LISTENING POST

I

I BEST OF EVERYTHING I

An East Side Location Evolves
Into A Fine-Dining Establishment

• CARRY-OUT ONLY

• HOMEMADE

ONE WEEK ONLY
FRI. THRU THURS., JULY 19-2 5

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

BUY ONE POUND AT REGULAR PRICE

he short-lived exis-
tence of many restau-
rants today sometimes

GET SECOND POUND FREE

r

(Equal or Lesser Value)

1

TRAYS FOR
EVERY OCCASION
OUR SPECIALTY

With
This
OFF Coupon
• I Coupon Per Person • 10 Person Minimum
JA
LExpires 8-15-91

00

FORMERLY OF BLOOM'S KOSHER CkTERING

WITH HER
HOMEMADE
TRADITIONAL FOOD

32418 NORTHWESTERN Between Middlebelt & 14 Mile

855-9463

Catering At Its Finest (Hotline: 73 7-5190)

PYRAMIDS CAFE

29267 SOUTHFIELD RD. (IN SOUTHFIELD COMMONS) Nr. 121/2 Mile • 569.1112

WHOLE BROILED

4 BROILED

LAMB CHOPS WHITEFISH
$ 795 °FFERS $ 95

GOOD
JULY 19
THRU
AUG 1

5

BOTH SPECIALS INCLUDE: SOUP OR SALAD, RICE OR POT. OR VEG. AND
DESSERT (OUR FAMOUS RICE PUDDING WITH APRICOT OR ICE CREAM OR BAKLAVA)

0

DINE IN • CARRY-OUT • FREE DELIVERY • CATERING

NOW! 26 DIFFERENT
2 FOR 1 SPECIALS
TO CHOOSE FROM!

r

r

3
MINUTES
FROM I-696

OPEN MON. 11-3
TUES., WED., THURS. 11-10
FRI. & SAT. TIL 11, SUN. 12-9

2 FOR 1

NEW!
PARKING
IN REAR!

DINERS! 1
50% OFF SINGLE
I •

FRESH 16 OZ.

STUFFED
I FLOUNDER

I

- MIX
OR

FRESH WHITEFISH
• FRESH RAINBOW TROUT
• ORANGE ROUGH
• BAR-B-Q CHICKEN
• VEAL (REAL!)
$
SPECIAL OF THE DAY
• CHICKEN PARMESAN
• FRESH FISH & CHIPS
• CHICKEN KEBOB • ETC.

951

-

FOR'
MATCH
2 I
L
1 L $ 12 95 FOR 2
LOOK WHAT THESE SPECIALS INCLUDE!

SOUP OR SALAD (TOSSED OR GREEK), POT. OR SPAGHETTI, BREAD BASKET AND CHOICE
• OF DESSERT (STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE, RICE PUDDING. JELLO OR ICE CREAM, AND
HOT COFFEE OR HOT TEA.

RIALTO

22740 WOODWARD AVE.
LJust South of 9 Mile • Ferndale

64

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1991

Offers Expire 7-25-91

OPEN 7 DAYS 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

BREAKFAST•LUNCH•DINNER

544-7933

J

becomes what later turns out
to be sort of masked blessings
. . . for the new owner or
owners who eventually
assume possession, that is.
Especially when the
previous operation is taken
over by seasoned and well-
qualified restaurateurs.
Case apparent is the
beautiful Arriva Restaurant
on 12 Mile between Mound
and Van Dyke, another East
Side gem highly polished for
enjoyable visitation.
It was the former Shmid
Haus that had been trans-
formed into a lavish setting
. . . However, as is so many
times the unfortunate situa-
tion, not enough outward ex-
perience in the running of an
elegant type of restaurant
subsequently proved its
undoing.
Like a veritable diamond in
the rough, this East Side din-
ing spot waited for someone
to discover its brilliance.
And along came Arriva .. .
now a striking large platinum
gray free-standing building
with neon striping . . . owned
by Sam Locricchio, Chef Bill
Hall and John Ausilio . . .
open only since Feb. 7, but
already a highly popular
choice of many.
Recent grand opening
entertained almost 2,100 peo-
ple at its Hollywood celebra-
tion with ice carvings of
movietown studios, atten-
dance by James Darren, An-
na Maria Alberghetti, Pat
Cooper and the Gaylords, as
Johnny Trudell and his
18-piece orchestra played for
wonderful listening and
dancing.
Seating for dining at the
24,000-square-foot-Arriva is
260 at one time in three wide-
open rooms of large expanse
. . . separated by a 24-stool
horsehoe-shaped bar with
overhead indirect lighting .. .
also four banquet rooms; 200
seats (split if needed into two
100s), 80,30 and 16-seater.
The original Shmid Haus
had been completely gutted
and transformed into a
restaurant of aesthetic excite-
ment . . . frosted glass, white
linen tablecloths topped with
black square linens and white
napkins neatly folded in place
. . . black lampshades and
black hanging wrought iron,
a lot of mahogany with red-

