"Are You Holding?"

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Apr 19, 2007 6:20PM

Let's say you're a business owner who was recently cited for holding a misdemeanor amount of contraband, after months of openly defying a city ordinance you thought was, for lack of a better term, idiotic. You were required to pay a small fee by the city and vowed to all media who called you that you would not serve the contraband until the law was repealed.

But the contraband substance is still in your possession. And it's a substantial amount, too. Say, thirty pounds worth, with a pretty good street value.

This is the predicament Hot Doug's owner Doug Sohn finds himself in, weeks after being the first - and to this date only - establishment fined for serving foie gras. Sohn has vowed to not serve the delicacy until the law is repealed, but he still has thirty pounds of it in his possession. According to the Sun-Times, a police officer recently asked a Hot Doug's employee what they were going to do with "all 'dat 'dere goose liver" (we assume that's how the cop sounded). Sohn said that he most likely would give it to suburban restaurant owners and caterers, but he also joked that he might set up a hot dog stand on the Evanston side of the city limits and scream, "Everyone, now! Get your foie gras here!"

Chicagoist is making an impassioned plea right now to Mr. Sohn. If you're feeling charitable, we'll take some of that duck liver off your hands. We just fired up the grill a couple weeks back in thirty degree weather, just to get it seasoned, really. But the sirloin tip steak we grilled won't compare to some foie gras left to marinate overnight in a Jamaican jerk rub, and served with some yucca and grilled sweet peppers. Or broiled with a port wine reduction. Maybe we could make a terrine or some French country pate with it.

We agree with you that it would be a shame to let it go to waste. We're waiting here with open arms and a hot grill.