This Place Is A Bit Fishy
And A Whole Lot More
One of Metropolitan Detroit's Most
Beautiful and Exciting Restaurants
Wonderfully Prepared Catering
in Your Home, Office or at Our Restaurant
Fine Dining and Live Entertainment
NOW APPEARING TUES. THRU SAT.
SUZI
MARSH
For Your Listening and Dancing Pleasure
28875 FRANKLIN RD. at Northwestern Hwy & 12 Mile
Southfield
358-3355
Angelis Anastasiou
Owner and Operator of
DIMITRI'S OF FARMINGTON
Invites You To His
AMERICAN INNIAERAIRANT
15800 10ddlebell Between 5 and B Mile • Livonia • 522-5800
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Featuring A COMPLETE MENU OF HOMEMADE Dishes
• SEAFOOD • GREEK FAVORITES • SALADS • PASTAS
• CHICKEN • STEAKS & CHOPS • CHILDREN'S MENU
• HEALTH SPECIALITIES • HOMEMADE PASTRIES • DESSERTS
DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS DAILY DINNER SPECIALS
From $5.95 - $8.95
From $3.25 - $4.95
Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri. 11 a,m,-12 Mid.
Sat. 12 noon- 12 Mid., Sun. 12 noon-10 v.m.
101 'h SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT Palm
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33200 Ormilliker, I ilk E. DIN:lingo It
•
THE DETRO T J EW ISH NEWS
RESTAURANT
70
The Best & Newest Thai
Restaurant in Town!
Authentic, Traditional Thai Cuisine
• LUNCH SPECIALS FROM 11-4 PM
• CARRY OUT & CATERING AVAILABLE
6635 Orchard Lake Road, at Maple Rd.
OLD ORCHARD SHOPPING CENTER
West Bloomfield, MI 48332
FOR RESERVATIONS:
Phone: (313) 626-6313 111/- 1
VISA
Fax: (313) 626-6310
HOURS: Mon.-Thur. 11 AM-10 PM, Fri. & Sat. 11 AM-11 PM, Sun. 12-9PM
MEI=
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
W
hen it opened in
December 1981, D.
Dennison's on W 12
Mile, just west of
Orchard Lake Road at the
south edge of Orchard-12
Shopping Center, was almost
primarily a seafood operation,
serving about 80% from the
waters.
It hasn't veered away from
the seafood dining theme, but
in celebrating anniversary
number 11, D. Dennison's
also recognizes the wants of
people today for diversified
menu items and has smartly
gone along with the times.
Although still predomi-
nantly remaining a seafood
operation (34 percent), D.
Dennison's has divied up the
menu selection to include
many other foods . . . pasta, a
lot of chicken dishes, steaks,
etc., for lunch and dinner.
In 1981, seating at D. Den-
nison's was 240 . . . An addi-
tion in 1988 made it 290, split
among three dining rooms
and a bar lounge . . . Comfor-
table booths and solid oak
arm chairs present a warm
setting in the highly popular,
casual neighborhood restau-
rant which today can be class-
ed among the unsung goodies.
The large but intimate set-
tings with their green walls,
green carpeting, green booths,
seats with diamond-style pat-
terned backs, print table
coverings, various types of
light fixtures, brass coat
racks, wall pictures, mirrors,
ships in look-through cases
(Chesapeake sloop oyster
boat, tugboat, miniature
boat, etc.), antique artifacts,
colored light bulbs, planters,
sunken dining room, and
more has quietly become a
favorite of many . . . For
privacy, a gazebo dining area
seats eight people.
From the outside, D. Den-
nison's looks small, but the
large, comfortable interior
very quickly takes away any
such thought . . . It is very
convenient getting to also,
with entrances both on 12
Mile and Orchard Lake roads.
Plus its regular menu,
there's always about 10 fresh
catches of the day to go along
with three or four chicken
dishes, two beef choices, about
five pasta selections and
other dining wants . . . In
other words, D. Dennison's
sort of specializes in seafood
but is not necessarily a
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seafood restaurant . . . It also
has a raw bar with fresh
oysters, clams, etc.
