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Close your eyes for a moment and imagine that you finally landed those Motley Crüe tickets, the ones that had you checking Ticketmaster every day for a month. You and your two best Crüe-heads have dished out a small fortune for the hardest rocking night in music, and just three hours and a quick ride in the back of a pickup sit between you and Dr. Feelgood. Your carefully selected crüe arrive at your house as planned, and the three of you exchange feverish glances as they walk through the door. You ask them to follow you to the kitchen because you have prepared something special to celebrate. Rocky is drooling on his mesh tanktop and the American Flag on Cherryl's t-shirt has flames on it. "You two are going to love this." Rocky grunts. You pass by the refrigerator and, opening a glass door, you present your friends with two pristine bottles of 2005 Clos Des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. "The 2008 Wine of the Year," you exclaim, but Cherryl sneers. "I'm partial to the Le Vieux Donjon," she says, and the three of you laugh knowingly.

Now, don't laugh. If the wine lovers at Rock n' Roll wine have their way, wine won't sound quite so ridiculous in my little narrative. Rock and Roll Wine is a company that hosts events around the country where they combine amplified music with a wine tasting. Their "high energy events" seek to "revolutionize the way people approach, perceive, and enjoy wine." Wolverine Cuizine attended one of those very events at Goodnight Gracie here in Ann Arbor, so read on for our thoughts on this "revolution."
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For my birthday, my entire family usually comes up to Ann Arbor and we go to a nice restaurant. In recent years, it’s been the Gandy Dancer or the Chop House. This year, when my mother called and asked me where I wanted to go, I suggested the West End Grill or Pacific Rim, slightly different than the usual Main Street  ventures but still great quality. However, I failed to tell her that the weekend of my birthday was the Purdue game and Parent’s Weekend. So when she tried to make a reservation, she was denied at both places. She then tried another eight restaurants and all were booked solid during dinner hours. She was finally able to get us a table at Weber’s, a steakhouse just outside downtown Ann Arbor. The only thing I knew about Weber’s was their ridiculous billboard “Meat with Friends.” Naturally, I was a bit disappointed and wasn’t expecting much from the dinner.  I was very wrong though as Weber’s turned out to be a total winning experience.
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Anne Heche after a trip to one of our MANY Starbucks
As many of you may know, the state of Michigan offers financial incentives for studios to come film in the state. Because of this, a number of celebrities have been spotted in Ann Arbor lately, leaving foodies everywhere wondering, "Where are they eating?!" Well here's the word on the street regarding recent celebrity outings:

October 2009: Anne Heche and Ed Helms dined at Grange Kitchen and Bar. Heche and Helms are currently filming "Cedar Rapids", a film about an insurance agent (Helms) trying to save the jobs of his colleagues by attending an industry convention.

October 2009: David Schwimmer spotted at the bar at Cafe Zola. Schwimmer is directing the movie "Trust", which recently began filming in Plymouth and Ann Arbor.
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Established in 1995, Grizzly Peak has become a local favorite in Ann Arbor. Its convenient location right off of Main Street allows it to be a favorite for locals and students alike. Whether you are there for their Cheddar Ale soup or one of their nine locally brewed beers, Grizzly Peak provides their award winning dining. As they are the top-producing brew pub in Michigan, Grizzly Peak takes pride in their locally brewed beers. They distributed over 1600 barrels in Michigan last year alone!

Additionally, they are known for several award winning beers including their Bear Paw Porter which won a silver medal in the World Beer Cup in 2006. Favorite beers among customers include the Steel Head Red and the Grizzly Peak Pale Ale. Grizzly Peak also is host to many special events throughout the year. For example, they host a Brewer’s Night every Tuesday where patrons can come in a tour the brewery. However, two of the biggest events are their Oktoberfest event and Polar Beer Day. Oktoberfest this year was held September 19th as they shut down the entire street right outside the restaurant and helped raise money for UM’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Polar Beer Day is normally held in mid-February where customers can get 25cent beers as long as they sit outside.
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There's a special treat in store for us all in the coming weeks... yes more than all the holiday festivities and the fantastic foods that come with them. 

