Po st
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Will Be Open
FATHER'S DAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 20
4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Bring Dad For A Wonderful
Dinner At One Of Metropolitan
Detroit's Finest Restaurants
Reservations Suggested
28875 Franklin Rd. at 12 Mile & Northwestern • 358-3355
. 0001 , 8
on
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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!
WATERFORD • 68346 36
Highland Road (M-59) at Pontiac Lake Rd.
BIRMINGHAM • 645-030 0
Maple Rd. & Lahser
FARMINGTON HILLS • 855460 4
of Middlebett)
Northwestern Hwy. (W•
ROYAL OAK • 54-800 0
Woodward, 6 blocks N. of 13 Mile Rd.
--------------
Large Pizza
or Antipasto Salad
Out 1
Dine In or-Carry
--- -
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31•1 Expires 6-30-93
‘PIEIPIAny
AMERICAN IIINFRAERAYURANT
15800 Middlebelt Between 5 and 6 Mile • Livonia • 5224600
Father's Day Dinner
12 Noon - 10 p.m.
w
$10.95
$8.95 Stuffed Trout
Fresh Roast Turkey w/Stuffing
$12.95
Baked Bone-Ham w/Raisin Sauce $8.95 Prime Rib Au Jus
$8.95 NY Steak and Shrimp $13.95
Roast 1/2 Chicken w/Stuffing
$9.95 Prime Split Lamb Chops $16.95
Roast Leg of Lamb
Lake Superior Broiled White Fish $10.95
C/)
*Includes soup, salad, main come, potato,
dessert and coffee, tea or soft drink
$8.95 - $16.95
LU
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CC
CD
LU
72
DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS
From $3.25 - $4.95
DAILY DINNER SPECIALS
From $5.95 - $8.95
Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-12 Mid.
Sat. 12 noon- 12 Mid., Sun. 12 noon-10 p.m.
10% SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT Amp.
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•
Also loin Os at Emilri's of Fannington
33200 Grand River, I blk. E. of Farmington Rd,
Recalling Great Traditions
At An Old Detroit Standby
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
H
ere we are, sitting at
the Caucus Club on
the ground floor of
Congress Avenue's Pe-
nobscot Building . . . It's 1993
but while waiting to talk with
Mary Belloni, the new owner
with husband Richard Bel-
loni, our minds cloud into the
past.
This is the Dickensian
sister to the New Yorkish
London Chop House across
the street . . . Surrounded by
cool wall panels, relaxing is
part of the theme . . . Service
is about as impeccable as it
can be . . . and the menu not
only offers one of the town's
best wine listings but also the
same selections that the Lon-
don Chop House carries.
Detroit businessmen and
businesswomen enjoy the
Caucus Club for lunch with a
variety of gourmet sand-
wiches that share equal
popularity with Jim Beard's
hamburger steak, Pancho
Burger and Dover sole .. .
The last item is, in a word,
sublime, and consistently so
. . . Many top decisions and
wise judgments have been
made over expertly-prepared
cocktails at this chic, in-
feeling restaurant.
The white-haired man with
the narrow tie and beatific
smile sitting with us is Les
Gruber, who has taken time
off from across the street to
join me for dinner . . . Les
says he likes to eat at the
Caucus Club because Chef
Pancho Valez makes the same
food for both places and jok-
ingly adds that it is cheaper
here than the London Chop
House.
We are soon joined by his
brother and partner, Sam
Gruber, a large man with iron
gray hair and the presence of
a benign Israeli general.
They've probably just in-
vented a new drink (or
another way of drinking an
old one), or managed to
engineer a subtle improve-
ment in the cream chantilly,
or to convince the chef that
the new recipe by Sam's wife,
Alice, for chopped chicken
livers is, in fact, superior to
the prior version . . . Les' wife,
Cleo, isn't a bad cook herself
. . . The two Gruber brothers
are always thinking of in-
novations, like the Bull Shot
that originated at the Caucus
Club . . . a seasoned Bloody
Mary with vodka, beef bouil-
lon, house seasoning, squeeze
of lemon and celery stick.
Les and Sam had come
across the street to meet that
new girl they recently hired
. . . Some of the customers say
she's pretty good but will
never go places because of her
looks and the way she dresses
. . . Les and Sam listen to the
lassie and go about eating
their dinner . . . Les recom-
mends the twin tournedos of
beef tenderloin with bear-
naise sauce and Sam suggests
that jumbo piece of Dover sole
almondine . . . The girl, Bar-
bra Streisand, doesn't overly
impress them, but the food
does.
Here comes Mary and we
are slapped back into reality
... Les is gone; Sam lives in
Las Vegas and the London
Chop House is no more.
The legendary Caucus
Club, however, continues to
exist, and its whole effect is
still slick and polished .. .
The decor and appointments
are handsome and comfort-
able . . . The booths and
chairs seem designed for you.
Actually, the Caucus Club
has a dual personality .. .
During the day it is a favorite
luncheon spot for business
guys and gals . . . These
serious, well-dressed types
meet there for lunch during
the day, have a drink or- two,
and I suppose transact their
business . . . After dark, it
becomes a favorite rendez-
vous for theatergoers and peo-
ple just out on the town.
Even the layout of the
Caucus Club is a little dif-
ferent . . . There is a back din-
ing room ... In between is the
original two-man kitchen
that at one time used to put
out about 250 dinners a
night.
Those little, original, full-
bodied ceramic Ibbys are still
there, as is the same look of
nostalgia with its wines in
cases on the walls, waitper-
sons all wearing tuxedos, the
back room with heavy mahog-
any, artifacts on walls, heavy-
padded booths, hanging
lamps, glass dividers of etch-
ed glass that Les had sent
here from France, etc.
The front dining room still
has that dark paneling, Tif-
fany lamps hang along with
the low-hanging lamps as
before on long wires . . . Print
tablecloths have white linen
triangles and white linen
napkins.
It is clean . . . so neat . . . so
intimate and cozy . . . with
seating 150 between the two
rooms . . . It is the same
Caucus Club . . . that famous
one . . . which parents have
told their children about .. .
and many of the children still
tell their offspring . . . The
place where celebrities used
to hang out and on any given
evening continue to do so
today.
The Caucus Club opened in
1952 and has weathered ups
and downs to master the
elements of time . . . Mary
and Richard bought it on
April 12, 1992 . . . "It is a
place that possesses you,"
says Mary, who was a wait-
ress there from 1991 to 1993.
Head bartender Carlos
Alvarez has been at Caucus
Club 40 years . . . Mike Ibmic,
day waiter 35 years . . . Mary
Marino, day manager since
The new Caucus
Club keeps old
traditions.
1958 . . . Miguel Hernandez
since 1979 as evening wait-
person and manager . . .
Years ago, 16-year-old Arthur
Calloway was a dishwasher
. . . Now, 22 years later, after
working under Milos Cihelka
and Pancho Valez at the Lon-
don Chop House, is Caucus
Club's executive chef.
The very prestigious Dining
Distinction Awards have been
given to Caucus Club through
many years . . . A number of
the traditional menu items
are still there . . . those
beautiful tournedos of beef,
the famous shoe-string and
cottage-fried potatoes, beef-
steak tartare, Dover sole,
Detroit baby embers bar-b-q
ribs, London broil, etc., plus
five fish dishes, five salads,
five cold plates, six grilled
choices, three pastas, veal pic-
cata, etc. . . . And, of course,
' those sandwiches, of which
there are few better
anywhere.
On a day's notice it will
have whatever people can
remember from yesteryears
. . . that wonderful duck with
lingonberries, duck l'orange,
duck cavalos with apples,
raisins and glazed with apple-