Tiny bubbles — Sommelier Madeline Triffon's Wednesday "wine bars" offer a chance to try at least 10 wines, along with delectable hors d'oeuvres. This month, the event will focus on Champagne, sparkling wine and all things bubbly, in search of the best bubbly around. Also, with Northern Lakes' retail license, you'll have the chance to buy a bottle to take home. Usually on the first Wednesday of each month, in July it falls on the second Wednesday due to the Independence Day holiday. At 6-8 p.m., July 11, at Northern Lakes Seafood Company, Radisson Kingsley Hotel, 39495 N. Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-646-7900; $40 per person, tax and gratuity inclusive.
Cookie cutters —Pinwheel Bakery is the newest addition to the Ferndale food scene, and we hear their cookies and cakes are all made from scratch. Curious? Drop by for a try at 220 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-398-8018.
New for Blues —Detroit's Seldom Blues has announced new lunch and dinner menus, with fresh additions to its continental menu that include chilled mango bisque, tempura lobster tail and smoked salmon carpaccio. In other news, their valet parking is free for the rest of the summer (until Aug. 16). That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep a fin on hand for the valet guy, though. Stay classy, Detroit.
Eat the Page
French home cooking relies greatly on fresh ingredients, which allow simple, yet tasty, preparation. In her earlier books, Patricia Wells has taught Americans how to cook French in several books. Her latest, Vegetable Harvest (Morrow Cookbooks, $34.95) emphasizes the use of fresh vegetables in some of her recipes as ingredients in nonvegetarian dishes, but also on their own in meatless recipes. If recent revelations about ill treatment of the animals we eat have led you to the brink of vegetarianism, the book may well send you over the edge.
A Tasty Beverage
A martini, which used to be a simply gin and vermouth with an olive, has morphed into anything served in a stemmed glass. Margaritas seem to have lost their purity too. How about a real margarita? It's as easy as it sounds. In a cocktail shaker, start with 3 parts of good tequila — Sauza Commemoritivo is pretty smooth. Add 2 parts of Cointreau. Finish with 1 part fresh lime juice. Add a few ice cubes and shake until it's good and cold. Strain it into a salt-rimmed stemmed glass. The only danger is that someone might mistake it for a martini.
It Works
Decent corn is available now, but real corn, Michigan corn will soon be abundant. Sure, it's fun to eat right off the cob, but for creamed corn or corn pudding, or for kids who are missing their front teeth, someone has to remove it. Yes, it can be cut off the cob with a knife, a messy job at best. Or there are corn cutters to simplify the task. Henry Field's Seed and Nursery (since 1892) claims that their corn cutter will strip every kernel off an ear of sweet corn in 5 quick strokes but leave the hulls on the cob. For $10, it's worth a try.
Know of any new restaurants, special dinners or food-related events? Let us know. Send materials two weeks in advance to [email protected].