In the next few weeks we at Wolverine CuiZine are going to be reviewing a cookbook and not just any cookbook, but Freshman in the Kitchen, written by Max and Eli Sussman and published by the Ann Arbor area's own Huron River Press. 

A few words on the authors: Brothers Max and Eli Sussman are two Michiganders from Huntington Woods with a passion for food. The Sussmans became the go-to men for food advice early on in life due to their cooking-conscious upbringing, eventually leading them to the idea of creating a cookbook.

The cookbook was worked on as Eli attended MSU and Max studied at our very own University of Michigan. The book compiles Max's experiences at Eve, a local restaurant (whose owner was recently on the hit television show Top Chef) and Eli's work at a Greek American grill called Lou and Harry's. Other joint experiences include food courts, the Detroit Zoo and a Jewish summer camp called Camp Tavor. Needless to say their experiences provide a wide spectrum of experience and interests. 
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With the abundance of coffee shops in Ann Arbor, it is hard to pass up the opportunity to stop for a caffeine pick me up before class or while on the way to the library.  What most students don’t realize though is that while stopping for that vanilla latte might give you a temporary boost of energy, it also sets you back a few hundred calories.  Empty calories offer no nutritional benefit, and a lot of the beverages offered at coffee shops fall into this category.

Starbucks “Nutrition by the Cup” pamphlet (available at any Starbucks location) offers some insight into the calorie content of popular beverages.  Most students would be surprised to find out that a grande nonfat vanilla latte from Starbucks packs close to 200 calories and offers little, if any, nutritional benefit.  And watch out for some standard classics.  The Starbucks signature hot chocolate is more caloric than one might think with a grande coming in at a whopping 410 calories and 12 grams of fat.  To get rid of the excess calories and fat, and to save a few dollars, you would be much better off making a hot chocolate at home.  For instance, there are only 120 calories in the standard Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix and even less if you opt for a diet or sugar free variety. 
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Yes that's right, we've provided you with some of our favorite dishes to make. So when your sitting at home and wondering what culinary creation you can whip up for an exciting new meal, keep us in mind. You might end up eating a White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Pecan Gingersnap crust (picture), Shepherd's Pie, Sri Lankan Dhal, a Tomato Tart or a Calabacitas Burrito! Trust me they are all worth a try. 
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A recipe doesn’t need to be complicated to be rewarding and worth-while; some of the best are both simple to make and delicious to eat.  One such dish, a family favorite of mine, Corn Chowder Casserole makes an excellent holiday side dish.  Its ease in preparation and uncomplicated, comforting ingredients makes it appropriate for potlucks and other events requiring a lot of food for a large group of people.

I stole this particular preparation from my aunt (who traditionally pairs the dish with a “corn song,” the lyrics of which I will not repeat here).  Other recipes for corn chowder casserole exist, but I prefer this one because it can be made so effortlessly.  
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I’ve been cooking with garlic a lot lately, and it’s become a problem.  Garlic doesn’t pose any health complications, it’s actually been linked to boosted immune systems and reduced heart disease.  It isn’t the flavor either, garlic’s unique taste complements a variety of national cuisines and can punch up numerous bland dishes.  What makes garlic such a problematic little herb is its habit of lingering on the breath and body.  After some recent mincing left a garlicky odor on my fingers for what felt like days, I decided to do some research and solve this smelly predicament.

Before we really get into things, let’s talk about some garlic basics (in case there’s any confusion).  Garlic is an herb with origins in central Asia, and early traders spread the bulbs throughout the world.  Garlic is usually discussed in terms of “cloves,” which is just one single section of the fist-sized “head.”  This is an important distinction, don’t cook up a whole head of garlic (which usually contains a dozen or more cloves) when a recipe calls for a clove.  Garlic bulbs grow underground, but they aren’t roots.  They’re actually swollen leaves the plant produces to store energy for the next growing period (this is also the case for garlic’s relative: the onion).  The name “garlic” comes from another botanical cousin:  the leek.  “Garlic” is Anglo-Saxon for “spear-leek” (garlic leaves are slim and blade-like, unlike the broader, fuller leaves of the leek).  When shopping, pick firm bulbs without sprouts.  Garlic keeps well, and bulbs can stay fresh for six months.  Refrigerated garlic might lose a little flavor, so it’s best to store it at room temperature.
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