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Old Pals Get Together
To Inaugurate New Restaurant
Proudly Presents
JAll PIANO & SHOW TUNES
EVERY TUES./ FRI. & SAT.
7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Featuring: Ron DePalma
Kim Jewett
DANNY RASKIN
Local Columnist
D
Woody Collingwood
WEDNESDAY IS LIVE OPERA NIGHT
For Reservations Call:
3 1 735 Plymouth Road
3 Blocks West of Merriman
Plymouth
261-2430
GIFT
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FOR 4 FREE QUA
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1 Coupon Per Visit • Exp. 12-19-91
Ql6
31005 ORCHARD LAKE RD.
626-5020
MON.-THURS. 10-9, FRI. & SAT. 10-10, SUN. 12-8
misimmimimmilissimmilmmumm
beau Jac,
Food & Spirits
EARLY DINNERS
NOW 7 DAYS
Monday Thru Sunday
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Entrees priced from
$5.75
4108 W. Maple • Birminaham. MI •
1 olock W ot Te'earaoh •
626.2630
One Of The Truly Great
Restaurants Of Our Time!
Dine At A Legend!
Nationally Known For Serving
4-H Blue Ribbon Steaks & Chops,
Excellent Seafood and Liquors.
All Beef Aged In Our Own Coolers.
,PRIVATE ROOMS FOR BANQUETS & PARTIES
Seruing Dail:: From 11:30 a.m.—Sunda>. From 2 p.m.
3026 Grand River Off The Lodge X'Way
To Our Private Valet Parking
74
1
1
1
1
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1991
833.0700
a
on't ask how he does it
. . . stay amazed . . .
it's more fun that way.
This is getting to be old hat
telling about another winner
by Chuck Muer, but that's the
way the ball always seems to
bounce when it's in his court.
This time, Chuck's seem-
ingly magical chemistry has
been showered on his new
Pals Restaurant, Maple off
Orchard Lake Road . . . It's
the former Bloomfield
Charleys which he sold to
Dick Sikorski's Charleys
chain and bought back when
it went defunct.
Pals, the name is a takeoff
on his Pal's in Deerfield
Beach, Fla., without the
apostrophe, seems like it has
had a lot of gutting with its
wide-open look now instead of
the chopped-up view in quite
a change for the better .. .
Seating is for 243 at tables
and booths plus another 30 at
an entirely new bar where
people can eat and listen to
the music up close.
The southwestern style
theme decor reflects only
that, with its menu very far
from it in a down-to-earth way
a la a true Chuck Muer
method of pleasing people
throughout the years . . .
Customers can eat light or
heavy at reasonable prices
and the family dining in-
cludes separate menu selec-
tions for children under 10
. . . Even the plates are dif-
ferent . . . At dinner they are
with geometric figures that
pick up the restaurant's col-
ors . . . The dessert dishes
have piano keys around them
in keeping with the new look
of a lot of pianomusic at the
fresh Pals.
Leo Beil Jr., general
manager of Pals here, brings
a tradition along with much
restaurant know-how . . .
Neither he nor his father
have ever been with a loser
. . . Dad, Leo Beil, began with
Chuck in 1965 when he open-
ed the restaurants at Hotel
Pontchartrain and today is
his vice president and
treasurer . . . Leo Sr. had
come with Chef Larry
Pagliari from the Hotel Book
Cadillac to become Chuck's
comptroller . . . Larry, who
has passed on, was Chuck's
corporate executive chef.
This was the opening of
Pals and Chuck was there
with brother Bill, both wear-
ing bow ties . . . Their grand-
father, Joe Muer, also always
wore a bow tie and dad, Joe
Jr., wears a long tie . . . Chuck
and Betty's youngest son,
15-year-old Kent, isn't a chip
off the ol' block when it comes
to cravats . . . "I hate bow
ties," says Kent.
