THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

COMPLETE DINNER SPECIAL

Danny Raskin's

(The Best of Everything

IT WAS SO foggy outside
that one could hardly see
the red lights to follow if a
car were ahead ... What
were we doing out on a night
like this? ... Good question
... and the thought occurred
that not too many would be
where we were headed.
Our destination was Var-
go's of Livonia on Six Mile, a
short way west of
,Middlebelt ... which we
surely would have passed in
the dense fog except for a
brightly lit large yellow
sign on the building.
Amazement of amaze-
ment was when we could
hardly find a parking space
in Vargo's lot ... Surely the
place was empty ... The
autos were probably left
overnight we thought ... and
were very wrong.
Vargo's was doing a
booming business ... fog
or no fog ... and the
people weren't there be-
cause they saw that big
yellow sign and wanted
to get out of the bad
weather.
Vargo's of Livonia is an
attraction these days ...
Fine foods, excellent wines,
wonderful entertainment
and dancing plus smiling
congeniality among the
employees.
The entertainment while
we were there was a group
of six (four fellows and two
girls) called Heavenn,
whose perfect beat and pul-
sating rhythms were excit-
ing ... All can sing lead, but
the two girls in front are the
songstress focals whose
beautiful personalities are
so full of happiness ... To-
morrow is their final eve-
ning at Vargo's prior to ap-
pearing on the east side ...
Coming in this Tuesday is
the very popular Loving
Cup with Marlene Hill.
-Dinner at Vargo's is
amidst the entertainment ...
with black leather chairs,
Tiffany lamps, stucco ceil-
ing, tables and booths and
an Old World look of warm,
intimate elegance ... Our
waitress, Lisa McDowell,
was a pleasure ... courteous,
efficient and smiling ... The
appetizer of soft-shelled
crab and coconut shrimp
with an orange sauce dip
was delicious ... Then came
a seafood bit-of-everything
platter ... with pieces of
fresh -fish ... scrod,
swordfish, broiled scallops,
lake trout and pickerel ... all
on the menu ... served with a
-- cup of meuniere sauce on
the side.
With the dinner was the
smooth taste of Kied-
richer Sandgrub
Kabinett Riesling wine ...
and the sensuous
bouquet of Johannes-
burger Klaus, Spaetlese.
After coffee and a good
cigar came a -big treat of the
evening ... visiting Don
Vargo's wine cellar where
he keeps over 120 different
kinds ranging in price from
$7 to $7,500 for a bottle of
1870 LaFitte Rothschild
(one of only two in the
world) ... Don's list has some

wonderful California wines
for $10 or $12 that take a
back seat to few Europeans
within that price range.
On display in his cellar is
Don's jeroboam of 1929
Mouton Rothschild which
he purchased at auction for
$11,500 and is worth much
more as the days go by.
Don is one of the great
wine lovers of our area ... To
him wine, like love, must be
shared to be enjoyed ... His
wine cellar, looking much
like a room in an old
medieval castle, still has
the original stone wall of
1865 when it was a stage
coach stop between Detroit
and Brighton ... After that it
was the cellar for curing
cheese at the upstairs dairy
farm.
Vargo's is 11-years-old,
seating 120 when built ...
His addition in 1974
added 80 more seats ...
and now totals about 200.
In the wine cellar, Don's
pride and joy, there are 12
high-backed seats where we
sat and drank a beautiful
Johannesburg Riesling
from California whose
wines, Don feels, are taking
their place among the
world's finest.
Then back upstairs enjoy-
ing the rest of the evening to
the rhythmic tunes of
Heavenn.
Vargo's of Livonia is an-
other of those places forgot-
ten about when people
think of where to go ... It
ranks high ... is quite rea-
sonably priced ... and offers
so much in all-around eve-
ning pleasure.
The fog hadn't kept too
many people away ... and we
had discovered why.
GEORGE GLINSKI is
the new manager at Chuck
Muer's Top of the Pontch at
Hotel Pontchartrain ... His
managerial chores take in
kitchen and dining room
operations at the 150-seat
skyline dining and dancing
spot.
DAVID BRENNER
finishes up his humor ap-
pearance this Sunday at
Music Hall ... Before becom-
ing a comic, did you know
Dave was an award-
winning television writer-
producer-director?
AN EVENING OF
JAZZ is set for Hungarian
Village on Springwells, 7
p.m. Monday ... Owner Har-
vey Urnovitz, passing out
"It's A Boy" cigars, will
have Matt Michaels and his
quartet plus songstress
Judy Lawrence ... Cover
will be $5 ... with a limited
menu for those who want to
eat.
a
WAVELENGTH,
jazz/rock fusion band
featuring vocalist Kathy
Kosins is appearing in Hur-
ley's at Northfield Hilton,
Crooks Road and 1-75 in
Troy ... The change to a jazz
group is a policy alteration
at Hurley's which in the
past has featured listening
and dancing rock groups ...
Wavelength plays in Hur-
ley's Monday through
Saturday til March 14.

SHIRLEY BENYAS has
the leading female role
(Hortense) in Will-O-Way
Repertory Theater's pre-
sentation of "Zorba" at
the theater on Long Lake
Rd. between Telegraph and
Lahser in Bloomfield Hills
... Friday and Saturday
evenings through March 28
... Michelle Levine portrays
the lead dancer (Per-
cephone) ... and also
choregraphed "Zorba."
BETTY BLOOM, former
catering gal around town, is
now in charge of the kitchen
at Bagel Basket Delicates-
sen on Orchard Lake south
of Maple in the West Bloom-
field Plaza.
ONE OF THE TOP chefs
around this area,
Jamaican-born Frank
Frazier, is now at Topinka's
Country House on W. Seven
Mile and Telegraph ...
Frank was executive chef
for the Republican Conven-
tion held in Detroit ... and
also did the 1,000-people
party for Mayor Coleman
Young on the Bob-Lo boat a
week prior to the conven-
tion.
He is a graduate in culi-
nary arts from the West In-
dies University ... was ban-
quet chef and in the main
kitchen at Las Vegas'
Dunes Hotel & Country
Club ... opened Chicago's
well-known French restau-
rant La Gallerie in 1972 ...
was at Sheraton Inn of
(Continued on Page 32)

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AND STILL LOSE WEIGHT
AT

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Farrell Plaza

569-7546

Friday, February 21, 1981 31

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3 9

CARRY-OUT SPECIALS

ONE WEEK ONLY-FEB. 27 THRU MAR. 5

49
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THE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Restaurant-Delicatessen

21161 GREENFIELD RD.

1 BLK. N. OF 11 MILE RD.

559-1380]

OPEN TUES.-SUN.
6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

TRAY CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS

OUR BRUNCHES PLEASE BUNCI S.

Bring your bunch in at their hungriest. Take
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variety, only
The whole brunch is $6.95.
Or $4.95 for children.
The Rafters restaurant,
21000 Northwest
Highway, Southfield.
569-4700.

S
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tu erS®