446, Fine Catering for all occasions 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 TUES. THRU SAT. EVERY MONDAY NIGHT SUZI MARSH LARRY AND NOZERO DAN WARREN QUARTET For Your Listening and Dancing Pleasure 28875 FRANKLIN RD. at Northwestern Hwy. & 12 Mile Southfield 358-3355 Plan The perfect Party! * All-you-can-eat pizza and salad packages for groups of 15.100 * In Buddy's party room. * Carry-out service for your office party. * Call for reservations today! FARMINGTON HILLS • 855-4604 HILLS MIddlebelt) Northvmstem Hwy. ROYAL OAK • 549-8000 Woodard, 8 blocks N. of 13 Mile Rd. 00 OFFAny Large Pizza or Antipasto Salad Dine In or CHINESE RESTAURANT THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS r 8 CANTONESE • SZECHUAN • MANDARIN CUISINES •SPECIAL • DINNER FOR TWO CHOICE OF 2 DISHES: • General Tso's Chicken • Almond Chicken • Sweet and Sour Shrimp • Mongolian Beef • Cantonese Beef Lomein • Broccoli Chicken • Cashew Chicken • Subgum Wonton $13.95 INCLUDES SOUP, EGG ROLL & FRIED RICE For $1.50 Extra, Choice of: SIZZUNO RICE SOUP (serves 2 people) or HOT & SOUR SOUP (serves 2 people) • 1 Choke only Dine In 01* • W/Coupon • Noi Valid W/Any 4er Coupon Ecp • 4/30/93 LUNCHEON SPECIALS Served 7 Days a Week from $ 3.75 476-6400 37057 Grand River at Halsted Off I-696 and 102 K-Mart Shopping Center Farmington, MI Mon.-Thurs. 1 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 1 1 a.m.-7 1 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m.-9 p.m. "A GREATER TASTE FOR BETTER HEALTH" GRAND eALACE Sometimes Changes Are Not For The Best • DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST W hen restaurant op- erators go back and forth with theme, disaster is many times a result. But when it happens because the restaurateurs realize a mistake and return to the previous successful for- mat, it's a smart move. Experience prevails when the restaurant owners have no such things as foolish pride . . . and concentrate solely on satisfying their customers. This is what has happened at E.G. Nick's on West Maple between Orchard Lake Road and Farmington Road in West Bloomfield. Not only has the original menu come back, but some remodeling brings out the best instead of a decor that had been somewhat dingy with the previous change. And the introduction of items like planked whitefish, a huge success already, has not only added to the E.G. Nick's knack of ingenuity, but also returned an image that Elia Nicholas and Tony Belli have held with high regard. That planked whitefish, famous in Charlevoix, is broiled and served on a wooden board which retains the heat . . . The fish is sur- rounded by duchesse potatoes and a medley of cooked fresh vegetables . . . It is a fact that many people eat first with their eyes . . . and the presen- tation makes for colorful delight. Dr. Norman Lynn, Tony's dentist and an E.G. Nick's customer, told them about the planked whitefish that everybody raves about . . . Elia went up north to check it out and came back ecstatic . . . A friend in Lansing who owns Pistachio's Restaurant has also started to serve it and told Elia how the fish should be prepared . . . Last summer, Tony went up north and also tried the dish . . . He too came back wide-eyed with excitement. The result is that planked whitefish has now become the best seller at E.G. Nick's .. . It used to sell about 100 pounds of whitefish a week . . . but in a short time that . figure has almost tripled. It's back to the basics of good quality food for which E.G. Nick's is known . . . No more horsing around . . . A opened seven years ago .. . mistake was made and and is among the employees thankfully it was caught who join with its customers in before too much damage .. . welcoming back a good thing. Even Elia and Tony can't It is to Elia and Tony's figure out why they changed credit . . . very much so .. . . . . All the two know is that that they were intelligent they took a very stable and enough to realize their devotion-filled restaurant and mistake and do something disenchanted many regular about it . . . Many restaurant customers with the change. owners are funny . . . They A lot of the regulars came refuse to admit mistakes and back but many said they wind up eventually kissing loved the special preparations their customers goodbye . . . and down-to-earth goodness of which can only wind up in the the old menu . . . People like sad end result of a closed door Max Ernst, the late Hanley . . . Odd part of it is that some Elias, Ed Ursher, Fred Miller, continued to think they were Dr. Sid Gilbert, Larry Ribiat, right. Mark Austin, Lou Seligson, E.G. Nick's is to be corn- Mickey and Asa Shapiro, mended . . . and a lot of Mark Morgenroth . . . and the regulars plus the oodles of list goes on. customers who will now come Recapturing the essence of back say thanks. what people always knew CONGRATS . . . to Harold E.G. Nick's was noted for Black . . . on his 80th since opening in February birthday. 1986, has resulted in a lot of LITE OPERA CO. puts on happy customers . . . To say the "Evening at The Opera" nothing of a relieved staff who this Monday, 7 p.m., at can again be proud of the Sultan's Restaurant, Orchard operation where they work. Lake Road and 14 Mile. Elia and rIbny got rid of NO MORE off-beat places everything put into the again for its black-tie shin- "new" theme idea of a year digs . . . and so Variety Club's ago . . . and replaced it with Gold Heart Ball is set for May the as-before warm, comfor- table feeling . . . In one room, the hard-looking gray has been replaced by a soft salmon-colored look with sports pictures on the walls . . . New mahogany and stained glass were added to the lobby . . . The main dining room now has 14 additional 14 at Ritz Carlton Dearborn. booths plus more pictures on Honors will be given to .. . the walls and appropriate- Joseph L. Hudson, Humani- looking floral arrangements. tarian Award; Dr. William Pinsky, Medicine, Science & Plus the excellent planked Technology Award; and Neil white fish . . . new menu Shine, Detroit Free Press, items include cioppino, a San Media Award. Francisco seafood stew that Tim Allen, star of the draws raves, the late Hanley highly-rated TV show, "Home Elias' recipe for coconut Improvement," will be shrimp, amalfitana with featured . . . His stand-up angel hair pasta and seafood comedy began in 1979 when, .. and others. on • a dare, he brought But the E.G. Nick's menu is laughter on stage at Mark back as it was . . . a big drum Ridley's Comedy Castle. roll for this . . . with daily Tickets are $175 per person fresh fish specials, chicken and $250 for patron ducats features, homemade soups, . . . For info, call the Variety Italian specialties, nine office, 258-2511. salads, sandwiches, five Funds raised by the Gold pastas, 10 gourmet pizzas Heart Ball will benefit the plus the regulars, five bar-b-q wonderful work of Variety, dishes, etc. . . . including, of the Children's Charity. course, the always-a-favorite IT'S ALWAYS best to give turkey burger. a restaurant time before re- Chef Frank Agostini has viewing the operation but been at E.G. Nick's since it there was good reason to E.G. Nick's has returned to the old menu. 4 4 4