ROAST & RIDE — Looking to combine your love of classic cars with delicious roast pig? If you're one of the more than 500,000 hot-rod fans converging upon Lincoln Park, Riverview, Southgate and Wyandotte for the Ninth Annual Cruisin' Downriver, be sure to stop in at the Fort Street Brewery for their pig roast. Serving begins at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 28. For info, see fortstreetbeer.com.
FRESH NEEDS — The GROW Collaborative is organizing a new farmers' market on the east side of Detroit. Several agencies concerned about "food security" in Detroit are planning to open the East Warren Avenue Farmers' Market July 12, intending to run it 10 a.m.-3 p.m. every Saturday through end of October. Located near East English Village, the market will accommodate more than a dozen vendors on the northeast corner of East Warren Avenue and Bishop Street. Organizer Ryan Hertz says the market hopes to attract urban gardeners and other Michigan-based growers as vendors. Want to get involved? Call Hertz 313-571-2800, ext. 1136., or e-mail him at ryan.b.hertz @gmail.com.
EAT THE PAGE
More chocolate? Is there ever too much? Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes, and Confections for Everyone by Francois Payard, third generation pastry chef and owner of Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro (Clarkson Potter, $35), has photos so evocative you're apt to gain weight just looking at them. Covering everything from flourless chocolate cake to chocolate beignets to chocolate toffee pudding, this is a dessert lover's dream come true. Tips on the equipment and brands of chocolate to use add to the book's appeal.
A TASTY BEVERAGE
Let's put the days of "lick it, slam it, suck it" behind us. Get under the shade of an umbrella and try a completo. It's a specialty of the Mexican state of Jalisco: quality Tequila and chilled sangrita in tall shot glasses just right for slow, alternate sipping — Tequila first, please. Loosely translated as "little bloody one," sangrita is a simple-to-make, tangy mixture of tomato and orange juices seasoned with lime, puréed onion and hot chile peppers. Adding a shot glass of lime juice to the sequence makes it a bandera (flag).
IT WORKS
Here's a deal that's hard to pass up. We recently found this Calphalon knife set at Bed Bath and Beyond; a 7-inch Santoku knife with a 4-1/2-inch parer. Knives several times the price of these are of no higher quality. Forged with a one-piece blade, tang and bolster, they are sharp. Beware, we mean sharp! If you haven't used a Santoku knife, this is your opportunity to pick one up for $20. These make great gifts for budding chefs or recent grads who are about to leave home for new digs.
