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dining room, carry-out and trays
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•
• breakfast • lunch • dinner
after-theater • kiddie menu
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open tuesdays thru sundays
10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
968-0022
lincoln shopping center. 101/2 mile & greenfield. oak park
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Since 1934
9
Fred Bayne at the organ nightly
1128 E. Nine Mile Road (1 1/2 Mile East of 1-75)
Recommended by AAA & Mobile Guides
(313) 541-2132
FUNG LI
'S
SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE & AMERICAN
Mon.-Thurs. 11-10, Fri. & Sat. 11-11 Sun. 12-10
CARRY OUT • CATERING
BANQUET FACILITIES
8410 W. NINE MILE, W of Livernois
5441021
GOLDEN BOWL
Restaurant
22106 COOLIDGE AT 9 MILE In A & P . Shopping Center
DINE IN & CARRY-OUT
398-5502 or 398-5503
SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE & AMERICAN CUISINE
OPEN 1 DAYS–Mon.-Thurs. 11-10, Fri. & Sat. 11-11, Sun. & Holidays 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Banquet Facilities
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Your Chef: FRANK ENG
THE GOLD Com
OPEN 7 DAYS — YOUR HOST: HOWARD LEW
COMPLETE
CARRY-OUT
AVAILABLE
R(
SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE
AND AMERICAN FOOD
24480 W. 10 MILE (iN TEL-EX PLAZA)
West of Telegraph
353-7848
THE GtEP ■ 77 VcIALC
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
35135 Grand River, Farmington
(Drakeshire Shopping Center)
476-9181
HOA KOW INN
Specializing In Cantonese, Szechuan & Mandarin Foods
Open Daily 11 to 10:30, Sat. 11 to 12 Mid., Sun. 12 to 10:30
— Carry-Out Service —
13715 W. 9 MILE, W. of Coolidge • Oak Park
KING LIM'S GARDEN
Mandarin, Szechuan & Cantonese Food
547-4663
OPEN 7 DAYS
A WEEK
-
26196 GREENFIELD, LINCOLN CENTER. OAK PARK
Mon.-Thurs. 11 to 10:30
Fri. 11 to 11, Sat. 11 to 12
Sun. 12 noon to 10
968-3040
NEW KING
LIM'S
3305 Auburn Rd.
Carry - Out Service
852-8280
Exotic Cocktails
Catering To Parties Available
FLOWN IN FRESH
EXPRESSLY FOR YOUR DINING
,
at ENGLISH DOVER SOLE
KINGSLEY INN 642-0100
the
KOW KOW INN
• Famous Chop Suey • Cantonese Food • Steaks • Chops • Sea Food
OPEN Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m.. Sun. & Holidays 12 Noon-12:30 a.m.
CARRY OUT SERVICE
,
-
EASY PARKING
322 W. McNichols Bet. Woodward & Second
58
ENTERTAINMENT
Friday, February 27, 1987
868-7550
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
BEST OF EVERYTHING
DANNY RASKIN
"I LOVE TO EAT THERE,
but it's too much food" . . . or "I
don't want to eat all that food
and not have room for their
great entrees."
No more now at Lelli's on
Woodward Ave.,. two blocks
north of Grand Blvd. . . . People
don't have to eat as much with
the new menu that comes
along with its regular superb
and unbelievable bill of fare.
No more ordering big meals
. . . paying the big price . and
leaving everything to make
room for those fantastic
entrees.
Menu that accompanies
seven-course one is called
"Dinner on the Light Side" . . .
and includes special very good
minestrone soup or Lelli's
wonderful salad, side dish of
spaghetti or potato and bread
basket.
"Dinners on the Light Side"
include three steaks (when was
the last time you had a filet at
Lelli's for $12.50) .. six veals
(all $10.95) . . . ten pastas
(from Lasagna a la Lelli at
$6.25 to fettucine wih red or
white clam sauce, $7.50) .. .
and all pastas are made on the
premises . . . three chicken
dishes (all $7.50) . . . and four
fish fare from lightly breaded
frog legs ($9.95 to lightly
breaded haddock $7.75).
Lelli' is owned by second
generation Michael Lelli, son
of Nerio and Irene Lelli .. .
while a third generation is also
there . . . Becky is cashier,
Steve is in the kitchen and
Michael Jr. is host.
Cousin Ernie Colangelo is
general manager . . . while
Scott Keech is day manager,
plus evenings also Thursdays
and Saturdays.
I thoroughly enjoyed, as al-
ways, the Delft Blue Provimi
veal, best you can get, at Lelli's
. . . with a "Dinner on the Light
Side" . . . Veal Piccate (three
slices) with artichokes, salad
and potatoes . . . It was not only
delicious, but thoroughly satis-
fying . . . belying any such no-
tion that you have to eat a lot to
have culinary contentment.
Back in 1933, Nerio Lelli
came here from New York with
$600 in his pocket . . . The bus
dropped him off at Woodward
and Grand Blvd. . He
couldn't speak English and
didn't know anybody . . .
