Food & Drink in Derby

A mural of a wheat field is frozen on the wall of Wheat State Pizza, where chefs hand-toss pizza crusts made with whole wheat as well as white and gluten-free pizza disks. With 35 different toppings to choose from, diners may customize pies like a bejeweled jean jacket, or opt for signature combinations such as the pad thai with peanut sauce, sesame oil, siracha sauce, and crushed peanuts. Barbecued-beef sandwiches and custom calzones round out the menu, and dessert pizzas with blueberry-pie filling, cream cheese, and streusel topping cap off meals. Wheat State Pizza also offers an outdoor patio with umbrella-topped tables for alfresco dining.

The chile craftsmen at Fabiola's Restaurant LLC launch taste buds across the Rio Grande with a menu of authentic south-of-the-border dishes. Before dashing off on digestion races, diners can warm up mouth-muscles by yodeling the contents of a phone book or noshing on a piquant platter of fajita nachos ($7.45–$8.45). Main culinary events include the chile relleno, a deep-fried poblano pepper stuffed with cheese before passing out on a bed of corn or flour tortillas ($9.45). A half-pound burger ($6.95) fuses Latin and gringo flavors with a harmonious union of beef, jalapeños, and guacamole, and Maria's especial ($11.95) showcases carne asada, grilled onions, and bell peppers flanked by an entourage of rice, beans, and guacamole. For indulgent finales, dessert-smiths demonstrate culinary prowess by frying up ice cream, which is the second most challenging item to introduce to hot oil after socially awkward snowmen ($4.49).

At Sirens & Sailors Salon, master stylist Maria Mistretta crafts edgy and retro 'dos with the help of products from MoroccanOil and L'Oréal. In addition to traditional haircuts, coloring, and highlights, Maria slices strands with razors and sculpts fauxhawks out of real imitation hawks. Ever the versatile stylist, she also installs feather extensions, flattens tresses with keratin treatments, and sets the stage for shotgun weddings with anytime updos. When not revamping coifs, she extracts unwanted facial fuzz with warm wax and keeps the salon's shelves stocked with jewelry and chic Lux De Ville handbags.

Make & Take Meals provides a space for busy cooks to assemble and customize simple, pre-prepared meals chosen from a menu stocked with hearty freezable entrees that feed about six. Select the entrees you would like and schedule a time to come in and prepare your meals. A staff member will show you to your first prep station, where all the necessary ingredients, already chopped and prepped, are laid out, waiting for assembly like a tastier, less sassy version of Mr. Potato Head. The menu rotates monthly, but recent items include a chicken almond bake ($25, $13 for half), a casserole of tender chicken chunks in a velvety alfredo-white-wine sauce mingled with rice, celery, and onion and crowned by parmesan cheese and almonds. House favorites include calzones ($24, $12 for half) and chicken enchiladas ($24, $12 for half). After assembling the meal and customizing it to your tongue papillae preferences, make like a housecat and leave the cleanup to the in-house staff.

Warm sugar fills the air at Derby Donut, where freshly baked donuts, iced sugar, cookies, and decorated cupcakes draw in customers from miles around. Pair a melty, sweet cinnamon roll with one of 100 varieties of cane-sugar soda in glass bottles, or engage a frosted snowman cookie in a conversation about the dreadful weather.

Riverside Café treats guests to hearty, handmade dishes of American comfort food, from philly cheesesteaks and zesty reuben sandwiches to beefy burgers and fries. Diners feast on sirloin steaks and fried fish for lunch, or start the day off with three-egg omelets loaded with mushrooms, steak, and peppers.