Sushi scandal in Chicago

Here's some interesting news from Chicago!

Some sushi eaters in the Chicago area might not be getting what they ordered.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that red snapper sushi meals ordered from 14 local restaurants weren't actually made using the pricey fish.

The newspaper had DNA tests performed on the sushi it got from restaurants in Chicago and its suburbs. Nine of the 14 samples turned out to be tilapia, which sells for about half the price of red snapper, and others used red sea bream....

John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, said substituting fish is like buying a cheap knockoff of a designer product.

"It's fraud, and it should be stopped," he said.

Restaurants owners told the Sun-Times that they're not trying to mislead customers.

Some said they ordered red snapper from suppliers and were surprised to find they had received tilapia instead.

"I never thought to look at the description," said Andrew Kim, general manager of Bluefin Sushi Bar in Chicago.

Others said they use "red snapper" on their menus instead of "red sea bream" because it's more recognizable.

-- Editor & Publisher

I have been very happy with True Thai's vendors, but it is always a battle to keep only fresh, quality food on hand.

Oh -- and before I forget, we're still getting those yummy once-a-year Haitian mangoes so stop by for some dessert!

Congratulations to Mpls-St Paul Magazine!

[T]he 22nd Annual National City and Regional Magazine Awards competition [award winners were] announced May 7th at CRMA’s annual conference in Denver....This year’s other big winners were Philadelphia Magazine with seven awards and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine with six. Philadelphia won the top prize in three writing categories (regular column, personality profile and feature story), as well as a gold award for spread design. Mpls.St.Paul Magzine captured a gold for excellence online and two marketing awards (ancillary publications and multimedia extensions).

-- Romenesko

Congratulations to Mpls St Paul Magazine. They are deserving of this recognition and remain one of my favorite magazines!

Singha!

Our beer distributor just told us that we now sell more Singha beer than any other Thai restaurant in Minnesota!

Those of you who know me, know that I don't drink alcohol. Still, I appreciate customers who let me know about the good job Jason does with the wine and beer, the wine especially. Sometimes it's difficult to pair a wine with a Thai dish, and many critics think Thai food goes best with beer, unless the right wine is available!

Vacationing in Thailand this year?

Thinking about a Thai vacation this summer? The New York Times has a good travel article on Hua Hin beach just three hours south of Bangkok by train. Thailand's oldest resort, is mostly favored by Thai families, and it's less noisy than Phuket resorts.

Because Thailand's revered royal family spends much of its time in Hua Hin — in a palace of marble and teak named, aptly, Far From Worries — developers may be reluctant to overbuild, knowing that the king has made sustainable development a centerpiece of his reign.

The laid-back, small-scale life has also made Hua Hin Thailand's pioneer in boutique hotels and spas. (The Hua Hin area set the world record for the largest group massage.) Thirty minutes south of Hua Hin town, I drive to Aleenta, an intimate boutique hotel in the beach village of Pranburi made up of bungalow-style buildings with gleaming white walls and thatched roofs. Aleenta seems to attract Thai artists seeking a private but avant-garde resort — I overhear two Thai men with thin goatees and long ponytails discussing the latest films to hit Bangkok art theaters.

Aleenta's burnt siena walls, curving outdoor staircases and crimson tiles give it the feel of a Mediterranean or Mexican beach resort. A resort at the end of nowhere: in the lap pool adjacent to a swim-up bar, I paddle around without seeing another guest.Aleenta also quickly coddles me with homey touches. My room, the size of a large New York studio and built from natural wood, thatch and smooth tile, looks out onto a lonely longtail fishing boat bobbing in the surf outside. The hotel staff has programmed an iPod in my room, and when I request coffee at bizarre, late-night hours, they laugh and bring Thai java. At the hotel's Frangipani Wing, where cooks teach Thai cuisine in an open kitchen, the chef takes time to demonstrate to me how she makes piquant Thai salads of fresh squid, basil and chopped chilies.

-- Joshua Kurlantzick, New York Times

I think I'm ready for a vacation. How about you?