sweet strawberry, whole wheat with banana and, pure awesomeness, red velvet with cream-cheese icing. Red Robin has a new burger called the Fiery Ghost, with ghost peppers, the spiciest known to man as 1 million Scoville units. And Dairy Queen has a Sweet Apple BBQ Grillburger that seems fairly self-explanatory.

Okay — it’s the Fourth of July, so you likely will have hot dogs and hamburgers in your system at some point over the next few days. This is good news for me because hot dogs and hamburgers figure prominently in the news for the Triad’s culinary scene, sparse though it may be.

The Fourth of July is the first big bang-up of the summer — which technically begins at the solstice on June 21. But the holiday falls on a Wednesday this year, mucking up the plans for long-weekenders and holiday grillmasters.

But Burger King is banking that you’re too lazy to cook and smoke your own meat, so they’re offering new menu items with a backyard barbecue theme, including Memphis pulled pork, a Carolina chicken sandwich (WTF?) and a Texas BBQ Whopper. There’s also a bacon ice-cream sundae in the offering.

Saturday has Wingfest at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market beginning at 10 a.m. The Dixie Classic Farmers Market has a cooking demo by Chef Jeff of 6th & Vine at 10 a.m. And the second annual Cake Tasting Tour winds through downtown Greensboro with four stops at area business to — you guessed it — taste cake.

Tavo has finally opened in the Kress Building in downtown Greensboro, featuring a menu rich with "American southern cuisine and select seafood, chicken, pork, beef and vegetarian entrees," according to a press release. Five Guys is adding a franchise in Burlington, at 105 Huffman Mill Road.

This week in the food world, Taco Bell introduces a “new� — if somewhat lazy — breakfast beverage. Dubbed “Mountain Dew AM,� the drink is made with NASCAR’s favorite soft drink mixed in equal parts with orange juice, and is only available at some locations until 11 a.

Saturday is the Great American Cookout at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, featuring Chef john Smith of Harper’s Restaurant, who will be grilling chicken, rabbit, London broil, ground beef, tongue, brats, pork bellies and beef and pork ribs. Coals get lit at 9 a.

A great way to start is with Guilford County Go Red for Women Educational Expo and Luncheon on Wednesday. The Fresh Market on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro is teaming up with the American Heart Association to launch the event. Starting at 9 a.m.

The big culinary news this week is Cinco de Mayo, which happens on Saturday. Celebrate at your favorite taquería, why don’t you? Or you can always go to Moe’s, they of the Seinfeldian burritos. This year, all eight Triad Moe’s locations will be giving away free “Cinco de Moe’s� T-shirts to the first 100 customers.

On Wednesday, UNCG hosts a Local Foods Forum at 6 p.m. at the Elliot University Center’s Cone Ballroom. “Hear from farmers who focus on sustainable agriculture practices, restaurateurs, and others involved in the local foods market,” sayeth the press release.

Greensboro’s got Tavo, which opened last week in the Kress Building downtown, serving American and Southern cuisine. And Savory Spice Shop has opened at the Shops at Friendly Center, with “more than 400 fresh herbs and spices, 140 unique seasoning blends, organics, extracts, sauces and more,� according to a press release.

The big food-related news this week is out of Greensboro: The Opening of the newest Whole Foods Market in the chain, at Friendly Center. It happens Thursday morning, with a bread-breaking ceremony at 8 a.m. and the doors opening at 9. See preview at left.

Okay, so maybe High Point isn’t getting a Trader Joe’s — though after reporting about it in our annual April Fools Issue, we did have at least one notable Greensboro citizen convinced, however briefly, that our fake report was real.

Courses include smoked trout, braised lamb pot pie and pintower sorbet. Reserve a table at 336.722.9911. On Saturday, Fatz Café in Greensboro holds a pancake fundraiser beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The weather’s beautiful — Have you noticed? — and the Triad culinary scene seems to be responding with a light week of food-related fun. Probably for the best. It gives us time to cut our lawns before checking out all the fine patio and al fresco dining that will carry us through the summer.

On Friday, Noble’s Grill in Winston-Salem holds a Robert Mondavi wine dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Call 336.777.8477 for a reservation. Over in Greensboro, Undercurrent holds a Patz & Hall wine dinner at the same time. Reserve a table at 336.370.1266..

Herbs— even healthful herbs — are food, which is why we feel secure in announcing here that Greensboro-based Hot Rawks organic libido enhancer, brainchild of our old friend Julie Wilson, is now available at the Museum of Sex on New York City’s Fifth Avenue.

Meanwhile there’s news of a new eatery in downtown Winston-Salem. Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar, which will be helmed by Chef Tim Grandetti, will open in March in a restored 1920s mansion on 5th Street.

Speaking of beef, it once was that angus beef was the province of fine-dining establishments and prime steakhouses. But as the old saying goes, once they get it at Burger King, it’s no longer fancy food. Nevertheless, Fatz Café has added angus beef to its menu in sirloin and ribeye cuts, as well as burgers.