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Rated Number One By:
Detroit Free Press, Windsor Star,
Metropolitan Detroit, Grosse Pointe
News and Others

I BEST OF EVERYTHING

A New Hotel In Novi
Is Looking Out For Its Guests

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

T

Nuestra casa
es su casa

...

.

(My House Is Your House)

3400 Bagley Ave. (At 23rd StreetrDetroit, MI 48216 • Phone 841 - 3700

OPEN SEVEN DAYS — from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.

One Of The Nation's Foremost Authentic Mexican Restaurants

"Like being at the finest of Mexico City"

RATED
* *

By MOLLY

ABRAHAM

NINO'S
RISTORANTE

Featuring

Detroit Free Press Restaurant Critic,:

HOMEMADE

FRESH PASTAS, ITALIAN
SPECIALTIES PLUS
STEAKS, CHICKEN, BEEF,
LAMB, PROVIMI VEAL &
FRESH SEAFOOD

JOIN US FOR
LUNCH OR DINNER
OPEN 7 DAYS

MON.-THURS. 11 a.m.-11 p. m., FRI., 11 a.m.-12 Mid.
SAT 12 noon-12 Mid., SUN. 12 noon-9 p.m.

L I

14 MILE ROAD

13 MILE ROAD

12 MILE ROAD

.

15015
13 MILE RD.,

EI C J
O

0 o
C

West Of Hayes
Warren
293-2800

1:696

worm/

s

fIS

.SIAL. - 11//1

ONE OF A KIND

IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR YOUR
BAR MITZVAH, BAT MITZVAH OR SPECIAL OCCASION

We handle every detail so you don't have to! Let this
truly be a time of excitement for you and your family
— not a time to worry over party details! Featuring
Chef John Szegedi.
Mr. Sports has 2 locations to better serve you . . . Far-
mington Hills and Redford . . . Call our Banquet
Manager Kim at

8512990 or 534 ,7420

66 FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1991

I

• , •

he oft-quoted quote of
Billy Rose, "A hotel is
where you give up good
dollars for bad quarters" cer-
tainly doesn't hold true for
the new Hotel Baronette that
opened in Novi, Dec. 14, after
years of planning and a year
of building.
You'd think the lobby and
ballroom chandeliers cost $20
million . . . that's how
beautiful the all-crystal
sights of glamour look . . .
The hefty sum represents
Hotel Baronette's building
cost . . . and it shows . . .
Everything is high quality.
And where else can you find
a hotel with a bent grass put-
ting green to go along with its
complete exercise room, large
swimming pool and three
patios, one of them roof top?
The 149 rooms each have a
microwave oven and maxi-bar
. . . plus three telephones .. .
There are two presidential
suites with fireplaces, two ex-
ecutive suites and two pantry
suites whose kitchens open to
the living and dining areas
. . . Also six apartments .. .
The deluxe suites even have
wet bars, jacuzzis and king-
size beds with mattresses so
thick you have to climb a cou-
ple of steps to reach them.
Hotel Baronette has its own
retail bakery where people
from the outside can join
guests in purchasing goods.
Real flowers are on all three
floors . . . with their combina-
tion of dark woods and peach
and teal colorings.
A lobby bar and lounge
seats 30 persons . . . and Tara
full service restaurant for
breakfast, lunch and dinner
holds 114 . . . More dark
woods, peach and teal color-
ing, etched glass dividers and
a portion of the ceiling in the
restaurant cloud-painted by
two Italian painters noted for
their movie sets.
Executive operating man-
ager (general manager) is
Dave Disney . . . Andrea
Miller is director of sales .. .
and Hotel Baronette has two
food and beverage directors
. . . Michelle Kingsley and
John Damm . . . Tad Nagao is
the hotel's chief executive
officer.
Politeness and smiles are
bywords at Hotel Baronette
in Novi which, like the terry
robes in guest rooms, is plush.
REMINDER ... again .. .
Sorry, but I cannot use
material sent unsigned .. .

