Whiskey! Neat! — This month, Ann Arbor's Blue Tractor Brewery has put together a bevy of Bourbon-inspired specials, including bourbon-cured salmon, smoked pork chop, with a Jack-and-Coke barbecue sauce, a hanger steak sandwich with bourbon-and-brown-sugar-cured bacon and bourbon-molasses sauce, and drinks made with Old Crow, Elijah Craig, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark and more. Drop in throughout March at 205 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor; 734-222-4095.
Keeping lent — Lenten fasters take note: The St. Peter Claver Catholic Community in Detroit is running a weekly fish fry for the rest of the season's Fridays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26. They'll have catfish and whiting, with sides of pasta, coleslaw and beans, dine-in or take-out. Even delivery is available. Place lunch orders by calling 313-342-5292 by 11 a.m. Pick up at 13305 Grove St., Detroit; one block south of McNichols, one block east of Schaefer.
Week spot — Detroit Restaurant Week is gearing up for a spring version of the wildly successful fall promotion. It's scheduled for April 16-25, featuring 17 restaurants offering $27 three-course prix fixe menus. For more information, see detroitrestaurantweek.com.
FOOD/THOUGHT
Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy introduce the uninitiated to the requisite snacks that go well with tequila. Recipes in Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates ($22.99, Ten Speed Press) use readily available ingredients to create vibrant flavors. Learn how to make numerous salsas, some raw, others using charred and roasted chiles, that can accentuate the taste of a simple tortilla chip or grilled or fried fish tacos.
BOTTOMS UP
The fact that GT's Multi-Green kombucha looks extraordinarily like a vernal pond has nothing to do with its flavor. It tastes of sweet and tart fruit, like unripe apple or green mango. Eventually, a wave of freshly mown grass and cut herbs washes through. The multi-green is three types of algae, Klamath blue-green from the Cascades, spirulina, which the Aztecs used to eat, and chlorella. All come with a list of benefits. Don't mind the color; healthy drinking never tasted so good.
THE WORKS
Do you need a Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen? The device accurately measures food temperatures as hot as 572 degrees — and in just three seconds! If you're concerned about food safety, which requires monitoring temperatures to prevent the spread of bacteria, this water-resistant thermometer is for you. It has a digital readout activated when the "pen" is opened and will measure the temperature of ice water, hot roast beef and anything in between. See thermoworks.com.
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