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News Wed Dec 16 2009
Charcuterie Behind Bars
Inspectors from the Illinois Department of Agriculture made an unannounced visit to Frontera Grill today and seized a box of bacon and an eighty-pound headcheese from the restaurant's kitchen, as it hadn't been inspected by state officials. Wisconsin officials had inspected the headcheese, as it came from a supplier to a Milwaukee-area business recently profiled in a Reader cover story for its rogue practices of selling charcuterie outside of government regulations. In a News of the Weird-style maneuver, the inspectors then made their way over to North Pond Cafe, the other restaurant listed in the article as a customer of the illegal charcuterie, to continue their raid; however, North Pond was closed.
P.S.: The Food Chain has been updating the story throughout the day.
Julia Thiel / December 17, 2009 11:21 AM
Frontera's meat did not come from E & P Meats, the underground charcutiers profiled in the Reader a few weeks ago; it came from a supplier that also sells to E & P. More information here: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2009/12/15/usda-raids-frontera-north-pond-is-next