BEST OF EVERYTHING

t or ORCHARD MALL,

851-6400

Orchard Lake Rd. at Maple

Gourmet Oriental-American Food

Cocktails

A

Whole Maine Lobster
Caeser Salad

I

Carry-Out and Delivery Services I

Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 to 10:30
Fri. & Sat. 11:30 to 12 Mid., Sun. 4 to 10

VISIT OUR RIKSHAW ON MAIN STREET AT TEL-12 MALL, Telegraph & 12

,

PLAN YOUR NEXT PARTY AT

AMERICAN CENTER CAFE

‘

SWEET 16 PARTY? BRIDAL SHOWER?

•
•
•
•

FREE LUNCHEON FOR HOSTESS
FREE GIFT FOR THE BRIDE-TO-BE OR SWEET 16'ER
NO EXTRA ROOM CHARGE
SPECIAL LUNCHEON PRICES

AMERICAN CENTER CAFE

27777 FRANKLIN RD.
CALL 353-8144

Southfield

or 353-8146

YOUR HOST

RICHARD B. CARLSON (Formerly with Merricles)A

The Pike Street Restaurant

and

Chef Brian Polcyn

Invite You To Our

NOVEMBER FESTIVAL OF EVENTS

Monday, Nov. 16
Wild Game Dinner
Friday, Nov. 20...Nouveau Beaujolais Party

FINE DINING . . . CATERING ... BANQUET FACILITIES

Let Us Help You Plan Your Holiday Party

Call For Further
Information & Reservations
18 West Pike Street off Wide Track (Woodward) • Pontiac

334-7878

:IC

THANKSGIVING

DAY •—•

Give Thanks
Three
Ways

Enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner in our elegant
dining rooms, serving from noon...or enjoy
the sumptuous Grand Ballroom Buffet with
an "Olde Fashioned Holiday" musical revue,
adults $14.95, children 7 & under $6.95,
serving from 2 p.m....or pick up a
"Turkey To Go" with all the delicious
trimmings, serving up to 15 people, only $75.

B

Kingsley Inn

Woodward at Lung Lake Road ■ Bloomfield Hills ■ 642-0100

72

FRIDAY, NOV 13, 1987

X

Experience Is Important
To The Red Devil's Success

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

T

hey still come from
everywhere . . . all
parts of the
Metropolitan Detroit locale
. . . and get exactly what they
arrived for . . . the same, and
some say even better, than
when the restaurant first
opened over 33 years ago.
No lavish surroundings, no
beautiful dishes, silverware
and glasses . . . just plain,
good ol' down-to-earth Italian-
American food at very decent
prices.
This is the popular Red
Devil Restaurant on Fenkell,
just east of Greenfield, where
everybody from policemen to
sports figures to bank
presidents, etc., like to go and
have a good meal or take out
one of those luscious round
pizzas made there.
. A lot of veal on the menu
. . . at least ten different
preparations . . . plus well
over 20 pasta dishes . . . 15
steaks, chops and those big
favorite 32 oz. prime ribs .. .
about 10 poultry yummies
. . . sandwiches, homemade
soups, appetizers, ten salads
including those big Red Devil
antipastos.
It's owned by Yahia (pro-
nounced Ya-ya) Mawari, who
took over the Red Devil from
Vince Bassonetti back in
March of 1980.
The same red decor con-
tinues to prevail . . . red-
flecked wallpaper, red chairs,
etc. . . . seating is 165 in an
all-table setting of cleanliness
. . . But it's the food . . . so
very wholesome and home-
cooked that brings the many
people from everywhere.
A lot of them know that
smiling Yahia is a former but-
cher who still plies his
previous trade on the meats
that he buys and cuts up .. .
so have no worry whatsoever
about what they are eating
. . . Especially the veal .. .
this is pure grade A veal, not
another form of animal life as
some other Italian
restaurants have been alleg-
ed to be using . . . He was a
butcher before buying the
Red Devil . . . knows his food
. . . and is very fussy . . . Peo-
ple like this quality in
restaurateurs because it
shows that they care.
And another swell thing
about Yahia . . . He's of the
adage that when owning a
restaurant,' be there . . . in-
stead of letting strangers who
could care little run it for you

