I LISTENING POST

2 for 1

I BEST OF EVERYTHING I

FROM 4 p.m. SATURDAYS BEFORE 7 p.m.

ANY COMBINATION OF THESE ITEMS!

•
•
•
•

BROILED WHITEFISH • LEG OF LAMB
ATHENIAN 112 CHICKEN • BREAST OF CHICKEN $12 95
ORANGE ROUGHY • SPINACH PIE
FOR 2
• Present Coupon Before Ordering
MOUSSAKA • CHOPPED SIRLOIN

ALL ABOVE DINNERS INCLUDE:
SOUP, SALAD, POTATO, VEGETABLE AND
BREAD BASKET. NO SUBSTITUTIONS

GREEK•AMERICAN SPECIALS

LUNCH & DINNER

DANCING EVENINGS

No Carry Out
Good For Entire Table
Excludes Groups Over 10
15% Tip Added To Complete Bill
Expires 5.2 - 91

RESERVATIONS TAKEN
FOR MOTHER'S DAY

5

FABULOUS
SUNDAY BRUNCH

I

' I

•
•
•
•
•

GROUPS OE OVER 10 ARE EXCLUDED
FROM COUPON USE
15% Tip Added

Li? Original Bill

per person

EXCLUDES HOLIDAYS 'Expires

5-2-91 JN J

OF SOUTHFIELD

25080 SOUTHFIELD RD. (Just N. of 10 Mile)
557-8910

APRIL SPECIAL

ROASTED GLACIER SPRINGS
TROUT
With An Oriental Mayonnaise and

Vegetable Panache

$8.95

Served With:

Choice of Vegetable,
Cup of Soup of the Day,
Bread Basket,
Chocolate Mousse Torte

West Bloomfield

Oak Park

Bingham Farms

Orchard Lake Rd., south of 15

Greenfield north of 10

Telegraph Between 12 & 13

737-3890

9673999

645-5288

Special Valid Through 4/30/91 .

I

STUFFED CABBAGE $ 5 45
DINNER

CHOICE OF SOUP OR SALAD

DELI and RESTAURANT
SHIVA DINNERS & PARTY TRAYS . . . Free Delivery

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ... Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

352-4940
21754 W. 11 MILE AT LAHSER • HARVARD ROW Fax: 352-9393

72

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1991

This Restaurant Should Change
Its Name To 'Celebrity Grill'

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

I

t's not your ordinary kind

of restaurant . . . A more
appropriate name would
probably be "The Celebrity
Grill" because hardly a day
goes by without a celebrated
personage or acclaimed per-
sonality being on the
premises.
Ginopolis' On The Grille,
corner of 12 Mile and Mid-
dlebelt, is where celebrities
like to go when staying in
town because of a nationwide
role it has assumed.
Celebrating its ninth an-
niversary this year,
Ginopolis', owned by brothers
Johnny and Pete Ginopolis,
has also become quite a
favorite with local folks.
The walls are filled with
what you would expect from
such a restaurant . . . framed
autographed photos, framed
sports jerseys, framed boxing
trunks, etc., of famous persons
in the world of sports .. .
Show business pictures galore
taken with Johnny and Pete
line the walls, too, with their
flattering inscriptions.
Back in the '20s, the site
was built upon as a grainery
. . . In 1922 it was a bar call-
ed Country Tavern . . . 1948
saw it as Fred's Bar, and then
Oba's bar in 1965.
The original Ginopolis' of
1979 sat less than 100 . . .
owned by George Ginopolis
and sons John and Peter .. .
serving only short-order fare.
When it became too small,
the inevitable happened for
some of the nicest people
you'll want to know . . . In
1982, a new totally different
and most unfamiliar-looking
Ginopolis' opened at the same
locale . . . seating 175.
The brilliantly-lighted 'neon
sign assured people that
there was no mistake . . . This
was Ginopolis' -. . . with a
totally different outside look
. . . We can still recall think- .
ing that something big was
going on . . . and it was . . . A
new Ginopolis' had been
opened with an inside trans-
formation that was beyond vi-
sionary comprehension . . . so
startlingly different as people
of all ages, casual and dress-
ed up, basked in an over $1
million new appearance.
The former Ginopolis' was
only about 1,500 square feet
. . . But the present thing of
beauty 'encompasses 8,000
square feet as trees were cut
and a house torn down to
comprise the three acres.

