BEST OF EVERYTHING'''.
dining room, carry-out and trays
• breakfast • lunch • dinner
• after-theater • kiddie menu
open tuesdays thru sundays
10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
968-0022
lincoln shopping center, 10 1/2 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
COMPLETE
CARRY-OUT
AVAILABLE
NEW A LA CARTE DINNERS UNDER $5
24480 W. 10 MILE pN TEL-EX PLAZA)
353-7848
West of Telegraph
GOLDEN BOWL
Restaurant
221% 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.-1bn. 11-10, Fri. & Sat. 11-11, Sun. & Holidays 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Your Chef: FRANK ENG
• Banquet Facilities
00Ide n P60en ; x
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 WALE
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
I 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
DON'T FORGET
MOTHER'S DAY
SUNDAY, MAY 13
82
FRIDAY, MAY 4, 1990
Opus One Has Found Recipe
For An Excellent Restaurant
DANNY RASKIN
Local Columnist
R
ecipe for a good
fine dining restaurant
would usually begin
with the obtaining of an ex-
cellent executive chef.
This was accomplished in
1987 by Jim Kokus, and is a
prime reason why his Opus
One on Larned between St.
Antoine and Beaubian is
such a success.
Executive Chef Peter Loren
is among those rare types of
kitchen breed whose adept-
ness isn't just in preparing
great dishes . . . Peter is an
all-around maestro, knowing
exactly what he wants in all
phases of culinary expertise.
Take the Opus One kitchen
for example . . . It's Peter's
sole design . . . three levels of
efficiency with the same
lighting as that of the dining
room . . . Reason for this? .. .
So the waitpersons don't have
to see the food in two different
types of lighting, and can look
at the dishes as the guests do.
The 5,500 square foot kit-
chen is a story in itself .. .
Lower level for cooking, se-
cond level where waitpersons
receive the food to place on
carts, and third with office
overlooking the kitchen area
with its gleaming stainless
steel.
The kitchen is so clean that
arrangements are even made
for people to dine in this
sector.
Peter's expert abilities as
an executive chef are one of
the reasons why Opus One is
considered among the finest
dining establishments in this
region . . . His artful ways of
food preparation display an
acute awareness in the dai-
ly creations of high cuisine.
It's one thing to graduate
from the Culinary Institute of
America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
. . . but being asked to stay on
and teach is another . . . Also,
besides opening Opus One
with Jim Kokus, he taught
the art of chef accomplish-
ment science to others for
about 10 years.
The building in which the
beautiful Opus One
restaurant is located was
formerly a taxi cab garage,
brewery, furniture warehouse
and Michigan Bell training
center . . . Jim bought the site
from Sonny Eliot and the
estate of Charles Herzog, and
has turned it into a beautiful
restaurant.
He is a third generation in
the restaurant business .. .
His grandfather, Jimmy
Kokus, had the little New
Pearl Cafe on 12th and Grand
Boulevard in 1926 . . . Jim-
my's son Gus owned the
Chambertin at the Holiday
Inn, Dearborn, where young
Jim worked . . . starting as a
busboy and dishwasher and
working himself up to vice
president and general
manager until Gus sold it
about 2 1/2 years ago.
Like Chambertin, Opus
One is also named after a fine
wine . . . And like a fine wine,
its food and service are
delightful.
Everything is made from
scratch . . . and Peter is so
proud of his dishes that
whenever a new one is made,
he photographs it . . . Each
dish in an album has an ex-
planation alongside it with
complete information from
contents to origins . . . Peter
shows with color pictures how
a plate should look when
served to customers . . . an in-
genious and patient way of
true training.
Opus One does its own
smoking of foods, makes its
own ice creams, own coffees
blended from three different
types, own pastries and so
much more . . . In fact, Peter
and Jim are firm believers in
winning or losing on their
own merits.
The 5,000 square foot Opus
One is so pretty . . . frosted et-
ched glass all around the
restaurant, solid oak win-
dows, foyer and lounge with
marble floors imported from
Italy, bright and stylized
lighting, watercolors of
Detroit in the '40s, strips of
mirror in back of the tapestry-
covered padded booths, etc.
When entering Opus One,
many people stop to look at
the homemade desserts .. .
and actually select the one
they'll have . . . even before
sitting down to eat.
The tables in Opus One's
main dining room are not the
standard 36 inches . . . The
larger 40-inch tables are so
much more conducive to the
enjoyment in fine dining.
Its lounge and bar with
seating for 50 has a separate
Bar Bistro menu.
Our waitress, Cindee Reed,
so personable, efficient and
gracious, brought us an
elegant rolled Dover sole
stuffed with crabmeat . . . It
was the type of presentation
that Peter shows in his
photographs . . . very colorful
with pieces of lemon and zuc-
chini . . . An outstanding side
dish is the fruit salsa (nec-
tarine, mango, plum, cherry,
peach, green onion, red onion,
jalapeno pepper and cilantro)
. . . Set on the beige table-
cloth, the offerings were a
true example of dining with
the eyes first, which is so very
important.
Working with her this even-
ing at our table was highly
capable and smiling Gino
Rahman, a waiter of much
ability.
Cindee has been with Jim
over 20 years . . . Maitre d'
and manager John Vergos is
a 16-year veteran with Jim
. . . and Freddie Ham, assis-
tant day manager, counts 17
years.
Opus One also prints its
own menu inserts, does laun-
dry on the premises, has a
very fine wine room, bakes
six different types of bread
The 5,500 square
foot kitchen has
three levels.
daily and has its own butcher
area where beef is cut and
aged.
The toasted greenhouse
cheese bread accompanied
our appetizer of cold smoked
Norwegian salmon, not only
delicious, but presented on a
picture plate with sour cream,
mounds of chives, onions,
capers and eggs.
Opus One is open only one
Sunday of the year . . .
Mother's Day, and those for-
tunate enough to get in enjoy
a fine treat . . . It seats 160
Monday through Friday,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Satur-
day, 5 p.m. to 12 midnight.
Our dessert of kiwi pineap-
ple sorbet, another home-
made delicacy, came in a tall,
thin glass with three round-
ed scoops.
It is noteworthy that a
young man walks about with
an Opus One wine case,
holding a handle and con-
tinually filling plates with
fresh bread.
Pianist Sam Bernstein, a
former concert pianist in
Russia, plays a soft, smooth
and very melodious piano
Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The two keys at Opus One
have opened the taste buds of
many people with high
satisfaction . . . Peter Loren is
one of the best all around ex-
ecutive chefs in this area .. .
and Jim Kokus is a well-
polished restaurateur . . .
They have given the elegance
of Opus One a large dimen-
sion for culinary enjoyment.