Green light for Green Dot? Last week, we dropped in for lunch at the Green Dot Stables, an old-fashioned bar for horse-racing fans now revamped by Jacques Driscoll. It's only open for lunch right now (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday), and there's no booze yet, but the menu is inventive and approachable, featuring salads, soups, desserts and 18 varieties of "sliders." These various miniature sandwiches are wonderful little creations, running $2 to $3. Ever had a coney dog with venison chili? Or a Korean slider with peanut butter and kimchi? On the day we dropped in, we sampled a "BBQ Bacon Slider" with beef on a sweet potato mash with bacon and barbecue sauce, and the "Mystery Meat Slider" — a sandwich featuring a rotating meat variety — was buffalo meat with garlic aioli. The fries are thin-cut to the extreme, with various flavors cooked into them. Vegetarians also get a slider with a black bean patty, a PBJ featuring chipotle-raspberry jam, as well as hummus, mac and cheese, a kale salad and more. Driscoll said he got city approval on his liquor license and drove personally to Lansing in hopes of having booze by next month. If it works out, May 5 should be a crazy time, with Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby all in one day. Place your bets. Green Dot is at 2200 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit; 313-962-5588; greendotstables.com.
Dining with the stars The Palace of Auburn Hills will be food central this Saturday, April 21, hosting the What's Cooking Detroit Wine and Food Festival. The cooking and entertainment expo will boast cooking demonstrations, hands-on workshops, food sampling and wine tasting. Festivities will include demonstrations from culinary celebrities such as master baker, cake decorator and star of TLC's Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro, as well as a "Taste of the Neighborhood Stage" where local chefs will prepare their favorite dishes and offer tips to get you cookin'. Tickets are $12 in advance or $16 the day of the festival. To learn more, call 586-532-9200 or see whatscookingdetroit.com.
Know of any upcoming food events, new spots, unsung restaurants or food oddities? Let us know! Call 313-202-8043 or e-mail [email protected].
food/thought If your passion for food takes you far and wide in search of the best burnt ends, falafels, po' boys and all kinds of street food and sweets, you're probably already a regular visitor to seriouseats.com, the website that spawned founder Ed Levine's Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are (Clarkson Potter, $27.99) This book is practically a chowhound's bible, written for those of us who pass haute cuisine by when given a chance to try the iconic regional and ethnic foods that embody our culinary diversity. Lip-smacking photos, recipes, anecdotes and rankings are intertwined with dining targets for your next excursion.
bottoms up The master distiller who brought you Woodford Reserve and Old Forester has a new, super-premium small-batch artisan bourbon called Angel's Envy. Lincoln Henderson's latest bourbon, which enjoyed a launch party last month at Greektown's Red Smoke tavern, has a few nontraditional tweaks. Given the more scotch-oriented technique of using richer, more sugary port wine barrels for finishing, the beverage has a sweeter, but not overpowering, flavor. The distiller's 40 years' worth of experience show through in the artful combination of caramel notes with the long, complex finish of a bourbon drink. It comes in an attractive bottle topped with a resealable cork. Available at Red Wagon in Rochester and Troy, Royal Oak's Holiday Market, Plymouth's Pilgrim Liquor and Birmingham's Kakos Market. To learn more, see angelsenvy.com.
the works Preparing pasta, artichokes, potatoes, rice or anything else that cooks in boiling water becomes a nuisance when the pot boils over, leaving the residue stuck to the pot and the stovetop. Kuhn Rikon, a manufacturer of kitchen tools that are as attractive as they are functional, has come up with a solution to the problem, a large spill-stopper lid that contains the spillover, thus eliminating the problem. Simply place the lid on any pot with a diameter as wide as 10 inches and your worries are over. It's heat-resistant to temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Have a look at surlatable.com.