George passed on in 1980
and never saw its completion
. . . or maybe he did . . . But
it certainly stands as an
elegant tribute to Johnny and
Pete's dad.
In 1986, Johnny and Pete
got rid of the dance floor and
replaced it with more lux-
urious booths . . . The singles
image was also removed and
it became a family dining
favorite for local folks and
celebrities in-town or from
out of town.
The elegance of today's
Ginopolis' On The Grille is
highly personified by its solid-
oak look throughout the en-
tire restaurant . . . tables,
ceiling designs, etched glass
window-like dividers separa-
ting the dining room and the
long oak bar that now seats
27 . . . To build this restau-
rant at today's costs would be
a small fortune . . . Just an
eight-foot oak addition to
Ginopolis' bar cost $5,000.

The dining room with its in-
scriptions about "a couple of
real nice guys" is fresh-
looking and airy . . . The
spacious lounge area, where
more pictures and framed
sports jerseys hang, has
booths and three wide island
tables with seats, holding
another 75 persons to go with
the dining room's 175 . . .
Both the dining region and
lounge have high-backed
booths . . . padded and com-
fortable . . . Its Las Vegas sec-
tor, where so many people
want to sit, has four luxury
booths and faces out on the
large restaurant so gracious-
ly decorated with long, cloth-
covered Tiffany-styled lamp
shades and smart-looking
appointments.
A private banquet area con-
tinues the fine Ginopolis'
decor . . . complete, of course,
with more signed and framed
personal celebrity photos.
An open grill is highlighted
for the fish, seafood, chicken
and ribs. featured . . . Their
uncle, Ted Gregory, is owner
of the world-famous Mont-
gomery Ribs that Bob Hope
among others always have
catered . . . and has added
Ginopolis' to its list of
prestigious clients.
During the day, a
restaurateur of many moons,
Ernie Palombo, is host and
manager . . . Many people
recognize Ernie from Palom-
bo's on Eight Mile . . . He has
been at Ginopolis' seven
years.
Kevin Dobson from the
television series "Knots Lan-

ding" and "Kojac" was the
first celebrity to come into
Ginopolis' and have his pic-
ture taken . . . Since then he
has been followed by the likes
of Bob Hope, Rodney Danger-
field, Dionne Warwick,
Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray
Leonard, Tommy Hearns,
Sparky Anderson, Chuck Da-
ly, Tommy Lasorda, Wayne
Gretzky among a very long
list.
The jerseys of Alan Tram-
mell, Jack Morris, Kirk Gib-
son, Isiah Thomas and Lance
Parrish were the first ones to
adorn the walls.
Above the heavy oak, arc-
shaped bar is the name of
George Ginopolis emblazoned
in gold-leaf lettering . . . A
picture of him hangs on the
wall near the glass-sectioned
doors as customers enter and

Autographed
photographs and
jerseys abound at
Ginopolis'.

leave . . . Look close enough

and you just might see
George smiling . . . Johnny
and Pete have done their dad
mighty proud.
THAT PIZZA recipe I con-
cocted to make some money
foi Variety Club, The
Children's Charity, will put
some more cash in the
charitable coffers of this ex-
cellent organization . . . A
goodly portion of proceeds
from these pizza sales by Novi
Hilton Hotel, on Haggerty
and Eight Mile, will also go to
Variety . . . The 8-inchers will
be only $2 with mention of
The Jewish News . . . in
Whispers Lounge from 5-8:30
p.m. Monday through Friday.
Variety, whose magnificent
work for unfortunate and
underprivileged children is a
marvel, will have its annual
biggie fund-raiser June 2 at
the Ritz Carlton, honoring
the fine Mike Ilitch family.
IT'S NOT the usual sort of
novel about a pet . . . and ac-
cording to author Martin Scot
Kosins has never been done
before.
Maya's First Rose being
published nationwide by
A & M Publishers of Frank-
lin, Mich., owned by
community-ites Bob Mandell
and Nick Altwerger, is a very
heart-rending personal ex-
perience about losing a pet
when it grows old . . . Marty's
dog, Maya, was 17 years old
when passing on.