Cute, effervescent • and
talented Ruth Ellen Mayhall
has been with Chuck three
years as director of marketing
services for the C.A. Muer
Corp. . . . Before that, Ruth
spent 20 years with the
Michigan Restaurant
Association, the last 4 1/2 as its
president.
Mari Muer, Chuck and Bet-
ty's 31-year-old daughter, is in
charge of all dad's operations
in Florida and Washington,
D.C. . . . Ellen Gianella, cor-
porate director of human
resources, setting up training
programs while teaching
others how to train employees
at Chuck's restaurants, was a
waitress for him 10 years at
the Grand Concourse . in
Pittsburgh.
Leo Jr. is surrounded by
much customer-pleasing
talent at the new Pals in West
Bloomfield . . . Making people
happy from the moment they
walk in are traits of Leo Jr.
and Chuck . . . Head Chef
Chris Tobias works with two
fine assistant chefs, Chuck
Pearce and Joan Melnick.
His dining room managers
are more than just ginger-
breads with smiles . . . They
can pitch in and tackle almost
every job if necessary at Pals
. . . David Walker, Linda
Egres and Wendy Milks .. .
The servers, like Kevin
Smith, formerly five years at
Larco's dining room in South-
field and then Troy, are train-
ed for high efficiency and
cordiality.
Corporate Executive Chef
Chuck "Rocky" Rachwitz,
Roger Zingle, regional vice
president for Chuck Muer
restaurants; Tony Byzelco,
director of operations for his
new dining spots, were all on
hand to gloat with pride.
In the West Bloomfield Pals
kitchen, the employees didn't
particularly like the rice pud-
ding that would be prepared
for the opening and there-
after, so Elizabeth Sollish said
she'd get her mom's thick,
full-bodied recipe . . . Now
this is what people see on the
menu . . . with Elizabeth's
mother's name, Gerrie, at-
tached to it.
Back in 1965, Ernie Swan
opened Hotel Pontchartrain's
Salamandre Bar for Chuck
Muer and stayed 20 years
before moving to Little
Harry's and then the Omni
Hotel where he now plays
Tuesday-Saturday evenings
. . . Today, almost 32 years
later, Ernie joins Chuck again
by coming to the suburbs for
the first time in his career to
do a regular gig . . . He's at
the Pals' piano bar every
Monday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Sylvia Gershenson Sloman
and hubby Norman were
picked up at the airport from
Florida by Bernice Gershen-
son to hear Ernie play .. .
_Ceti Orman and husband
Willie Stone enjoying the
evening and then rushing
home to watch the rapist
story on TV written by her
sister, Marcia Cohen, but not
before in a quandary looking
for their coats . . . John
Carlin, Gail Shapiro and
Larry Warsh were there, too.
Bob Milne, one of the great
ragtime, stride and boogie-
West Bloomfield's
Pals started on the
right foot.
woogie pianists of our time,
also plays solo during cocktail
hour, 5-7:30 p. m .
Tuesday-Friday.
Wednesday evening "jam
sessions," 8:30-11:30 p.m., has
the Pals Swing Trio with Bob
on piano, Mike Karoub, bass,
and a variety of local musi-
cians sitting in as the third
member . . . B.Y.O.I. (bring
your own instrument) and
you can sit in, too . . . The trio
also plays music for listening
and dancing every Friday and
Saturday, 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Bob is also an author .. .
His recently completed book,
Turtle Lake: Portrait of An
Extortionist, may be made in-
to a movie . . . Four Star In-
ternational saw the
manuscript and is talking of
Gene Hackman or Anthony
Perkins playing the lead role
. . . Bob is finishing another
book, Father Davenport: The
Psychopath in The Pulpit .. .
It is interesting that none of
the characters in his books
is a musician . . . Bob is also
an avid opera buff.
The bar area at Chuck's
new Pals in West Bloomfield
(another will open in Nor-
thville) is so much nicer now
. . . not the boxed-in-look like
before . . . and further com-
plemented with both the
piano bar and a dance floor.
Pals is a fun place . . . again
with Chuck Muer mastery,
which seldom comes any bet-