▪ BEST OF EVERYTHING INIISIG (MIN) dining room, carry-out and trays • breakfast • lunch • dinner • after-theater • kiddie menu open tuesdays thru sundays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 968-0022 lincoln shopping center, 101/2 mile & greenfield, oak park Deli Unique 25290 GREENFIELD North of 10 Mile Rd. 967-39991 CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS THE GOLD COIN OPEN 7 DAYS — YOUR HOST: HOWARD LEW SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE COMPL • E TE CARRY-OUT AVAILABLE NEW A LA CARTE DINNERS UNDER S5 24480 W. 10 MILE ON TEL-EX PLAZA) 353-7848 West of Telegraph GOLDEN BOWL Restaurant 22106 COOLIDGE AT 9 MILE In A & P Shopping Center 398-5502 or 398-5503 DINE IN & CARRY-OUT SZECHUAN, MANDARIN, CANTONESE & AMERICAN CUISINE OPEN 1 DAYS-Mon.-Tburs. 11-10, Fri. & Sat. 11-11, Sun. & Holidays 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Your Chef: FRANK ENG • Banquet Facilities O old en Phoen ix Chinese-American Restaurant Cantonese, Szechuan & American Dining & Carry-Out OPEN 7 DAYS ... Mon.-Thurs. 11:30-9:30, Fri. & Sat. 11:30-11, Sun. 12-9:30 642-8386 4067 W. Maple Rd. Just East of Telegraph INE GPEAT WACC. SERVING YOUR FAVORITE EXOTIC DRINKS & CHOICE COCKTAILS PRIVATE DINING ROOM • BANQUETS • PARTIES • BUSINESS MEETINGS Your host . . . HENRY LUM Businessmen's Luncheons • Carry-outs • Catering 476-9181 (Drakeshire Shopping Center) • 35135 Grand River 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 • 547-4663 KABOB GRILL Authentic Lebanese Cuisine CARRY-OUT & CATERING AVAILABLE 29702 SOUTHFIELD AT 12 1/2 MILE (In Southfield Plaza) 557-5990 MON.-THURS. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. FRI. & SAT. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. CLOSED SUNDAYS DINING OUT IS BETTER AT A JEWISH NEWS RECOGNIZED RESTAURANT 72 FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1990 3 Generations Of Experience Guide This Chinese Restaurant DANNY RASKIN Local Columnist B ack in the '20s and '30s, Chew Lim ran the popular Shanghai Chinese restaurant on Cass and Peterboro. In 1936, he opened the Atlantic Gardens on Linwood and sold it when becoming ill in 1940. But Chew didn't call it quits . . . and he had Lim's on Seven Mile between Monica and Livernois until he retired in 1964. For a short while at least .. . Then he opened Lim's of Far- mington in 1969 and sold it in 1971. All this time, from the late '30s on, son Don was with dad . . . Don came to the United States in 1938 and was an 11-year-old delivering chop suey on a bicycle . . . attending Roosevelt Elementary and Durfee Intermediate. He opened the Peking House restaurant with wife Violet in 1972 on Washington in Royal Oak, and Chew, who passed away recently at 86, was his adviser . . . It had been the former Black Forest restaurant . . . and Don called it Peking House when then President Richard Nixon made his historic visit to China. Although Don, a prominent Royal Oak dentist, is still ac- tive with Violet in the restaurant operation, it is now also run by son Randy and daughter-in-law Cecilia Lim. No artificial Chinese decor here . . . No fake lanterns and dragon paintings that many times try to compensate or cover up for mediocre food .. . Peking House lets its menu of- ferings do the talking . . . and it's loud. No monosodium glutamate (MSG) here either . . . and on- ly pure vegetable oil is used . . . Don extols the healthful virtues of Chinese dining which is prepared at Peking House by four Hong Kong- trained cooks . . . Another cook, formerly with Romanik's, makes the pecan brownies, sweet potato pies and apple pies plus handling all Peking House's American dishes. The casual, relaxed at- mosphere is well-maintained . . . with seating for about 200 in two rooms . . . The large kit- chen and storage area is divid- ed into sections . . . Chinese and American . . . People are often invited into the kitchen to see its cleanliness. Randy and wife Cecilia are steeped in Chinese restaurant experience . . . They bought the Ten 'Thn Restaurant in Livonia while he was