Return of the English Invasion

Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman owns a London restaurant/pub named Sticky Fingers, and this summer, he and an American partner are bringing Sticky Fingers to our shores--namely, to Cincinnati. Unlike the London original, it will have music as well as food and booze, which means--uh-oh!--that he’s going to be competing against Dick Clark’s chain, American Bandstand Grill.

Our Endangered Salt Supply

Restaurants and Institutions Magazine says 34% of all Americans add extra salt to their food before even tasting it.

The Heartbeat Goes On

AMC, the nation’s second largest movie theater chain, is now offering popcorn with Promise, which is only 10% saturated fat, instead of butter or tropical oils, which are up to 92% saturated. Dunkin’ Donuts plans a line of doughnuts made without egg yolks, eliminating 90% of the saturated fat. And Gene R. DeFoliart, a University of Wisconsin medical entomologist and connoisseur of edible insects, reports that honey bees are better for your cholesterol than house crickets.

This Round’s on Me, Barkeep--Misties for Everybody

Business Tokyo Magazine says the mineral water madness is bigtime in Japan too. There’s an all-water bar in the Roppongi shopping quarter called Aqua, and Kirin beer company markets its own sparkling water under the brand name Misty Valley.

Iraq: The Suds Crisis

A little-noticed casualty of the Gulf War was the Eastern Brewery of Baghdad. A local affiliate of the Dutch brewing firm Amstel, it had to shut down months ago during the trade embargo for lack of hops and malt.

Youth Must Be Served

Beech-Nut is bringing out the first line of wholly organic baby food: no pesticides, preservative or synthetic additives. Certain children (and they know who they are) will rest easier because of that no-pesticides part.

Slow Food

In her book, “Snails from the Garden to Table” (Illuminations Press), Frances Herb gives a world of tempting snail recipes: snail dolmas, snail and beef ragout, snail soups (but no snail salads; funny about that). She also includes handy hints for snail hunting, such as choosing warm, misty evenings and looking for large, active snails. Unlike other wild game, even the large active ones won’t outrun you.