Even takes up too much room
in the wastebasket.
"A CELEBRATION To
Life" will be the title of ninth
annual dinner by Michigan
Cancer Society . . . Its big
black-tie gala is set for May 4
at Westin Hotel's Renais-
sance Ballroom, with an ex-
pected crowd of 1,500 people
. . . Reservations are being
coordinated by Jackie Sunday
and Lizz Mitchell, 833-0710.
A MCF patrons' pre-gala
celebration will be held May
2 at the Bingham Farms
home of Doreen and David
Hermelin.
THOSE WHO thought the
new Pearl City restaurant on
11 Mile between Lahser and
Telegraph in Southfield was
an east side operation that
came to the northwest are
learning differently.
Owner John Wong arrived
in America in 1967 when he
was 17 years old, and went to
work washing dishes at Kim's
Gardens on Six Mile between
Greenfield and Southfield .. .
After a year, he trained as a
cook and was there until 1974
. . . When its owner opened
Kim's Gardens in Troy, John
was transferred as kitchen
manager for two years.
Going back to Hong Kong
for a marital stint was a short
interruption . . . but John
returned to the northwest as
head chef at House of Lee in
Farmington through 1978.

It came time for him to open
his first restaurant . . . which
John did the end of 1978 .. .
Evergreen Gardens on Seven
Mile between Evergreen and
Lahser, which he owned over
five years . . . After selling it,
John opened his first Pearl
City in Roseville . . . and then
the second in Rochester,
formerly a Wyn Schuler
operation.
He likes large seating .. .
Southfield is his biggest with
230 . . . Roseville originally
had 150 until John added
another 50 in 1982 . . . and
Rochester's capacity is 220
. . . This could be a throwback
to the old Evergreen Gardens
days when he could only seat
60 or 70 people and had to
turn so many away.
John has entertainment at
all three places . . . In Rose-
ville, a magician does tricks
Fridays and Saturdays . . .
Live music is in Rochester .. .
and in Southfield, Stuart
Rogoffs intricate d.j. setup
plays for dancing Tuesdays
through Saturdays.
The fact that he is a
Chinese cook of value is im-

portant . . . Especially to peo-
ple who travel and bring back
recipes . . . They call him
ahead to make the specialty
dishes.
John is a member of the
Michigan Restaurant Associ-
ation . . . and the type of boss
who gets into the midst of
things . . . When the place is
busy, he cooks, waits on tables
or buses them . . . and even
washes dishes.
At the recent Michigan The
Bountiful by City of
Southfield and Chefs de
Cuisine, Pearl City Southfield
took first place in the food
tasting category and second
place to Taste of Seasons in
booth decoration.
If there were a large field
outside Pearl City Southfield,
you'd probably see John fly-

The Baronette has
149 rooms, plus
six special suites.

ing a kite with his 9-year-old
son, Jason, or wife, Ling.
Kite flying is a national
pastime in both China and
Japan . . . The ceiling of his
Pearl City dining room in
Southfield has 11 colorful
kites from China, Japan,
England and the United
States . . . all professional fly-
ing kites like those used in
tournaments . . . Among
them are some "fighter kites"
that battle each other in
competition.
Pearl City Southfield is uni-
que in being one of the coun-
try's very few Chinese restau-
rants with a disc jockey and
dancing.
From 6-9:30 p.m., Tuesdays
through Thursdays, and 7
p.m.-12 midnight Fridays and
Saturdays . . . Stuart Rogoff,
noted hereabouts for his bar
mitzvah and other occasion
appearances, plays big band
music of the '40s, '50s, '60s
and '70s plus top 40 tunes
and favorite dance specialties
like "The Twist," "The Hus-
tle" . . . and a lot of jazz.
Many people like to eat in
the lounge where Stuart does
his musical thing . . . 50 can
sit at tables and another 20 at
the bar . . . The ceiling in
front of Stu has nine vinyl,
colorful fish (longest 14 feet,
shortest six feet) from China
adding to its pleasant decor.
He has been at Pearl City
Southfield since its grand
opening Sept. 30 . . . A full
lighting system, neon,
flashing lights and good
acoustics join the pleasant-