going to Wayne State U. school of phar- macy . . . After five years, they opened China Fair in Nor- thville and spent seven years there . . . During this time, they also opened another China Fair restaurant in Traverse City. Before Wayne, Randy was at Groves High and a busboy at Peking House two years, then bartender there four years when home summers from Michigan State. He and Cecilia bought out Don's partner while a phar- macist at Northville State Hospital . . . Randy takes care of the restaurant and she tends to their home and two sons when not at Peking House. Our waitress, Grace Li, was personable, gracious and effi- cient . . . There's no bread at Peking House . . . not even if you beg for it . . . The quality and large portions are standard. On the menu is a dish very few places have . . . Chicken Soong, a simple but ultra- delicious offering . . . People call and ask, "Are you the peo- ple who serve Chicken Soong?" . . . It's minced chicken with fine-cut vegetables and pine nuts on lettuce. Highly popular appetizer is the fresh mussels in black bean sauce. The tender and tasty lemon chicken is prepared lightly breaded with fresh lemon juice . . . Seafood War Ba of shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster meat, straw mushrooms, peapods, baby corn, etc., is a delicious dish . . . Also the Phoenix nest of jumbo shrimp, scallops, crab and lobster meat sauteed with mixed vege- tables in a taro nest. Peking House food is like a throwback to Chinese restaurants of yesteryears .. . simple and tasty . . . without the unnecessary showbiz flair . . . and prices are reasonable. And how's this for dessert in a Chinese restaurant .. . homemade sweet potato pie? Folks at another table ob- viously liked their food on the spicy side . . . and ordered Mongolian chicken that came on a sizzling plate (breast of chicken marinated with curry and Chinese barbeque sauce with green pepper and onions) and Tai Cheng chicken, chunks sauteed with jalapeno pepper, celery, Chinese black mushrooms and green pepper . . . But everything wasn't on the hot side . . . They also had the steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions (it also comes deep fried and topped with sweet and sour sauce.) Freshness is a big word at Peking House . . . which is why it sometimes runs out of items . . . They don't overstock or buy things out of season .. . Randy goes to Windsor and buys little eggplants at a grocer who gets them from a Japanese farmer living on his farm outside of Windsor .. . The tofu is bought at a grocery store where the woman owner makes it herself. Randy's wife Cecilia takes care of booking banquets and parties in the upstairs ban- quet room that looks so much like a highstyled nightclub .. . with its very modernistic Chew Lim began in the business in the 1920s. features, mirrors, stationary dance floor, bandstand sur- rounded by glass blocks, dan- cing lights, mirrored ceiling above the dance floor, half cir- cle bar with full brass top .. . and capacity of 270 people. Peking House restaurant is hard to miss in Royal Oak .. . right by the railroad tracks . . . And the huge sign outside brightly beckons so many community-ites. Randy is a chip off a couple of Chinese blocks . . . and do- ing a good job in the mainte- nance of a Chinese dining tradition at Peking House. IT WAS A sensation at be- ing 98% fat free . . . And now the Slimmery Ice Cream at American Bulk Food in West Bloomfield Plaza, Orchard Lake Road, south of Maple, is 100% no fat . . . Also no sugar and no cholesterol. You wouldn't think any- thing so good would have much taste, but the amazing thing is that former phar- macist, owner Marty Benson's brainchild has many flavors of goodness that's better than a lot of regular ice creams. Now the West Bloomfield Plaza American Bulk Food, run by Marty and Sandy's son Mitch, even has Slimmery in favorite candy bar tastiness . . . Milky Way, Almond Joy, Snickers, Mounds, Turtles, Milk Duds, Reese's peanut butter & chocolate, Heath Bars, Mackinac Island fudge, Chocolate Mallo Cup, Ella's