The owners of D. Dennison's
are partners at Mainstreet
Ventures in Ann Arbor and
all worked for the C.A. Muer
Corp. . . . Dieter Boehm
started with Chuck Muer in
1967 and spent 14 years, leav-
ing as his vice president in
charge of operations . . . Den-
nis Serras was bartender at
the Gandy Dancer in Ann Ar-
bor before becoming general
manager at Charley's Crab in
Beachwood, Ohio . . . Mike
Gibbons was the Muer
organization's first district
manager.
Both Dennis and Mike
worked under Dieter and to-
day they are all partners in a
chain that has grown to 10
locations, with another one,
Ciao! of Southfield, expected
to open around March 30 ser-
ving northern Italian food at
the former site of El Torrito
on Evergreen and Civic
Center Drive.
The principals, including
Chef Simon Pesusich, got
together in 1981 and opened
D. Dennison's, Farmington
Hills . . . Another D. Den-
nison's is at the Laurel Park
Shopping Center on Six Mile
and 1-275 in Livonia.
No, there is nobody named
D. Dennison . . . Even though
Dennis Serras hails from New
York, coming here to attend
University of Michigan, he
has been called Detroit Den-
nis . . . Hence the name .. .
shortening Detroit to D. and
lengthening Dennis to Den-
nison . . . Voila! D. Dennison's.
The original opening of D.
Dennison's, Farmington Hills,
had Ed Wagner as general
manager . . . He is still the
g.m. . . . and one of seven
employees who have been
there since the opening .. .
Pam Mitchell, waitress; Jim
Darmer, waiter; Kathy Col-
pean, waitress; Jan Larion,
bartender; and Tina Potter,
bartender . . . Other fine
waitpersons like Karen
Kleinfelt have the smiling ef-
ficiency Ed, Dieter, Dennis
and Mike want and expect
from their servers.
D. Dennison's, Farmington
Hills, is a seven-day operation
. . . Monday to Thursday,
11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday
and Saturday 11 a.m. to mid-
night; and Sunday, 4 p.m. to
9 p.m.
I like the look of D. Den-
nison's kitchen with all line
cooks wearing caps . . . In
fact, everyone there who
works with food is required to -'•14
cover their head . . . some-
thing which should be a prac- a1
tice at all restaurants.
It's just one of the little
things that come from a lot of
experience . . . This you cer-
tainly have in Dieter Boehm,
Dennis Serras and Mike Gib-
bons, on their way celebrating
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11 years at D. Dennison's,
Farmington Hills . . . en route
to restaurant number 11 in a
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very well-run Mainstreet Ven-
tures chain that is still
growing.
MAIL DEPT. . . . from Ar-
nold Wisper . . . "We are
former Detroiters, left for Los
Angeles in February 1961.
Your recent column where
you mentioned Modern Deli
triggered some memories for
me. After my bar mitzvah, my
uncle, Lew Wisper, let me
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D. Dennison's
celebrates
11 years in
Farmington Hills
with a diversified
menu and a
popular, intimate
setting.
work as an usher at the
Picadilly and Fenkell
theaters, which he owned, for
25 cents per hour.
"This was in 1934, so I can
assure you that Modern Deli
was operating in 1934. Max
was behind the counter,
brother Harry cleaned tables,
ran errands, etc., and 'Ma'
Kruegel was at the cash
register. I took my parents to
Modern for lunch on their an-
niversary in my usher's
uniform. When it came time
to pay the check, I found I had
left my $2 in my street clothes
in my locker at the theater.
`I approached 'Ma' Kruegel
with tears in my eyes and ex-
plained the situation in sotto
voce. She looked at me and
said, 'Guess what, you won
the prize for today, three free
lunches. Congratulations!'
She was terrific!"
GOOD WAITER Dept. . . .
Todd English . . . evenings at
Mario's on Second . . . smiling
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