Sizzle. Sizzle. An Owner-Working Chef Creates Detroit Masterpiece (Ahh, the lovely sound of Bouquet? tasty Spring Steakhouse Specials.) DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST W Bouquets' Spring Steakhouse specials feature Mesquite Grilled Black Angus Beef '15.95 $16.95 $17.95 New York Sirloin Steak Filet Mignon Prime Rib (a full pound) All entrees are served with fresh spring vegetables and oversized baked potato. Validated Valet Parking is avail- able for you. Reservations are suggested. (313) 827-4000 At the GRadisson. PLAZA HOTEL AT TOWN CENTER 1500 ToWri Center Southfield, Michigan 48075 We NOV!. A I $ 1‘ HaVe 13 JAW G el!A . '", ftdayls.. 3-6 p4 pay on 1/2 OFF/ Weft Drinks Dr% Beers TWO-For- ONE ADMISSION , With This Ad lbsrbigfydzida Fri. Night or Sat. Late Show ONLY Not valid with Dinner Show Package Appearing this week! LEO DUFOUR SEAN HUNTER JERRY MINOR Complete Prime Rib Dinner Special Mon. St Tues. Friday, Juneiliat t30 p.m Saturday, Jung19att008,10:30p.m. Includee your choice of Pitcher show, #.00 inc. parson, ONLY $10.95 1 _ 0 / 4Ppi, DINNER SHOW PACKAGE $34.95 per Couple Complete Carry-out Available MOOSE JAW GRILLE & COMEDY CELLAR 1655 Glengary at Benstein • Walled Lake Intomiation/Reservations Open 7 Days Lunch & Dinner 313) 960-3388 WE FEATURE FALAFEL Restaurant Mideastern & American Cuisine 27060 Evergreen At 1-696 & 11 in Lathrup Landing Cr) 559-9099 LU • Lamb Chops • Shish Kabob • Tabbouli • Stuffed Grape Leaves (Veg. & Reg.) • Bar-B-Q Ribs & Chicken • Etc. Cr) RAW JUICE BAR With Fresh-Squeezed fruits & Vegetables I Catering Available For All Occasions' LU CC r Buy One Entree At Regular Price Get Second Entree Equal or Lesser Value LU LU 78 HALF THE PRICE! 0 • Dine In Only • With Coupon • 1 Coupon Per Couple • Not Valid With Other Offers Expires 6-30-93 JN hen a dining artist has earned the rep- utation and respect of being a chef's chef, he or she can do little wrong in the kitchen. His or her food preparations usually meet all the re- quirements for good taste, healthful eating, balanced cuisine and colorful presen- tation. And then there is the price . . . This factor is many times, among other things, deter- mined by the executive chefs food cost. In the case of Joe Beato, owner/chef of Il Centro Ristorante on Lothrop, be- tween Second and Third in back of the Fisher Building, he was not only manager of Michigan's 1992 Culinary Olympic Team that won five gold medals in Frankfurt, Germany, last October, but also its administrator, hand- ling financial matters. Joe knows food . . . how to buy it and ways of prepara- tion . . . He is a many-faceted chef . . . not only presenting numerous variations in nor- thern Italian dining but able to do so while keeping the cost down . . . The result at his Il Centro Ristorante .. . good food at reasonable prices. This Aug. 16 will be the se- cond anniversary of Joe's popular restaurant. When he opened the doors, people came because it was new . . . However, in the se- cond year, about 80 percent have returned, a remarkable figure in the restaurant business . . . Il Centro previously was Fisher's Up- town Cafe (formerly Fisher's 666), which had very little evening business prior to his taking over and closing for two months to remodel .. . This has been reversed by Joe with suburbanites coming in droves now. Standbys still include yummy focaccia bread with tomato sauce and oregano, surrounded by virgin olive oil for dipping, that is brought after people are seated .. . Folks like the appetizer plate of stuffed salmon with arti- chokes wrapped in phyllo dough; beef tenderloin car- paccio, lentel salad and roasted and marinated vegetables. Health items are still featured at Il Centro . . . lower in cholesterol, fat and-sodium . . . Among Joe's many-itemed lunch and dinner menus are numerous dishes for custo- mers watching their bodies . . . A northern Italian restau- rant, normally with its use of cream sauses, would be a most unlikely eating estab- lishment to have this type of food available . . . But remember, Joe Beato is not just an ordinary chef . . . and can do wonders with edibles. He was named 1992 Chef of the Year by his peers of Michigan Chefs du Cuisine Association . . . an award he also received in 1987 . . . Chefs are not eligible to receive the honor again for five years after the previous one . . . Otherwise, who knows how many times Joe would have won it. When he was executive chef at Henry Ford Hospital prior to opening Il Centro, conjur- ing those great dishes for the Ford family, VIPs, etc., Joe had already made his high mark in the culinary world . . . He started cooking when 14 years old in Switzerland . . . and had been a dishwasher for only three weeks before a head chef took him under his wing . . . Because of Joe's age, Swiss law dictated that he could on- ly cook at hotels and farms, where Joe would clean carpets in the morning and prepare food during lunch. Some of those wonderful delicacies people used to eat at Hugo's years back in the Park Shelton Hotel were made by Joe Beato, not Up Ugolini. Joe makes his own pasta . . . Customers are very big on this . . . His veal selections are wise choices as are the menu seafood listings . . . Among Joe's best sellers is the broiled Norwegian sal- mon with sauteed bell pep- pers, garlic and fresh virgin olive oil . . . The fresh fishes of the day are chosen often. "People still want value," says Joe. "You can't cheat them out of quality and por- tions. They don't want heavy sauces either. The trend is still on the healthy side and fresh food has to have a good look in its presentation." .. . He also has found that people are demanding more chicken and veal dishes . . . It goes without saying that pasta in its many forms is still the Italian favorite. Occasionally, Joe will cook in the lobby on a rolling cart as people walk by their tables . . . Folks get a whiff and many times will just say to the waitperson, "Give me what Joe's cooking." Il Centro Ristorante has a warm environment of in- timacy . . . something you would expect from someone whose life has been devoted to food preparation and the im- portance of surroundings for its enjoyment . . . He is a cer- tified executive chef in both Canada and the United States. The New Yorkish look of Il Centro is cozy . . . Mahogany wood walls, striped drapes, striped chairs, red linen napkins, white linen table- cloths covered with paper for Because of Joe's age, Swiss law dictated that he could only cook at hotels and farms. customers to doodle on with the crayons supplied . . . Children don't have a monopoly on doodling . . . a lot of adults love it, too. General Manager Mike Leachman has been with Joe since opening . . . he was one of his better waitpersons and rewarded for fine and loyal service. Entertainment at Il Centro Ristorante is every Saturday evening with guitar and mandolin playing Italian melodies. Another new venture for Joe Beato is his newly-opened Il Centro In The Park outside the former Normandie on Grand Boulevard . . . It is a carry-out, open Monday- Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with people eating on the grass or at tables while enjoy- ing the park atmosphere .. . On Fridays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., are outdoor concerts with everything from rock to jazz to pop to whatever. Il Centro Ristorante is open seven days a week . . . Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to