One stellar cellar — One of metro Detroit's best wine & beer shops has moved into some classy new digs. Long a fixture in Southfield, Cloverleaf Fine Wine & Spirits is moving from its Northwestern Highway location into a unique cellar space in downtown Royal Oak. The store's unique subterranean retail space mixes a cool industrial look with the soft tones of 100-year-old brick, granite and mortar. Patrons will be able to pick out fine wines and craft beers to the strains of jazz and roots rock on the store's state-of-the-art sound system. At 711 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-357-0400; open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
Inside out — Speaking of Royal Oak, Woody's Diner has remodeled that city's largest outdoor patio, where you can now enjoy an expanded bar and, of course, several plasma TVs. At 208 W. Fifth Ave., Royal Oak; 248-543-6911.
EAT THE PAGE
With summer crops of fruits and vegetables just beginning to appear at local farmers' markets, Amelia Saltsman's The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes and Stories from the Market and Farm (Blenheim Press, $22.95) offers chefs' tips for getting the freshest bounty and 100 recipes. No, this isn't only for vegetarians, though it may sway those on the fence. "Mains" includes sections on fish and shellfish, meats and vegetarian choices. Photos of the growers and their fare add a nice touch to the text.
A TASTY BEVERAGE
A half century ago the French coastal wine region of Muscadet languished in relative obscurity. My, how times have changed! Now metro Detroiters can visit their local markets for a bottle of organic 2007 Domaine de la Louvetrie Amphibolite Nature. A glassful radiates green mango and dusty stones. It drinks crisp and dry, with a spine of minerality, electrifying like the first time you saw a pile of animal bones on the shore. The classic food pairing is oysters, but we believe it would make a plate of broiled whitefish sing with all the beauty of the gods.
OFF THE SHELF
McIlhenny, the family that brought us the legendary Tabasco sauce, has a new product that's a perfect addition to their variety of pepper sauces. Tabasco Sweet and Spicy Pepper Sauce is akin to some of the Asian chili sauces, sweet but not cloying, hot but not fiery, with flavors that enhance all kinds of foods, meats and vegetables alike. Unfortunately, it's hard to find in metro Detroit. Market Square in West Bloomfield had it recently. See sweetnotsissy.com for recipes to try it in. Or simply slather a little on some barbecue a few minutes before taking it off the grill.
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