I LISTENING POST
I BEST OF EVERYTHING I
One of Metropolitan Detroit's
Most Beautiful and Exciting
Restaurants
OUR FAMOUS
NEW ENGLAND
LOBSTER
FEAST
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY
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SOUP
SALAD
1 LB. LIVE LOBSTER
KING CRAB LEGS
MUSSELS
REDSKIN POTATOES
CORN-ON:THE-COB
$ 2 25
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DANNY RASKIN
Local Columnist
0
per person
ASK ABOUT OUR
CATERING
FACILITIES
and
DAN WARREN FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT
28875 FRANKLIN RD at Northwestern Hwy & 12 Mile
358-3355
Southfield
DANCING TUES. THRU SAT
SUZY MARSH
I ALL ENTREES U PASTA DISHES I
I WED. THRU SAT. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. I
With This Ad
LADIES NITE EVERY THURSDAY
WITH NORMA JEAN BELL & THE ALL-STARS 9 p.m.
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Live entertainment & vancin
Ask About Our Party Facilities
22061 Woodward, Between 8 & 9
Open For
Lunch & Dinner
Serving
AUTHENTIC
Thai Food
and
Cocktails
398.1940
Bangkok
Club
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon. Thru Thurs. • 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri. & Sat.
I OPEN SUNDAY 5 p.m TO 10 p.m.
29269 Southfield Road north of 12 Mile
In The Southfield Commons
569-1400
RESERVE THE
LOVING
CUP
BAND
Featuring MARLENE HILL
FOR YOUR • WEDDING • BAR/BAT MITZVAH
• ANNIVERSARY • PRIVATE PARTY • ETC.
CALL DANNY JORDAN AT:
(313) 288.4441
Three Restaurants Adding Spice
To Sylvan Lake Shopping Mall
n Orchard Lake Road,
just west of Middle-
belt in Sylvan Lake, is
the Loading Dock Mall, a lit-
tle shopping strip that has
gained in popularity because
of three food emporiums .. .
one sitdown and two carry-
outs.
Virginia's Mid-East Cafe
was the first to open,
February 1990 with its home
cooking by Virginia Colby
whose talents are such that
she can prepare just about
everything people desire .. .
not just Lebanese fare.
Here's a gal who loves to
cook . . . and although
Virginia's restaurant is
primarily a Middle East
operation, her specialties lie
more in other regions of kit-
chen self-satisfaction.
Seating at Virginia's Mid-
East Cafe is only for 30, plus
20 outdoors . . . with many
familiar faces among her
customers . . . There could be
more indoor tables, but the
space is highly welcomed to
alleviate whatever cramping
might have been with other-
wise greedy operations who
care for the dollar more than
they do customer comfort.
Virginia's is a clean, airy
place with no pretension in
its decor, preferring to let the
food speak for itself . . . Her
restaurant is all tables with
wicker chairs and ruffled
print padded seats . . .
Preparation is done in a back
kitchen, but the actual cook-
ing is in front, enhancing
Virginia's long-time
philosophy that customers
like to watch their food being
cooked . . . seems to give them
an extra step of confidence.
Those who enjoy going to
restaurants and looking for
some fault . . . there are ac-
tually people like this . . . will
be disappointed at Virginia's
Mid-East Cafe.
China Express at Loading
Dock Mall has been open
since Feb. 22, 1991, but still
had a grand opening sign out-
side recently . . . In reality,
however, this is a true state-
ment . . . It is completely dif-
ferent than before when
known as Oriental Express by
the previous owner . . . No
matter what new owner and
chef Ruijan Wu did, he
couldn't get former customers
to return.
Ruijan is its first Chinese
chef and has the little carry-
out reeking with Szechuan
and Cantonese authenticity
. . . In the four months he has
had the place, Ruijan has
created a lot of smiling good
will in enjoying much come-
back-again business . . . so
very important.
The large, colorful 32-ounce
heavy carry-out containers
used by China Express are
not seen at too many Orien-
tal spots . . . The popular ones
mostly used are white
24-ouncers.
New owner-chef Ruijan Wu
has transfomred the former
Oriental Express that is now
China Express into what a
proper Chinese place should
be . . . clean and authentic.
Dad 'Z Chicken carry-out
has been receiving many ac-
colades in the press . . . but
the biggest ones are from
customers who have
discovered the special herbed
rotisserie-style cooking of
Amish chicken.
It opened first of February
1991 by Sam Zawideh, owner
of Kingsley Inn with brother
Gabe Zawideh . . . and is also
a family affair . . . Sam
spends just about all his time
at Dad 'Z while brother Gabe
runs Kingsley . . . Son Jerry
splits his time between being
food and beverage director at
Kingsley and helping Sam at
Dad 'Z . . . Daughter Layla,
head of sales and marketing
at Kingsley, assists when
needed . . . which has become
quite often.
from
come
People
everywhere for Dad 'Z
chicken . . . one gent driving
directly from Jackson and
back.
Dad 'Z is big on catering .. .
and it is also one of the few
places that takes call-in
orders regardless of size .. .
It's a customer service, says
Jerry, who with Sam and
Layla, knows good merchan-
dising goes hand in hand
with quality product . . . both
need each other.
When Dad 'Z Chicken open-
ed, Dennis Lindinger, then
chef at Kingsley Inn, helped
in the pre-opening setting up
of systems, recipes and cook-
ing of the same kind of
chicken used at Kingsley the
past five years.
Dad 'Z is looking at two
more locations to hopefully
open by the end of this year
. . . in Waterford and Lake
Orion.
Health food addicts swear
by Dad 'Z because of the
Amish chicken . . . and Sam
Zawideh's operation is in the
front row of a very popular
spotlight in the food industry
today.
The three eating operations
at Loading Dock Mall have
much in common . . . all are
seven-day, clean, customer-
pleasing operations owned by
persons with restaurant
experience.
A strip shopping center an-
chored by a sit-down
restaurant and two carry-
outs, with a frozen yogurt
shop, would usually not be
much news . . . But in the
case of Sylvan Lake's Loading
Dock Mall, the presence of
Virginia's Mid-East Cafe,
China Express and Dad 'Z
Chicken makes for winning
headlines.
BORIS TOBES asks,
"How about the 509 Club on
Woodward and the Com-
modore Club on Peterboro?"
BELATED CONGRATS
. . . to Gladys Baskin . . . on
her birthday.
HE'S CALLED "The
Human Jukebox" . . . one of
radio's most popular guests
. . . Noted local pianist David
Syme, whose "Play It Again,
Syme" on cassette and disc is
a national hit, has become
known as a very entertaining
radio talk show guest . . .
from his home.
Stations in many cities
(Dallas, Pittsburgh, Los
Angeles, etc.) call Dave at his
house . . . Thanks to a
sophisticated phone hookup
with microphones and head-
set, he can play piano and
speak clearly through the
phone lines . . . Listeners call
in to the radio station in their
city, speak to Dave on the air
and ask him to play their
favorite song, which he does
. . . sometimes in his robe or
shorts.
The requests run a gamut
of old standards, classic rock,
classical and pop tunes .. .
from "Misty" to Tchaikov-
sky's "Piano Concerto" .. .
and the listeners get to hear
their favored songs
throughout the show.
In gratitude, the radio host
tells them, "If you want to
order his recording of 'Play It
Again, Syme' on two cassettes
or one CD, call
1-800-321-Piano (321-7426).
They are sold for $17.95
delivered ($14.95 plus $3
shipping and handling)" .. .
Thousands are being sold this
way and David gains much
national notoriety . . . with
calls and letters from the
country over.
Locally, the CDs are sold at