OK, this is not restaurant-related, but it is good food, and it is local. We found a fantastic hot sauce this weekend at Whole Foods: African Rhino Peri-Peri hot pepper sauce, from Kalahari Pepper Company right here in Vestavia Hills. The peri-peri comes from the Kalahari desert and is Africa's hottest pepper, according to the company.

The sauce comes in mild, hot, and extra-hot. We got the mild and so far have enjoyed it on eggs, tortilla chips and chicken. I think it would make an awesome sauce for Buffalo wings. The ingredients are roasted tomatoes, water, onion, cider vinegar, lemon juice, canola oil, peri-peri chili peppers, roasted garlic, sugar, salt, and spices. You can get it at While Foods or The Fresh Market at a number of hot-sauce mail order web sites, such as www.hotsauce.com, www.hotsauceworld.com, and www.itsallaboutbbq.com.

According to Wikipedia, the peri-peri, also known as the piri-piri or peli-peli, is the name used in the ex-Portuguese colony of Mozambique to describe the African bird's-eye chili (which also has the nickname of African devil or African red devil). Some varieties of birdseye measure up to 175,000 Scoville Heat Units. (In comparison, a bell pepper has a Scoville rating of zero, and habaneros range from 100,000-350,000 Jalapenos run about 2,400-8,000, serranos 10,000-23,000, cayenne 30,000-50,000.)