wood stain, marble fireplace,
mirrors galore including one
across a full wall, booths with
padded print, second level (on-
ly two steps) with a marble in-
laid floor, walls painted a
platinum gray.
Very-near future plans are
to break ground for an addi-
tion off its 200-seat banquet
hall, which will be the first
level of a Las Vegas-type sup-
per club designed after Lou
Walters' Latin Quarter in
New York with its three tiers
leading onto the stage from
all sides . . . And of course
that gorgeous velvet curtain
with its drawn segments go-
ing up in magical unison.
And who better to run
something like this than one
of Arriva's owners . . . Sam
Locricchio, whose Lorio group
(three fellows and Sandra
Mandrella) was the toast of
Las Vegas from 1971 to 1979
when their album, "Lorio,"
was also a smash hit . . . He
bgan singing in 1956 with a
group called the Melodeers
. . . In 1960, it became Mer-
cury recording instrumental-
songsters the Tartans.
Sam and Sandra still sing
together at Arriva every
Saturday evening . . . He has
been in the restaurant
business since 1977 . . . and it
is quite a refreshing revela-
tion seeing people coming to
Sam and asking the recipe of
certain dishes . . . He doesn't
have to say, "Wait, I'll find
out for you" as so many do.
The combination of restau-
rateur and entertainer rolled
up into one person seems to
fit in just perfect at Arriva.
Chef Bill Hall, he of the col-
orful presentations on oversiz-
ed plates, formerly worked
with Paul Kohn at Quality
Kosher Catering . . . and was
the valuable chef at
Francesco's in Dearborn
before doing a dual-
performance kitchen role at
Pine Knob, where Sam was
general manager . . . In the
evenings, Bill was chef at the
La Veranda Restaurant .. .
and during the day supervis-
ed operations at its Ham-
burger Mansion, ski lodge,
concessions, etc.
Following Pine Creek Res-
taurant in Rochester and
Troy's Picano's, Bill seems to
have found a home as one of
the partners at Arriva .. .
preparing favorite dishes for
celebrity barrister and radio
guest host Henry Baskin;
Judge Alice Gilbert and hub-
by Dr. Herbert Bloom;
Kathleen Lanciault, trouble
shooter director of corporate

programs for Irving and Scott
Seligman's Sterling Savings;
Judge Barry Howard; Nor-
man Stricoff; Michigan's first
woman certified financial
planner Audrey Pearl and
hubby Cy Feldman; Macomb
County Circuit Judge
Michael David Schwartz, one
of Arriva's best customers;
Sherwood Leitman; Dolores
Scaglione; Sid Cooper and so
many others.
As one enters the handsome
Arriva, melodious piano
strains capture a soft flavor of
earful goodness . . . "No over-
time to pay and no breaks,"
says Sam as he points out the
six-foot baby grand piano pro-
grammed for easy listening
during dinner . . . and you'll

Arriva, near the
General Motors
Tech Center, has
truly arrived.

swear that someone is play-
ing the keyboard.
Decor tone of Arriva seven-
day restaurant operation is
black and mahagony . . . with
its chairs of black wood and
padded print seats and back,
bar top of granite squares, etc.
. . . The now reasonably-
priced Italian menu is a Sam
Locricchio specialty . . . and
waitpersons include very
knowledgeable and highly-
efficient Donna "I love peo-
ple" Janette, a former 21-year
favorite at Aldo's when open
on Kelly Road.
1-696 to Mound, right at 12
Mile and poofi . . . within 15
minutes from 12 and Nor-
thwestern we were at Arriva
. . . Getting to the East Side
now is such a snap that trek-
king to most places there to-
day is faster than going
downtown.
No more chore driving to
the East Side . . . No more
spending more time in the car
than the restaurant . . . and
still even bigger rewards .. .
this time Arriva . . . another
East Side restaurant jewel of
exciting loveliness.

CONGRATS . to Carrie
Adler . . . on her 14th birth-
day today.

SECOND LOCATION is
expected to be opened by Hoa
Kow, one of Oak Park's
pioneers on W. Nine Mile
Road . . . Gene and Dan Woo's
number two restaurant would
open its door first part of the