THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 48 Friday, March 25, 1983 MARK, MIKE AND DUKE LARCO LARCO BROS. Danny Raskin's rThe Best of Everythingl Invite You To A NEW CONCEPT IN FINE ITALIAN CARRY-OUT DINING THE END OF AN ERA in the restaurant business came with recent passing of Sam Boesky. Noted primarily by so many as the head of Dar- by's, a one-time magnificent dining and drinking com- plex on Seven Mile and Wyoming, Sam, always re- membered for his impecca- ble ways and gentlemanly manners, will also be re- called among restaurant- delicatessen pioneers. But Sam didn't start out in the eatery business .. . coming from Russia, where he was born July 15, 1895 . . . and working on a milk ENJOY THE SAME GREAT FOOD YOU KNOW AND LOVED FOR OVER 25 YEARS . . . NOW IN YOUR OWN HOME! OPEN_ 7 DAYS- LUNCH HEARTY WISHES TO ALL OUR FRIENDS & CUSTOMERS FOR A HEALTHY & HAPPY PASSOVER 20097 W. 12 MILE RD. L353-5121 Corner of 12 Mile & Evergreen COUNTRY VILLAGE CENTER • 7-76Y6 DINNER ING GOLDEN BOWL dining room, carry-out and trays • breakfast • lunch • dinner • after-theater • kiddie menu SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE & AMERICAN CUISINE 968-0022 ' 4 CHINA CITY DAvs--, KING LIM'S GARDEN NEW KING 261% GREENFIELD,' LINCOLN CENTER, OAK PARK OPEN 7 A WEEK Owned t Operalell ly tiny I. Stephen Too Men. Mandarin. Szechuan & Cantonese Food Mon.-Thurs. 11 to 10:30 Fri. 11 to 11. Sat. 11 to 12 Sun. 12 noon to 10 354-9077 at the SERVED ANYTIME 7 DAYS IIIM.11111 11. PANCAKE HOUSE • 100111 TELEGRAPH, S. of Plymouth Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 1 538-0440 644-2727 OPEN 7 DAYS 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE & AMERICAN MON.-THURS. 11-11, FRI. & SAT. 11-12 Mid.. SUN. 12-10 544 - 1021 Banquet Facilities Available WW1 Puf46 SOUTHFIELD THE GOLD COIN CHINESE-AMERICAN CUISINE 24480 W. 10 MILE (IN TEL-EX PLAZA) 353-7848 West of Telegraph NOW SERVING COCKTAILS — Mon.-Thurs. 11 to 11 p.m., • Fri. & Sat. 11 to 12—i. v1- id. -• Sun 1 to 9:30 CO PLETE CAR-OUT RY tit t. IOU t. 1•1111 151 t. lel I•11 lel ma. i an: 18213 W. 18 NILE M. & SOUTHFIELD RD. 569-5527 Mon.-Fri., 11 to 10:30 Saturday 11 to 1 Sunday 12 to 10 • Banquet Facilities Available FARMINGTON 31455 W. 14 MILE RD. & ORCHARD LAKE RD. JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 851 -8600 M-Th. Lun. 11:30-2:30, Din: 5:30-10 . Fri. & Sat. Dinner tit 12 Mid. Sun. 12-9 CANTONESE Sun. 11:30-4, Fri. & Sat. Din. 4 to 2 a.m. 851-7400 .181 C SERVING YOUR FAVORITE EXOTIC DRINKS & CHOICE COCKTAILS. I • PRIVATE DINING-ROOM BANQUETS • PARTIES • BUSINESS MEETINGS I Your host ... HENRY LUM Businessmen's Luncheons • Carry outs • Catering a sm m .. S MU ON N . -SAT. 12-12:45 a UNCLE JOHN'S uso S, WOODWARD, B'HAM FUNG LIM'S E GREAT OPEN Famous Chop Sony • Cantonese Food • Steaks • Chops • Sea Food CARRY, OUT SERVICE EASY PARKING 322 W. McNICHOLS, Bet. Woodward & Second 868-7550 Fred Bayne at the organ nightly (313) 541-2132 ■ ■ ENGLISH DOVER SOLE KINGSLEICINN 642-0100 KOW KOW INN A Tradition Since 1934 1128 E. Nine Mile Road (1 1/2 Mile East of 1-75) [ Exotic Cocktails N ine 2inin4 and eockadd CARRY OUT • CATERING 8410 W. NINE MILE, W. of Livernois 852.8280 EXPRESSLY FOR YOUR DINING COMBINATION PLATE ALMOND BONELESS CHICKEN WITH WON TON SOUP, EGG ROLL, $350 Remanded by AM & Msbile Guides 3350 Auburn Rd. - FLOWN IN FRESH SPECIAL titt - T ak.w/ -4404to LIM'S 968-3040 Carry Out Service Catering To Parties Available COMPLETE CARRY-OUT FRIED RICE & TEA PLUS OTHER SPECIALS FROM $2.50 to $3.85 Speciag lizin in Cantones e Food Open Daily 11 to 10:30, Sat. 11 to 12 Mid., Sun. 12 to 10:30 Carry Out Service Free Parking 13715 W. 9 MILE ROAD, OAK PARK 547-4663 24535 W. 12 MILE RD. AT TELEGRAPH • Private Dining Room • Businessmen's Luncheons MON.-THURS. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. FRI. & SAT. 11 a.m.- 12 mid. SUN. 12 noon-10:30 p.m. OPEN 1 DAYS—Mon.-Thurs. 11-10, Fri. & Sat. 11-11, Sun. & Holidays 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. • Banquet Facilities Your Chef: FRANK ENG HOA KOW INN 3020 GRAND RIVER Free Parking TE 3- 0700 Private Banquet Rooms for wedding parties. Serving the World's Finest Steaks, Chops and HOUSE Sea Foods for more than 50 years. All Beef aged in our cellars. CARL'S CHOP Restaurant 22106 COOLIDGE AT 9 MILE In A & P Shopping Center DINE IN & CARRY-OUT 398-5502 or 398-5503 open tuesdays thru sundays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. lincoln shopping center, 101/2 mi. & greenfield, oak park LE I 116 IN 'On :IICI :INN MI 1 ■ :a. 1.1 :ow :Imo ow tit am 1•1 35135 Grand River, Farmington wil so lel (Drakeshire Shopping Center) lei 476-9181 Imo .1. ::1!1!1!1!!!1!1!1!1!!!1!!1!1!1!! !!!1!1!1:: -- ,■ • route for an uncle . . . even though unable to read or write English. His start in the deli game began with working for Lefkofsky's in the Broad- way Market . . . distributors then of Vienna products .. which Sam delivered to other dining places in morn- ings . . . and returned to work the counter. Sam was only 17 years old when he bought the former little candy store from Charlie Goldstein on Farnsworth and Hastings for $2,500 (a couple hundred down and rest in payments) . . . This was the first Boes- ky's Restaurant- Delicatessen . . . with ev- erything cut by hand . . . and all his brothers working for him . . . Abe, Bill, Sol and Harry . . . that lasted about 15 years. Did you know Sam was the original owner of Boesky's on 12th and Hazelwood? ... He sold the deli on Farnsworth and Hastings ... and around 1923 opened his 12th St. spot ... with brothers Bill, Sol and Harry coming to join him ... Abe opened his own place on Warren and Hastings. Around 1931, Sam left Harry in charge and went to Griswold downtown, which later became Greenfield's . . . and the Boesky's in the Library Market with its cafeteria downstairs and waitresses upstairs . . . serving about 700 . . . It is said that Sam served too many people for nothing during those depressed days . . . so went bust . . . and back to 12th Street . . . It was now in Harry's name. Sam entered an al- together different field .. . the building business .. . and called it Dependable Builders . . . Then came World War II and Sam had become a bowling alley proprietor, buying the Sportsbowl in Wyandotte. Probably the most momentous period in Sam Boesky's business life oc- cured in 1955 . . . This is when John and Nate Lurie, Irwin Cohn and Sam - Boesky opened what was to become one of America's most fabulous delicatessen-restaurants . . . Darby's . . . initially sea- ting 375 . . . and without a liquor license. When Darby's first opened, it almost ran out of food•. and a man would lock the doors so nobody could come in until some- body left. Bernie Kerner started the second year . . . working in the back — kitchen, deli and carry-out . . . Sam's philos- ophy was that before you could tell someone what to do, you had to know yourself . . . And so for a couple of years, this is where Bernie goyhis valued education. -- Then one day, Sam came to Bernie . . . handed him the keys . . . and said, "Here's your diploma. I'm going to Florida .. . Bernie asked when he would be back and Sam replied, "When I walk in the door" ... It was the first vacation Sam had ever taken. In the third year after opening, Darby's received its liquor license . . . and with a cash money loan from Irwin Cohn . . . with- out any notes . . . just Sam's word . . . he bought out all his partners . . . and the building, owned by Ward's Corp. (John and Nate Lurie, Paul Zuckerman, Dick and Gene Sloan and Joe Schwartz). Sam always said there were a lot of restaurant managers but only a few true restaurant men . . . He never believed in asking a person if they were satisfied with the food . . . because "when they pay, they're thanking you. If there was something wrong, they'll call you over. You don't have to ask them how it was and implant any ideas in their minds that there might have been something wrong to begin with." Darby's was open Tues- days through Sundays .. . and, says Bernie, fed be- tween 4,200 and 4,400 people daily . . . doing a land office business . . . employ- ing 120 people . . . seating 475 after the liquor license . . . and catering to people from all walks of life. The person next to you at Darby's might have been the owner of a bank, a famous show biz personality or just someone who enjoyed good food and the very best in service. Each day called for the making of 160 gallons of chicken soup . .. and 60 gal- lons of whatever was soup of the day . . . 60 gallons of mushroom barley soup was made weekly for serving only on Sundays. From the time of opening, Frank Meltzer was man- ager of the delicatessen dept., outside catering, in- cluding trays .. . Sam's wife Edna was manager in charge of waitresses and buspersons. In Darby's second year, John Kereszi, who had started as broiler man, became head chef ... He stayed ill Darby's burned down, July 15, 1968 ... while Sam was celebrat- ing his birthday at a party in the home of step- son Bernie Kerner, and wife Lurene ... What a time to get such a phone call! Three years after it opened came Beatrice "Mama" Levitt who made all the Jewish style foods .. . and taught John Kereszi. Five years after opening, John Carmona worked as maitre d'. When Darby's burned, it was doing $2,600,000 (Continued on Page 49)