Bedeviled — Ferndale just got a little hotter with the opening of Cantina Diablos. After the owner of the old Rosie O'Grady's built his new location on Nine Mile Road, he decided to redevelop the old Troy Street Rosie's into Cantina Diablos, which opens just in time for Cinco de Mayo, at 4 p.m. May 5, with Tex-Mex bands, a free buffet and an appearance by L. Brooks Patterson, at 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale.
Mom's meal — Traffic Jam & Snug has cooked up a special Mother's Day brunch highlighting the restaurant's artisanal breads, cheeses and desserts. With such choices as pecan-encrusted French toast, black pepper-and-maple bacon and strawberry rhubarb pie, there will also be a choice of mimosas, Bloody Marys or Champagne. It happens Mother's Day, Sunday, May 9, 10 a.m. -3 p.m.; at 511 W. Canfield St., Detroit; reservations at 313-831-9470; $15.95 per person.
Suds on top — Congratulations to Rockne VanMeter, brewmaster at Royal Oak's Bastone, for winning silver in the Belgian and French style ales category at the 2010 World Beer Cup for Saison du Bastone. Drop in and drink to his success, at 419 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-544-6250.
FOOD/THOUGHT
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, Paul Kirk, Ardie Davis and Carolyn Wells, all authorities on the subject, have gathered 200 recipes, many from the society's top pitmasters, in Kansas City Barbecue Society: Its Not Just for Breakfast Anymore (Andrews McMeel $24.99). Among the straightforward recipes for barbecuers, Billy "Bones" Wall, who lives in Michigan, shares tales and anecdotes, as well as a recipe for a kerosene-topped fish boil.
BOTTOMS UP
In 1905, Thomas Fentiman of West Yorkshire, England, lucked into a recipe for botanically brewed ginger beer. Over 100 years later, we can buy one of several Fentimans Botanically Brewed Beverages. Though they no longer come in stone jars, they are still made by brewing and fermenting herbs and milled roots over seven days. We particularly like the full-bodied richness of Curiosity Cola. The intense flavor of Victorian Lemonade comes from the juice of 1-1/2 lemons, ginger root, speedwell and juniper extracts.
THE WORKS
Contrary to Michael Bloomberg's recently proposed anti-salt initiative, we reserve the right to determine our intake. Enter the Himalayan salt block, an 8- by-12-inch, 1-inch-thick, naturally antimicrobial block of salt that can be used for cooking or as a serving piece, enhancing the flavor of any food, especially meats and poultry that absorb a bit of salt from the surface. Cleanup is a breeze. Scrub the surface with water and air-dry it for repeated use. We found this one at Sur La Table for $40.
