago and nationwide can expect to see on their plates.

As if fighting terrorism wasn’t tough enough, it looks like America’s war on trans fat has reached its breaking point. But not to worry, Chicago aldermen have devised some strategies for success that will enable us to win this war — and they don’t even involve talks with Iran. In the wake of New York City’s blanket ban on the use of cooking oils with trans fats in all restaurants, Chicago may very well be heading in the same direction. Ald. Ed Burke posed a watered-down ban on trans fats earlier this year that would apply only to restaurant chains with $20 million in annual gross sales. NYC’s comprehensive ban has brought the issue back to the forefront as the Chicago City Council’s licensing committee is currently reviewing Burke’s ban.

Our friends at Crain's are reporting that tomorrow the National Restaurant Association will announce its intent to keep its ginormous show right here in Chicago, the city the show has called home for more than 50 years.

Although President Bush has only a 35 percent approval rating in the U.S., the restaurant industry seems to have a much higher opinion. In the course of his one-hour speech at the National Restaurant Association Show at McCormick Place, Bush received several enthusiastic cheers and standing ovations. Chicagoist has attended the Restaurant Show for several years. The event draws some big-name speakers (Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, Ted Koppel), but no speaker has been as high-profile...

Look. Chicagoist is just as tired as you all of the Smoke-Or-Not-To-Smoke discussion and we know there is only so much left to be said on the topic to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and basically all public indoor areas of Chicago by April 1. However, as the vote approaches -- Wednesday, to be exact -- it's worth taking up space here. Look for the kids over at the Illinois Restaurant Association to ... well,...

So Chicagoist was enjoying this peaceful Saturday afternoon reading the paper and eating Chinese food when this absolute scrub of a kid struts into the restaurant like he owns the joint yapping into his cell phone with a total disregard for the people around him. After a few too many "damn, bro's" we walked to him and politely mentioned that we weren't really interested in the killer game of pickup ball he played, the wack-ass dj at the club the night before, the dvd player he installed in his Honda Civic, or his baby mama drama. We got the stink-eye, sure, but he did take the conversation outside where he added "kicking (our) ass" to his list of talking points.

Tickets are now available for Recipe For Relief, the Jimmy Banos-led culinary benefit for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. On Oct. 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Grand Ballroom at McCormick Place South, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Dr., the event includes music, a silent auction and cookbook signing with Rick Bayless. To be clear, Chicagoist is heartbroken than such an event is necessary but we have to tell you that as...

There was a time when Chicagoist was a prisoner to the P Funk. But after ten years of sucking away on those things we had to call it a day. We loved smoking, and we miss it, but quitting was a choice we had to make for ourselves.