Have a cow — The area's first Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy store has opened in Royal Oak next to the Main Theatre. Not only an ice cream store, Oberweis sells milk, eggs and other dairy products, but specializes in sundaes, cones — waffle cones are made in-house every day — malts, shakes, sodas, floats and other dairy treats. The milk used in all of their products comes from cows that are not fed any artificial growth hormones. The hot fudge and the caramel toppings are as good as it gets, especially over the Chocolate Caramel Crunch ice cream. See more at oberweisdairy.com.
Dog days — The friendly folks at West Bloomfield's Stage Deli have let us know that July is National Hot Dog Month. These persistent purveyors of pastrami tell us that Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs during the summer. Maybe they can get those numbers a little higher with unusual dogs, such as the "Little Italy," a grilled Italian sausage with sautéed onions and peppers on a crusty baguette, or the Brooklyn Pastrami Dog: a grilled Nathan's frankfurter with the Stage's hot pastrami, melted Swiss cheese and yellow mustard in a toasted bun. At 6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield. For more information, call 248-855-6622.
Eat the Page
You might say that Jasper White "wrote the book" on seafood. Well-known chef and author of several cookbooks, he writes about the foods of the Eastern U.S. seaboard, known for its abundant fresh fish and shellfish. The Summer Shack Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Shore Food (W.W. Norton, $35) features many of the recipes served in his four Summer Shack restaurants. There are illustrated guides to eating a lobster and shucking clams. Learn about foods that are enjoyed by people who like to get messy eating boiled shrimp and steamed clams and overstuffed lobster rolls, foods of summer.
A Tasty Beverage
While we are on the subject of cheap beer in this issue: Can somebody please explain to us the insane popularity of Pabst Blue Ribbon among the trucker cap-and-sideburns set? It isn't enough that hip kids are taking over all our old-man bars, they've got to appropriate oldsters' signature low-brow brand too? Formerly known as "that untouchable swill in the 'fridge that your dad would choke down before walloping you senseless," the Pabst-in-a-can shtick was amusing for five minutes. May we move on now?
It Works
This year's cherry crop has been delicious, a treat to nibble and a source of pits for a pit-spitting contest. Yes, there are canned, pitted cherries in the supermarket for filling a cherry pie, but they're no flavor match for the real thing. OXO Good Grips Cherry Pitter makes it possible to use fresh cherries without pitting them in your jaws. Simply put a cherry — it works for olives too — in the recessed holder and squeeze the handles. It even has a splatter shield that directs the juice downward rather than all over your work surface.
Know of any new restaurants, special dinners or food-related events? Let us know. Send materials two weeks in advance to [email protected].
