COUNTRY
INN .
B-B RIBS • B-B CHICKEN

The Best of Everything

FROM A GREAT place
to go for a hamburger . . .
to a top spot for seafood
. . . This is the dining
gamut run by Joe and
Nan Bird, owners of
Crabbie Joe's on Michi-
gan between Southfield
and Telegraph.
Back in 1966, Joe
bought the Coach House
on Grand River near
Washington Blvd., ripped
it apart and remodeled it
for 50 or 60 seats . . .
About 10 people worked
there . . and it was the
place to go when you felt
in the mood for one of the
best hamburgers around.
Joe sold it in 1973 . .
and went on to greater
pastures . . . leaving
downtown for Dearborn,
where he found a former
Zweiback department
store and decided to go
big . . . Joe knocked out
the front completely, re-
vamped and ripped out
walls and turned it into a
Bimbo's operation in 1974
. . . a rollicking fun,
banjo, pizza emporium.
Then Joe realized that
his ultimate goal wasn't
being fulfilled . . . mis-
sing was the main theme of
his existence as a re-
staurateur . . . that of
serving very good food for
a clientele who ap-
preciated it.
The need in Dearborn
for a good seafood place
was very dire . . . Both
Meyer's Seafood and
Sundog had both closed
. . . and here was Joe sit-
ting in the middle with a
perfect opportunity to
fulfill his fervent ambi-
tion.
On July 6, 1976, he re-
opened as Crabbie Joe's,
seating 250 to 300 people
in quiet, intimate sur-
roundings without all the
false frills that try to take
,away from realization of
good food and service . . .
Only the 70 Tiffany
lamps, all a different de-
sign, some antiques and
kniek knacks on the walls
and a few nautical bits
make up the pleasant at-
mosphere.
The plain wooden floor
is there ... . clean as a
whistle . . . and most im-
portant for a good true
seafood house . . . a 100-
gallon lobster tank with
at least 75 live lobsters
constantly in the salt wa-
ter.
The lobsters and fish at
Crabbie Joe's are not
fresh frozen . . . THEY
ARE FRESH . . . The
lobsters, for example, are
flown in:two and three
times a week from Maine
by Lobstaire ... plus regu-
lar flights of fish . . . and
catches of the day.
We had a very excellent
dinner there recently . . .
started out by a seafood
hors d'oeuvres pla/e
(fried shrimp, mus-
hrooms, onion rings, scal-
lops and three sauces,
tartar, cocktail and
Mediterranean with
white horse radish, sour
cream, etc.) . . . Then a
eup of elegant seafood
.owder of which we have
tasted few better . . . The
salad was like nothing we
have ever had . . . It's
called a Ship Ahoy Salad,

By DANNY RASKIN
with fresh spinach,
hard-boiled egg, bean
sprouts and croutons,
topped with a sweet and
sour dressing.
The bread is a hot,
freshly-baked individual
loaf served with oodles of
whipped, creamy butter.
There were three of us
. . . Joe had pickerel,
Frieda a lobster . . . and
ourselves the red snap-
per.
We tasted Joe's pickerel
($5.95) and Frieda's lobs-
ter ($8.95) . . . Hard to be-
lieve that only 15 minutes
away from where we live
is one of the best seafood
places around . . . Both
were excellently pre-
pared and very delicious.
When our red snapper
($5.95) came, with baby
boiled potatoes that we
smothered with the whip-
ped butter, it looked like
far too much to eat . . .
However, when our very
fine, pleasant waitress,
Sue Caudill, took our plate
away, there was nothing
left . . . The red snapper
we had at Crabbie Joe's
has taken a top spot in our
stomachs for this sea farin'
goodie.
Frieda was on some-
kind of a diet to lose an
ounce, but since the next
two nights would be din-
ner at our mom's for the
holidays ... where you'd
better eat plenty or else
. . . she threw caution to
the winds and topped her
lobster with a hot fudge
sundae . . . vanilla ice
cream rolled in toasted
coconut and capped with
hot fudge and whipped
cream . . . That wonder-
ful red &flapper we had
was followed with some
whipped, creamy red
raspberry sherbet.
Back to the lobster tank
for a bit and the place
where . Crabbie Joe's pet
lobster, "Elmer" did his
funny tricks such as turn-
ing over, etc. . . A red
tag was put on him so no
one would make the mis-
take of taking Elmer out
• for somebody's dinner
. . . But alas and alack, it
happened . . . There was'
gloom at Crabbie Joe's
when Elmer became a
customer's meal . . . It
was given to someone in a
party of 10, and when Joe
came over to ask, "Who is
eating Elmer?" . . . the
people, all who knew and
loved him, looked at each
other, then down at their
plates as!hey each wiped
a tear from their eye . . .
Elmer lived to make some
diner happy . . . which,
says Joe, was the only
way he would have
wanted to go . . . The tale
of Elmer the lobster will
never end . . . happy-go-
lucky wherever he is.
At a table next to ours,
a lady was extolling a
great taste of her poached
finnan haddie ($4.95) and
wondered how it could be
sold so cheaply.
The big reason for-Joe's
success at Crabbie Joe's is
his attitude . . . He loves
good food himself and
hates to pay a lot of money
for it . . . This is why Joe's
menu is stacked with ex-
cellent seafood items at
_ reasonable prices.

