Farmer's Markets

I cannot even begin. My favorite thing this summer was Breakfast Club skating on Thursdays: http://suburbanhockey.com and then stopping by the farmer's market in Northville for fresh produce. This is the last week for most farmer's markets (we have been frequenting Northville on Thursdays and Canton on Sundays) but not for Ann Arbor! We went for the first time this Saturday and I was blown away quantity and quality of the local produce. We will be back.

Ann Arbor 10-24

What a weekend! What a town! On Friday we took a little fall color tour (for those of you not from Michigan, you have no idea what you are missing). The fall is beautiful with the colors of the trees. You in Florida have NO IDEA! Move back to the Midwest and experience four distinct seasons, the Great Lakes, a wonderful region of restaurants and culture and community. It's a tremendous place to be and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Friday night we ate at Mac's Acadian Seafood Shack in Saline. Great Food. Great Service. But the delivery was uneven (my entree arrived before I was done with my salad). I insist you visit however. We will be back. I had the butternut squash ravioli and my perennial dining companion had the salmon. The food was wonderful. http://macsinsaline.com/

The evening ended at Rackham Auditorium listening to Andres Schiff as he performed 4 Beethoven Sonatas and finished with an encore of Bach's Italian Concerto. Tremendous stuff: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=470

2-0

My hockey team is 2-0! As my husband said, I didn't know Ryan Miller played in goal for you! Our goalie stood on her head tonight, stopping 5 breakaways and making solid plays throughout to lead us to a 1-0 victory (we scored in the third period on a fluky, sloppy goal although the other team had more skill). What a win! The best game on earth and I'm fortunate enough to be able to play it.

Flat, Black & Circular and Dusty's Cellar

To celebrate both the birthday of my mother and of my perennial dining companion, the four of us (mother, father, husband and myself) ventured into East Lansing despite the Michigan St./Ohio St. football game last Saturday to go to Flat, Black and Circular (you guessed it, it's a used record store) so my father and my husband (aka perennial dining companion) could browse the used albums and try to one-up the other on the brilliance of their obscure selections. It's a great record store and you should visit if you are in the area: http://flatblackandcircular.com/

We then drove east to Okemos to Dusty's Cellar which is a great restaurant offering a diverse menu and terrific service. I had the Torte Rustica which was very good. The Bell's Two Hearted Ale (alas, the end of Oberon season is at hand) I had was wonderful and my husband and father both indulged in a Manhattan. They both give me the maraschino cherries out of their drinks so I can vouch for their potency. The pumpkin cheesecake we split for dessert was divine. Visit Dusty's Cellar: http://www.dustyscellar.com/

1-0!

My hockey team won it's first game of the season today 3-1. Woo hoo!!!!

Giovanni's

Some of the best (if not the best) Italian food in Metro Detroit can be found in the unlikely location of Giovanni's Ristorante near the Ford Rouge Plant on Oakwood in Detroit. The contrast between the outside urban darkness, complete with industrial skyline, and the homey sophistication of the inside must be noted (please use the valet parking). We were celebrating the birthday of my perennial dining companion. We began with red wine and an appetizer pizza bianco which was wonderful. My entree was the amazing pesto pomodoro over linguine (the homemade noodles melt in your mouth). I avoided ordering it for years concerned about the dilution of the pesto with the pomodoro which was my loss. My companion had veal which was also tremendous. For dessert, we ordered the lemon sorbet when a small piece of tiramisu arrived complete as a birthday compliment. The food, service, and atmosphere are not to be missed. I would suggest it for out of town guests as well. Visit soon:

http://www.giovannisristorante.com/