BEST OF EVERYTHING

Long-Term Friendship
Fires New Restaurant

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

F

rom fighting fires in
restaurants . . . to co-
owning one with the
gent for whom he stood up as
best man at his wedding.
This is the new avocation of
Ron Poma, who, with Bob
Matley, now co-owns the
recently opened Marma-
duke's food and spirits opera-
tion on Haggerty Rd., just
south of 14 Mile in Farm-
ington Hills.
Ron is a former Dearborn
Heights fireman . . . and was
best man 17 years ago when
his partner of today . . . Bob
Matley . . . married Rose .. .
Folks will remember Bob
when he was an owner of the
Ram's Horn on 12 Mile and
Northwestern . . . in the days
of its prime . . . Bob left three
years ago and it seemingly
went downhill.
You might call Marma-
duke's casual dining in an
elegant atmosphere . . .
Neither fellow is superstitous,
so they opened their restau-
rant on Friday, May 13 in
the Country Ridge Commons
where Cindy and Bob
Schwartz have the popular
Cindy's Sundae Lovers spot.
Seating is for 125 in a fan-
cy place without fancy prices
. . . It's a plain, down-to-earth
family operation with paper
napkins and paper place
mats.
But the decor has much
elegance . . . with oodles of
glass block at the entrance,
art deco theme, fully-mirrored
wall, marble table tops, mar-
ble bar that extends more
than the usual so folks can
eat and watch television,
marble floors, carpeted dining
room of tables, etc. . . . There's
even a modern-looking juke
box where people can pick out
their own dinner music with-
out having to be subjected to
whatever comes over the
restaurant's system . . . The
chairs and vinyl-covered
booths are comfortably
padded. _
Colors are plain and simple
. . . peach and green . . . with
some sprinkling of cinnamon,
especially at the formica by
Marmaduke's booths.
Day chef is Dave Brach and
Steve Larson is evening chef
. . . with both concentrating
heavily on the presentation of
good food . . . Its big on
burgers and seafood . . . and
Dave makes over 20 gallons of
onion soup a week . . . Plus
the regular menu from steaks

to chicken to salads, etc. . . .
they always have about four
daily entree specials.
I had the Norwegian
salmon, which when poached
or broiled properly is an ex-
cellent dish . . . It was very
tasty with a freshness that
could not be questioned.
Where did Ron and Bob get
the Marmaduke's name? .. .
Simple . . . From the cartoon
Great Dane character . . .
Folks are already calling it
Duke's and Marma's . . . but
the fellows don't care as long
as they keep coming back.
Marmaduke's is open six
days a week, 11 a.m. to mid-
night . . . also serving wines
on draft or bottle, and
cocktails.

My waitress, Diane Steele,
has that great smile you like
to see in waitpersons . . . so
very personable, so efficient
and so pleasant . . . It's no
wonder customers who have
been waited on by this big
smile like to sit in Diane's sta-
tion . . . She always is in a
good mood . . . never bringing
her problems to work . . . and
does the right things at the
right times without having to
be told by Ron or Bob .. .
Whether it's toting one of
Bob's noted tuna sandwiches
or the specially-prepared en-
trees, Diane's hearty smile is
a wonderful beginnning.
Marmaduke's has the loca-
tion, the right food man in
Bob, proper host in Ron and a
couple of chefs who know
their job.
Ron and Bob have been
friends for many years .. .
Marmaduke's can do nothing
but cement their wonderful
relationship . . . This
closeness oozes out onto the
restaurant customer . . . and
can be the nucleous for a suc-
cessful endeavor.
WHILE in New York,
Larry Snider went to
Carnegie Deli and "fell in
love' with his salami sand-
wich . . . Thus began research
to find out who made their
salami and hot dogs.
Turned out that they are
manufactured by Isaac Gellis
Kosher Products . . . and he is
agog over the thought of in-
troducing a true New York
deli item to Detroit . . . with
the New York deli taste peo-
ple have loved for so many
years.
Larry is president of local
food broker Van Husen, Hall,
Stevens & Welch for Isaac
Gellis, which is extremely en-
thused about the Detroit area
introduction.

Isaac Gellis Kosher Pro-
ducts are now here at . . . Vic's
Fruit Market, 13 Mile and
Southfield in Southfield .. .
Oak Farms Fruit Market,
Coolidge and Nine Mile in
Oak Park (soon opening
another market on Grand
River off Orchard Lake Rd. in
Farmington) . . . and Nino
Salvaggio Strawberry Hills,
Middlebelt at 14 Mile in Far-
mington Hills.
A division of Mogen David
Meats, Isaac Gellis has been
making kosher products since
1872 . . . with 100 percent
pure beef, gentle hickory
smoking and a special blend
of flavorings . . . Its items are
under strict rabbinical super-
vision . . . and distinctive
with their slightly spicy taste
. . . plus standards, by the
way, that are even higher
than those set by the U.S.
government . . . all meat
byproducts, no non-meat
fillers, no artificial coloring or
flavors . . . and a very impor-
tant factor that no less-
expensive frozen beef is
allowed.
Isaac Gellis has both bulk
and retail products . . . 12
bulk and 10 retail items .. .
in various sizes and shapes.
Detroit is one of the nation's
largest and most proficient
deli locales . . . Now with the
introduction of Isaac Gellis to
this market, it will un-
doubtedly boom even bigger.
NATURALLY . . . John
Cetrone was behind the bar
during our recent visit to Ex-
calibur on Franklin and Nor-
thwestern . . . doing his bevy
of tricks . . . Double Exposure
Trio plays a lot of music for
dancing Tuesday through
Saturday.
All in all, Excalibur seems
to get better . . . and is much
more than just a place to see
and be seen . . . Now, with the
addition of Victor Dazbaz as
general manager, Excalibur
gives much more than before.
FEEDING 1,600 people on
a Saturday night is one thing,
but satisfying most of them is
another . . . This is the
reputation by Carl's Chop
House on Grand River, open-
ed in 1932 by Carl Rosenfeld
who, at 93 years old, still
comes in every Saturday eve
and many times when special
events draw folks downtown,
to help daughter-manager
Barbara Aronsson.
Unlike many restaurants
with a high-turnover rate,
especially among its waitper-
sons, the staff at Carl's Chop
House has remained loyal for

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

51