Nerio(rhymes with Mario,) got
his first job washing pots out-
side a small downtown restau-
rant . . . using sand since there
was no soap, Brillo pads or
steel wool . . . His next job was
at Marconi Admiral as a cook's
helper . . . then becoming its
chef seven days a week, 12
hours a day.
Nerio left Detroit for San
Francisco, where he became
employed as a waiter . . . and
returned here to open his own
restaurant with cousin Mario
. . . who he bought out a few
years later . . . It was a two-
man and one woman operation
. . . Nerio did the cooking,
Mario was waiter . . . and
Nerio's wife, Irene cashier.
Their first New Year's Eve
was for a whopping total of four
people . . . One of the couples
came because he rented them
the chairs at 50 cents a week
. . . and brought another
couple.
Nerio was a thoroughly like-
able fellow . . . full of buoyant
good humor and optimism, who
liked to refer to himself in the
third person as "the doctor."
Signor Lelli would tell you
seriously, half kiddingly, that
his was the best restaurant in
Detroit and he was the best
chef . . . After you met and
talked with him, you probably
agreed.
The "doctor" business came
from the fact that Nerio was an
original or inventive chef .. .
and rightly so, considered him-
self a true doctor of culinary
arts.
Lelli's is located in a build-
ing that I remember was kind
of horribly wonderful or won-
derfully horrible . . . Anyway,
they don't make 'em that way
anymore.
It sat about 140 people .. .
Today, after four additions,
there is seating for 650 or
more.
If my memory recalls, back
in about 1954 it had green sti-
pled walls, low ceiling and a
maze of arches, little alcoves
and tiny rooms . . . But, by
golly, Lelli's had a lot more
charm and atmosphere than
most newer, more modern
places.
This little restaurant area
has retained its intimate cozi-
ness . . . and the additions have
been built around it.
Nerio wouldn't move to a
new building if he could afford
it . . . and he could.
The thing that made Lelli's
great was the food . . . It's menu
so loaded with house spe-
cialties . . . many owned by Lel-
li's . . . and everything pre-
pared to order . . . Only thing
that has changed is that Lelli's
has gotten even better!
Every dish on Lelli's menu is
good . . . some of it more so than
others . . . I recall the cannel-
loni, a simple italian dish that
elevated pasta from the mun-
dane to the superb . . . Still not
listed on the menu, back in
1954, as I recall, was the tortel-
lini a la prosciutto, a mouth-
watering out-of-this-world
dish . . . pasta formed into little
triangular hats, egg yolk, Ita-
lian ham, and other secret
things . . . stuffed with breast
of chicken.
I also recall the bracioline of
beef, Lelli . . . a slice of prime
rib rolled around a stuffing of
cheese, pine seeds, garlic and
topped with an ambrosia
sauce.
Of course the thing that
made Lelli's famous was it's
family steak for four . . . This
mammoth porterhouse was
broiled, sliced at your table and
served with palmina . . . What-
ever the price, it sure was
worth every buck.
One could go on and on list-
ing the outstanding dishes fom
Lelli's large and varied menu.
Michael, Nerio's son who
runs Lelli's, has been at it 32
years, . . . graciousness was
also a very fine trait of his.
While I dined there on its
wonderful "Dinner on the
Light Side" menu that has
taken off in such a big way,
Michael came and sat at our
table . . . It was the same table I
had sat at years ago . . . and
Mike was sitting directly
under a picture of Nerio and
himself as a 9-year-old . . . It's
Michael's favorite table, too.
No more white on top of red
tablecloths . . . Blue ones now
. . . with blue napkins also .. .
Lelli's has its own laundry, too
. . . and fresh linens are put out
daily . . . Also, you won't rec-
ognize the lighting . . . Those
litte Italian Xmas-like multi-
colored lights have been re-
placed by Strauss crystal
chandeliers.
So much nostalgia . . . so
many memories . . . still the
same wonderful food . . . the
secret recipe steak sauce that's
been in the family since 1939
. . . a continued warm, inti-
mate and cozy atmosphere .. .
treasures like the wonderfully
intimate and romantic dining
alcove that used to be the front
porch of the house that became
Lelli's Inn in 1939 . . . or the
long narrow European-like
dining area made from one of
the hallways.
Even the lunch menu has
been reduced . . . and a dinner
van for customers has been
purchased to get folks to plays
and games on time.
Lelli's has well over 100
items . . . plus more than 100
different wines . . . 20 house
wines by the glass are now only
$1.50 and house liquor is $2.50.
There are three private ban-
quet rooms seating up to 200.
While I dined recently at
Lelli's, Rudy Zsiga and his
Gypsy violin played favorite
strains for customers . . . He
has written a very catchy
Domino Pizza song for Tom
Monaghan to hear . . . It's the
kind Tom might buy and use
. . . if ever his"guardians" let
,him hear it.
Lelli's hours are Mondays 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. . . . Tuesdays
through Fridays 11 a.m. to 10
p.m. . . . and Saturdays 11 a.m.
to 11 p.m. . . . closed Sundays
It is - probably the only res-
taurant around where you can
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