McDonald’s – yes, that McDonald’s, whom I love for their Egg McMuffins – is certifying its EUROPEAN locations as purveyors of M.S.C. eco-labeled sustainable fish.  That’s 100 Million fish sandwiches per year. This is amazing and hopefully a sign of the times.  We understand that we love fish, but there ain’t as many to go around as there used to be, not with the availability of sushi at your local grocery store and such.  (Ick, but that’s my opinion)  Now, this is just Europe for the moment, where standards for ‘clean’ food are already higher than in the U.S., but still a sign of progress.

Further, in the same NYTimes story, Wal-Mart has announced they will require all suppliers of seafood products to both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club to be either M.S.C certified OR “an equivalent certification”.   I’m excited about this, and withholding any concern so far, like “will the equivalent certification be good?”.  It is still a step in the right direction, especially as Wal-Mart has a lot to make up for with it’s participation in the utter destruction of the Chilean coastline for their unending demand for cheap salmon.

Great article, and thank you, New York Times, for bringing all of the announcements together as one story.

I’m a week late, not to mention a dollar short, but you NEED to know that a local radio station has started up a weekly segment where the goal is to promote local restaurants and entice listeners to give up their chain habits and forever avoid places like the Olive Chili Outback Corral kind of spots.

This Saturday will be another live show with at least one featured guest, and yeah, this weekend it IS yours truly:  http://breakthechain.info/

Here’s the press copy from the parent radio station:

“If your loyalties lie with local restaurants – those owned and operated by our friends and neighbors, you’ll love “Break the Chain,” an enlightening and entertaining new radio program hosted by Ryan Scott. Break The Chain premiered on Saturday, May 14th at 3PM on 1550 KIVA AM and www.1550kiva.com. This weekly radio show will feature locally owned and operated restaurants here in New Mexico.

Obviously Break The Chain isn’t about breaking or bankrupting heavily bankrolled chain restaurants. It’s about breaking the chain “habit,” the inclination many have to visit the ubiquitous and convenient chains. Break The Chain is a celebration of local mom-and-pop restaurants, aiming to show the many outstanding alternatives to the familiar chains. It’s an interactive show in which you can call in and express your opinions and share your experiences. Most of all, it’s a fun and lively show you will love.”

So…. there’s a pretty well regarded chain of “upscale” burgers moving into Albuquerque.  Not sure about their prospects, given that the Duke City already has a huge number of really good burger places where we can get our fix of either gooey green chile cheese or the truly squishy and delicious Otis Burger at Standard Diner (fried egg and all).

Per the NMBW, “For hamburger aficionados hungering for gourmet beef chains to arrive in New Mexico, the wait is over. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a fixture on the East Coast, is invading the Land of Enchantment with 15 restaurants over the next five years.”

So what can Five Guys do that we already cannot?  (Apparently one thing they do that I applaud is print their nutrition info – that’s one thing that the chains have been browbeaten into doing in recent years and I don’t think it is a bad move.)

My hope is that if they do well, it is not at the expense of gems like Little Red Hamburger Hut and Bubster’s and heck, even places that are more refined like Independence Grill and Route 66 Malt Shop (yes, I called them refined – its the burger, not the atmosphere, that I’m assessing).

So where is it?  In that weird little nexus of Louisiana, San Pedro, and Paseo Del Norte that I had very little reason to frequent previously (Trader Joe’s) and now I’m pretty much never up there.  Guess I’ll be making another visit.

After being the butt of jokes from those involving obesity to local cop hijinks, Krispy Kreme closed all local stores about three years ago.

Apparently folks need their sugar – Krispy Kreme is coming back. Need a job and love the smell of frying dough? They’re having a job fair on November 30th, prior to the opening on December 8th.  Doesn’t sound like a lot of time to me.

Here’s the news story from the New Mexico Business Weekly:

Krispy Kreme Back From The Dead