Gracie See — and Hear — The best little west side pizzeria you’ve never heard of now has another reason to visit: live music. Every Wednesday, the front room of Gracie See Pizzeria gives way to a bluesy open mic, with pickup musicians bringing everything from electric guitar to horns to drums into the cozy front room for live jamming. If you’ve never been to Gracie See before, it’s a homey, quirky joint with a kitchen that serves its own popular pizzas and subs, but can also create an excellent dish of gnocchi, for instance. And Wednesday night’s deal of a $5 spaghetti dinner makes for an excellent introduction, with drink specials to wash them down. Tell owner Grace Puleo that Metro Times sent you. Gracie See Pizzeria is at 6889 Greenfield Rd., Detroit; 313-581-8070.
Blame Seth MacFarlane — Having a bit of burger fatigue? There’s a new joint in town to try. It’s called Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers (paging Peter Griffin), and it’s the first outpost of a chain founded just two years ago in Flint. Their slogan is “We’re not trying to change the world, we just want to build a better burger.” See if it changes your world at 29206 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills; 248-702-6722; freakinburgers.com.
SCOBY Do! — The lightly effervescent fermented drink of sweetened black tea known as Kombucha has some new local boosters. They’ve started a company called Unity Vibration, producing artisan kombucha teas and kombucha beers, made with what they call “the healthiest ingredients possible.” Not only are they gluten-free, vegan, organic, bottle-conditioned and raw, the flavors look intense. Their beers have been “lovingly fermented similar to a Lambic in oak barrels with hops and whole fruits.” We’re not huge SCOBY-heads, so we asked our friends who are, and they praised the different flavors as unique and interesting, “well-balanced and not too tart, easy for beginners to like.” To find their products at an outlet near you, see the vendor list at unityvibrationkombucha.com.
Seedy Times — It’s seed catalog time, that winter interval when avid gardeners peruse the offerings of seed companies. It used to be something of a challenge to find good sources for heirloom and specialty varieties, but the explosion of food culture, home gardening and organic practices has made it easier than ever to find a catalog that meets any gardener’s needs. Need ideas? Here are some of the more interesting ones we’ve come across. Take a look at their websites and figure out which ones are for you.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.
• The Cook’s Garden
• Fedco Seeds
• High Mowing Organic Seeds
• J.L. Hudson, Seedsman
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Seeds of Change
• Territorial Seed Company
• Urban Farmer Seeds & Plants
