I was flipping through the rags at lunch, revelling in the butter spinach from Island Foods, when I started wondering why there is no food event associated with Black History Month. The papers are reporting piles of events, concerts, seminars and lectures, but I can’t seem to find anything food-related. Which is a shame, because trying the many different cuisines at AfroFest last summer was one of my favourite food experiences of 2007. Someone needs to get on the ball and organize an event for next year; food is such a huge part of any culture and Toronto’s Black community has such diverse roots, the food would certainly be varied and delicious.

Leave it to Steven Davey at NOW to fill the void. I given Steven a hard time in this column sometimes, but he deserves credit for always having some topical reviews to coincide with what’s going on in the city.

Since the first season of Gordon Ramsay’s UK Kitchen Nightmares, I’ve been jonesing to visit Brighton in the UK to check out Mama Sherri’s Soul Food. Turns out I don’t have to, as Davey has discovered Harlem, a soul food joint meant to emulate the 1920s style New York speakeasy. And the grub sounds mighty good. Davey also check outs Cadet’s Carribbean, Toronto’s only Haitian restaurant. And although not online, the “recently reviewed” section in the paper version is also all African and Carribbean restaurants.

Also in NOW, Graham Duncan reviews a couple of Argentinian wines and Mill Street Coffee Porter.

Over at Eye, Corey Mintz needs an intervention, lest the ladies at the back of Perola’s think he’s stalking them. Corey checks out pretty much the whole menu on offer at the back of the Mexican supermarket from the quesadillas to the gorditos (which the ladies hadn’t even added to the menu yet).

I’ve just finished reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and have been taking his advice about avoiding any products that make health claims to heart. So the stuff at Metro that comes off the wire services or reads like a press release is making me prickly today.

Sandy Caetano’s piece on snacking is reasonable enough, but the add-on for granola bars with added Omega-3 (gah - just eat some fish!) is bothersome. Also, tomatoes are good for you… maybe… we think. And ohhh… wtf is that??? Nina Dragicevic reviews some pre-roasted chicken things that come in different flavours. Too bad the photo makes them look like a deboned chicken smushed into a loaf shape. That’s just wrong.

Also at Metro, Billy Munnelly asks readers to share info about their favourite wines,  Rick McGinnis check out the hidden gem otherwise known as the Osgoode Hall Restaurant, and Marcy Cornblum questions Aliya-Jasmine Sovani for the foodie interview.