•

• ITALIAN DISHES

Another big thing with
Joe as a restaurateur, has
been his stickler ways for
good service . . . Bet-
ween Joe and his very
popular manager, Eddie
Nicholas-, they have
molded their seafood
house together with
people like waitresses
Sue Caudill, Grace .Kor-
den, Betty Misorski, and
Marian Sarkesian among
many others . . . barmaid
Linda Harris and very
pleasant hostess Adele
Barbe.
Crabbie Joe's on Michi-
gan Between Southfield
and Telegraph, is Joe's
thing today . . . and a
and a very good staff
the best seafood possible
with a lot of care and at-
tention for his large fol-
lowing, both old and new
. . ..It's nothing for Joe to
serve 200 lunches a day or

—BEER & WINE-

45109 CASS • UTICA
731-4440
"In The Big Red House"

VINCENZO'S

Italian-American Cuisine

18211 JOHN R

15640 W. 11 MILE RD., Corner Greenfield
557-3237
Southfield

Bet. 6 & 7 Mile Rds.

SALAD BAR

869-5674

SERVED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

A ROOM
FOR ALL
PARTIES

TUESDAYS, 4 p.m.-9 p.m.

I

ALSO CATERING IN I
YOUR OWN HOME OR HALL

Salad Bar, Hot Baked
Potato & Texas Toast

WED. & THURS., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

VEAL CUTLET

ADVANCE
CAFETERIA

Somerset Dinner Theatre
ALFRED'S Presents-
Noel Coward's Comedy
"PRIVATE LIVES"
starring Jimmy Launce
popular WJR personality
aTurgeon/Guest Production
every Fri. & Sat. eve.
Dinner 7:30 - Curtain 8:45
Reservations: call 643-8865
Somerset Mall
Big Beaver Road
at Coolidge, Troy

INCLUDES

-

5 MENUS TO CHOOSE FROM
• BRUNCH •DELI BUFFET
• DINNER • LUNCH
• COCKTAIL HORS D' OEUVRES

(Continued on Page 31)

89

RIB EYE STEAK . . • • .
CHOPPED STEAK

FROM 25 TO 125

INCLUDES:

ADVANCE BLDG.
9 MILE & GREENFIELD

.

557-8060

• • • 0 • • • •
Salad Bar, Hot Baked
Potato & Texas Toast

We Also Have Available
• CHICKEN • FISH • SHRIMP

BLOOMFIELD

Restaurant
and
Cocktail
Lounge

ENTERTAINMENT
TUES. THRU SAT.

Aitozcl>.)

The New Sound Of

Is Famous For

RAY ROBERSON

HEALTH, JOY
& PROSPERITY
TO ALL IN THE
NEW YEAR.

* FRESH LAKE PERCH (Small)
* PETITE FROG LEGS
* DOVER SOLE Amandine

Guitarist-Songster

BANQUET ROOMS FOR
• BAR MITZVAS
• WEDDINGS
• SHOWERS
• SWEET SIXTEENS
• BOWLING BANQUETS
• BUSINESS MEETINGS
• ANNIVERSARIES • ETC.

AND MANY THANKS
FOR MAKING OUR PAST
YEAR SO SUCCESSFUL

HOTEL
PONTCHARTRAIN

CLAMDIGGERS
FARMINGTON

Fine Seafoods—Steaks—Chops

Monday Thru Saturday, 11 a.m. tit 12 Midnight
Closed Sundays
YOUR HOST-FRANK STRATTON 1

Reservations
626-1587
or '
626-1697

CHARLEY'S CRAB
TROY

CHUCK MUER
RESTAURANTS

6560 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD AT WEST MAPLE (15 Mile)

Windsor Has 2 Fine Restaurants

rf"

noir- .Iggliga

TBQ's Other Place

Tunnel Bar•B•Q

3067 DOUGALL RD
Detroit Phone:
963-8944

58 PARK ST. E.

TBQ Home Of World Famous
Spare Ribs
(Opposite Tunnel
Bar-B-0
Chicken and
Car Exit)
Char-Broiled
Steaks
(519) 258-3663

Windsor Phone:
969-6011

• Breakfasts •

Sun.-Thurs., 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fri. & Sat., 7 a.m. to 4 a.m..

TO HWY 401

Succulent Seafoods,
Great Steaks,
International
Specialties
and
Choice Cocktails
• Private Party Facilities •

•

Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

TO HWY •3

HURON C

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grztEpzationai ,Ca.tErzz7,1 of INAlinclion

DOUTAll RD

OU E t 1 TIE WE

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TuNNEL
TO
DETROIT

Inside and Outside Catering
• Bar & Bat Mitzvas • Showers
• Weddings • Banquets • Reunions
• Swim Parties • Stags • Bowling Parties
• Anniversaries • All Occasions

Our Exceptional Home-Made Pastries
Exclusively Supplied By

The C POOM TOctee

NI

TIN•NNIN•mmmONNewwwwW•NNINC.10

