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A Whim And A Dream Become
A Restaurant Reality In Troy

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DANNY RASKIN

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26855 Greenfield Road
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6407 ORCHARD LAKE RD, WEST BLOOMFIELD
ORCHARD MALL-ORCHARD LAKE RD & MAPLE
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Featuring
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TORTES, FLANS
& CHEESECAKE

29145 Northwestern Hwy. at 12 Mile Rd.
356-2310
Franklin Shopping Center.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1992

ack in 1974, Dominic
Picano built a house
in Troy . . . Each day
on the way to his pizza parlor
at the corner of Six Mile and
Livernois, he would drive by
a parcel of land with the lit-
tle farm house and a large
tomato patch.
Four years later in 1978,
Dom saw a "For Sale" sign on
the property and quick as a
flash bought it . . . He con-
tinued to operate his little
carry-out pizza operation, but
dreamed of the day when it
would become possible for
him to have that sitdown
restaurant he always wanted
since the days of coming to
America from Cassino, Italy.
It took six years for Dominic
to achieve that hope . . . and
on May 7, 1984, building
began on what was to be his
beautiful new Picano's
Italian-American Restaurant
. . . Its doors opened Jan. 21,
1985, and Picano's has since
become a large favorite.
The 11,000 square foot,
free-standing building on
Rochester Road about one-
half mile from Big Beaver
and 1-75 in Troy, is a seven-
day operation where Dominic
can sometimes look around,
smile and slightly shake his
head in wonderment that
what he dreamed could be
such rewarding fulfillment.
He never imagined such
popularity that Picano's has
achieved . . . or that Picano's
would be rated one of the 500
best Italian restaurants in
the nation by Five Star Dia-
mond Awards at the first an-
nual banquet of the Academy
Awards of the Restaurant In-
dustry held this past April in
Mobile, Ala.
Picano's seats 260 in three
dining rooms and 40 more in
a lounge which was added
two years ago where part of
the property formerly had
been used for parking . . . Peo-
ple were tired of waiting at
the door and Dominic built it
as a place for them to sit down
until being called by the
hostess . . . He never envision-
ed that it would become much
more than that . . . and so
soon.
The main dining sector is
called the Monte Cassino
Room after his hometown just
south of Rome where sits the
famous Monte Cassino Mon-
astery . . . A wall is covered
with a huge mural of its
beautiful mountainside and

the famed monastery . . .
Wonderment is how it was
brought into the restaurant
. . . being all one piece .. .
that's how huge the framed
mural is.
Another room, for adults
only, seats 68 and is called the
Anacapri Room . . . A third
area for non-smoking is the
Piazza Room, seating 82.
Dom's waitpersons are neat-
ly attired in tux shirts, pink
bowties and red cumberbunds
. . . Light burgundy linen
napkins match the chairs and
booths.
About 95 percent of the food
at Picano's is homemade, in-
cluding the bread, desserts
and sausage . . . The kitchen
is large, where a man shreds
the homemade pasta from a
recipe Dom has retained in
the family for many years .. .
A large stockroom has three
walk-in refrigerators and
freezers with another in the
kitchen region itself.
A most important factor in
the restaurant game . . .
cleanliness . . . is highly ex-
emplified at Picano's . . . Last
score by Oakland County
Health Dept. was 96 percent
. . . Getting 100 percent is a
rarity, if ever . . . The rest-
rooms are kept clean at all
times . . . and Picano's kit-
chen employees are constant-
ly aware that "The Boss" will
walk in at any time to make
sure the floors are clean.

There's live entertainment
six days at Picano's . . . Pino
Marelli sings Italian love
songs and plays piano in the
lounge plus sometimes stroll-
ing while strumming a
guitar. . . Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday ... Ilio
Benevenuti sings and Ibny
Damon plays accordion while
strolling Monday and
Wednesday evenings .. .
Saturday night in the lounge
is Susan Woodland at the
piano.
The familiar faces who
come to Picano's enjoy what
they deem gracious dining
because of the wholesome at-
mosphere to go along with its
homemade dishes . . . It
brings them back, and what
restaurant owner can ask for
more?
Dominic Picano has never
forgotten his carry-out pizza
days on Six Mile and Liver-
nois ... or those 40 miles of
travel every day.
He may have a large, sit-
down restaurant now with a
bevy of Italian specialties .. .
but if anyone orders a pizza
they can have one . . . Dom

still has ovens to make them
if desired . . . Humble success
is always the sign of thankful
reality . . . Dominic Picano's
dream-come-true will never
let him forget it.
CONGRATS . . . to Kathy
Hack . . . on her 26th
birthday.
LOOKING BACK on some
of yesteryears .. .
'Ibm's Tavern on W. Seven
Mile Road where you thought
one leg was shorter than the
other because of the slanted
walls . . . And being there one
day when Tom decided to go
to the horse races, gave keys
to a surprised customer and
walked out, telling the gent
that he was the new boss un-
til 1bm came back.
The Bagel on Woodward
and Vernor where you not on-
ly went to eat but to see the
show biz people who always
came there . . . Chicken

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Picano's was
named one of the
top Italian
restaurants in the
LI • S

Poulette at Darbys and Scotch
'n Sirloin . . . Streetcars on
Clairmount and on Woodward
. . . House of Foods on Seven
Mile owned by Jack Peitz who
also had the property on 10
Mile west of Southfield that
housed the Rascal House and
where today sits the Golden
Mushroom.
Moon Supper Club in Hazel
Park with its waitresses
known as moonmaids and
manager John Curry having
his apartment upstairs .. .
Playing tippy in the alley .. .
Delivering Sunday papers on
Saturday night from the cor-
ner of Gladstone and 12th
where Abe always promised
me a new wagon instead of
the beat-up one I had to use
. . . and kept good his word a
few years ago by sending me
that brand new wagon from
Florida . . . a little toy one.
The Big House at Woodhull
Lake where everybody had so
much fun (Woodhull Lake
reunion is July 25 at Mitch's
II) . . . Double-dip ice cream
cones at most any drugstore
or candy store . . . at any time
. . . and within walking
distance . . . Berman's Chop
House, with those great cot-
tage fried potatoes being slic-
ed before your eyes by a guy
who wielded a sharp knife
like it was a piece of straw in
a heavy wind.

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