. . . And when Yahia isn't
there, he's just a beeper away
should folks come to say hello
or to see his smiling face .. .
Yahia now lives just a little
more than a stone's throw
from the restaurant.
He also believes in making
everyting from scratch .. .
cuts all his own meat . . .
doesn't believe in preser-
vatives . . . and trains his kit-
chen staff in a clone mold of
himself when it comes to food
preparation.
Yahia cuts his veal thin and
it is very tasty . . . He knows
there are certain ways to cut
parts of veal that are most im-
portant . . . Many must be cut
against the grain . . .
something a lot of restaurants
do not do, with their end
result being harder chewing
and stringiness.
Framed pictures are
against the red-flecked walls
in the wide open atmosphere
that has a certain sense of in-
formal intimacy.
Red Devil was first opened
back in 1954 by Vince
Bassonetti . . . and many peo-
ple remember it from then .. .
A lot still come back . . . as do
second and third generations.
A large mural of the Italian
alps is painted on a front wall
. . . Remodeling seems to
always be done . . . First was
the frontal area, then the
very important large, clean
kitchen with its new walk-in
cooler, etc.
Yahia has another Red
Devil restaurant on Moravian
Drive in Utica which is a
family-run operation . . . He
cuts the meat for them also
and does not deviate away
from his menu or quality at
either place.
Even the restrooms on
Fenkell have been remodeled
. . . They're much larger and
more modern now
Waitresses are in black and
white, many wearing bowties
. . . In the evening, a tuxedo'd
waiter is now at Red Devil .. .
Bet you never thought you'd
ever see this.
Everyone in the kitchen is
taught Yahi.,'s way in quali-
ty cooking and how to cut
meat properly.
Walter Wilder, his evening
chef, has been with Yahia
about seven years . . . and
does everything the exact way
his smiling boss would do it
. . . Yahia is his own executive
chef . . . supervising all food
that is prepared.
The Red Devil rug is red . . .
and ceiling fixtures look like
they've been there since the

place opened.
Yahia sees you from his of-
fice but you can't see him .. .
and the help personnel are
ever aware that the bossman
is looking to make sure
customers are given good, ef-
ficient service . . . and presen-
tations of food are made
correctly.
He's a proud man and ex-
pects everyone who works for
him to be proud of their abili-
ty also . . . After all, says
Yahia, this is the Red Devil,
where a tradition of goodness
and customer satisfaction
must be upheld.
Some of the employees,
especially in the kitchen, are
still there from the day Yahia
bought Red Devil . . . A
nephew and some others in
the kitchen were there when
Vince Bassonetti opened it
over 33 years ago. A bar area
has an awning over it with a
big "Red Devil" emblazoned
on the canopy.
Our waitress, Pat Kendrick,
was a good one . . . polite, ef-
ficient and courteous . . .
Perhaps the antipasto was
drenched a bit too much with
dressing, but I had a wonder-
ful veal Marsala that proved
one thing . . . Red Devil has
certainly not lost its touch .. .
And those soft garlic
breadsticks made at Red
Devil are downright pure
deliciousness . . . Sure there's
margarine too . . . Yahia even
has low cholesterol cheese an
a vegetarian pizza that sells
like water in a desert .. .
Carry-outs on round pizzas
are big, also as well as orders
for everything on his red
menu.
The 156 seats, by the way,
don't include a private ban-
quet room with about 100
more seating.
Red Devil on Fenkell, east
of Greenfield, with someone
watching your car, both
uniformed or otherwise, is
open seven days a week .. .
Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m to
11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday,
11 a.m. to 12 midnight; Sun-
day, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Generations become other
generations . . . and the Red
Devil continues to live on for
them to enjoy.
BREAD BASKET II on
Northwestern highway is no
more . . . However, original
Bread Basket in Lincoln
Center, owned by Ron For-
man, still continues as a very
fine delicatessen-restaurant.
DONNA KAPLAN came
to town last week . . . Name

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