SAVE THE TOOTHFISH
The toothsome Patagonian toothfish never really took off until, in the early ’90s, someone dreamed up a better name for the ugly sucker: Chilean sea bass. Factually fishy or not (it’s found off Antarctica, not Chile, and it’s not technically a bass at all), the campaign worked—too well: Everyone started to order it, putting the fish on the fast track to extinction. In Seattle, the place to order sea bass was Eric Banh’s Monsoon, which used to go through 40 pounds a week. But last week, Banh joined chefs from more than 85 of Seattle’s premier restaurants in a pledge not to serve it until a way is found to stop overfishing in international waters. “Nothing will ever replace sea bass,” Banh said last week. “It was a tough decision, but in the end I’m very happy about being able to help save the species. I have had about three occasions where people walk out because we don’t have sea bass anymore. We don’t need to serve that kind of customer.” For more information about the campaign (called “Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass”) visit www.environet.org/marine/csb.
MIS-GUIDED
The new edition of the Oregon Winery Guide is out, and it’s an attractive piece of work, with clear, easy-to-use maps of Oregon’s six wine regions, and detailed maps on many pages showing how to reach dozens of individual wineries and tasting rooms. What the publisher (the nonprofit Oregon Wine Advisory Board) doesn’t tell you is that the book is strictly pay-to-play. Pay enough, and a winery gets a full page with space for a mini-essay, a sample label, a map, and tasting notes; pay less, and the map disappears; even less, and your company name only turns up in the index in the back. And some wineries apparently aren’t included at all. Order your own free glove-compartment-sized copy by calling 800-547-7842. But don’t take it as gospel.
ADIOS, LA TIENDA
Lots of restaurants and shops don’t survive their first birthday, but most won’t be as regretted as Danielle Phillipa’s Spanish deli La Tienda Cᤩz. Seemingly made for its neighborhood (the raffishly boutique-y end of the 15th East shopping district on Capitol Hill), La Tienda was always a-bustle with wine-tastings, cheese-tastings, and the like, but there was apparently not enough solid demand for its classy comestibles to keep its head above water. It is survived by sister establishments Bandoleone on Eastlake and Tango on lower Pike on Capitol Hill. Drop into either, order some tapas, and tip a glass to its memory.
PUT A CHEF IN YOUR POCKET
The 1,000 members of Chefs Collaborative are culinary professionals dedicated to healthy eating and sustainable food resources. There’s been no easy way for consumers to find out who’s taken the CC pledge—until now. Thanks to New Hampshire organic dairy Stonyfield Farm, you can download a wallet-sized index of CC members nationwide. Check it out at www.stonyfield.com
Food and/or beverage news? E-mail Hot Dish at food@seattleweekly.com.
