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Oakland Univer • 's
MEADOW.BROOK
T H E AT R E
SA(4, Wide?ke
Best of blir
MOIR
A Professional Theatre
by Willy Russell
Ht.
JANUARY 6-30
"I ■ L• Yt!
1_, --
One woman's triumph
over the ordinary
A New Italian Place
With Pizza And Pizzazz
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
"A beguiling comedy"
-
Time
"A joyful, captivating
piece of theatre!"
-
N.Y. Daily News
FOR TICKET INFORMATION CALL
MEADOW BROOK THEATRE
(313) 377-3300
••■■
7- icAca-1444A...smr
Presented with the
generous support of
(313) 645-6666
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT
td.k CHRYSLER
CORPORATION
HUDSON'S, HARMONY HOUSE
& SOUND WAREHOUSE
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 .683-3636
Highland Road (14-59) at Pontiac Lake Rd.
BIRMINGHAM • 645-0300
Maple Rd. & Lahser
FARMINGTON HILLS• 855-4604
Northwestern Hwy. (W. of Middlebeit)
ROYAL OAK • 540000
Woodward, 6 blocks N. of 13 Mlle Rd.
- ------------ -------------------- -----------------------------
r
Any Large Pizza
or Antipasto Salad
Dine In or Carry-Out
)N
Expires 1-31-94
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Beau jacks
Food & Spirits
EARLY DINNERS
NOW 7 DAYS
Monday Thru Sunday
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Entrees priced from
$5.75
4108 W. Maple • Birmingham, MI • 1 blovk W. of Telegraph • 626-2630
ust plain old good common
able . . . thus the casual inti-
sense combined with
macy of Prima Diner . . . And
heavy experience many
Larry is a master when it comes
times will rule the roost in
to putting the proper type of
the success or failure of a
menu together for such a
restaurant.
restaurant operation . . . Also,
The New Prima Diner at 10
being the fine restaurateur that
Mile and the southbound
he is, Larry cares about the food
Northwestern Highway service
served and how it is presented
drive, near Evergreen, com-
. . . with a long look at making
bines both to go with its art
certain prices are kept low.
deco, fine food and service.
The original goal of Prima
Owner Larry Bongiovanni
Diner was to have pizza and
has parlayed this combination
pasta in an ultra-modernistic
since his Livonia Nugget
Italian diner setting . . . This
restaurant in 1965 . . . The re-
end has been accomplished, and
sults are 12
Salvatore
Scallopine oper-
ations of which
he is a very suc-
cessful boss-
man.
Being a beau-
tiful restaurant
. . . and Prima
Diner is that .. .
can also have its
drawback if the
boss isn't care-
ful . . . Leaning
too much on
this and allow-
SPON A 3- ,,
ing the essen-
tials of proper
dining to slide
downward can Prima Diner's Larry Bongiovanni.
eventually take its toll . . . Good
both play a large role in the food
common-sense usage and a lot
offerings.
of restaurant know-how by
But it has achieved so much
someone like Larry will not let
more . . . with a widespread
this happen.
menu at breakfast, lunch and
Prima Diner is like a '40s
dinner . . . Everything is made
showpiece . . . another Ron Rea
from scratch, including the
beauty . . . with its colorful or-
sauces and daily-made soups;
ange-and-blue neon tubing on
no cans . . . Potatoes are boiled
the ceiling, varied wall tiles,
and fried at Prima Diner . . . no
wood paneling, brown and beige
taking out of a bag and cooking
tones, custom-made chairs that
or frying . . . Besides the tradi-
blend together looking like
tional square pizzas are round
booths among the tables in a
gourmet-style Italian pies with
wide-open area, etc. . . . A bar
a bevy of fillings to delight a lot
lounge has 12 stools and blue
of palates.
countertop lamps, tables along
The minestrone soup has a
the walls and windows enjoy
taste all its own, full-bodied
lighting from fixtures somewhat
with a lot of fresh vegetables
like those one would likely see
. . . Fresh fish is a daily feature
over drawing boards.
. . . along with 11 pastas, en-
The free-standing 6,000-
trees like Italian Bistecca (mar-
square-foot building was origi-
inated 12 oz. New York strip
nally a Denny's . . . with oodles
steak with sauteed escarole,
of parking all around the edifice
$10.95), Romano-crusted chick-
... It is today a classic example
en served with angel hair pas-
of what can be done to beautify
ta and tomato-basil sauce
a previously dingy appearance.
($9.95), and more ... six salads,
All well and good for a first-
a wide selection of American
time look . . . but this isn't
and Italian breakfasts and
enough to bring customers back
lunch selections.
. . . And here is where the ex-
The 17 sandwiches include a
perience of a Larry Bongiovan-
chicken breast that has been go-
ni comes in.
ing over big ($5.95) . . . mari-
He knows that people like to
nated_ and topped by sweet
return where they are comfort-
peppers and fontina cheese with
j
shredded lettuce and vegetables
. . . An 8 oz. rib-eye steak is
grilled and served as an open-
faced sandwich with roma
tomato, basil and gorgonzola
($7.95) . . . The Italian sausage,
always a favorite, with pepper,
onion and tomato sauce ($5.25)
has brought a lot of people back
for more . . . as has the Prima
classic panini (calabrese salami,
mortadella and cappicola, moz-
zarella, lettuce, tomatoes and
peppers with garlic vinaigrette,
$5.25) . . . There are two types
of burgers ... Italian (six ounces
of ground beef
with cappicola,
mus h rooms,
onions and pro-
volone cheese,
$5.25) . . . the
regular Ameri-
can (3.50) . . . A
good ol' Ameri-
can hotdog? .. .
Of course . . . Re-
member, Larry
Bongiovanni is a
clever res-
taurant man.
The break-
fasts at Prima
Diner are anoth-
er large portion
of the extensive
menu . . .
Omelettes galore, both Italian
and American, frittellas (grid-
dle cakes), cialdi (waffles), pane
francese (French toast), pane
fritti (fried bread dough with
sugar and fresh fruit) . . . Even
a breakfast pizza of scrambled
eggs, peppers and ham, served
with potatoes ($4.25).
Prima Diner, which opened
in December, seats 130 in the
dining room, 40 in the bar-
lounge with its tables and
chairs and 12 bar stools . . . An
outside patio opening around
the first of May will seat
another 65.
Larry also knows how im-
portant it is for on-premise at-
tendance . . . He is at Prima
Diner every day at various
times for whatever chores are
necessary in the running of a
smooth ship.
A good restaurateur like
Larry Bongiovanni has a repu-
tation to uphold . . . he has too
much at stake . . . Any failures
could be a reflection on his 12
Salvatore Scallopine operations
. . . Prima Diner may be a to-
tally different restaurant, but
the results must be the same
. . . successful endeavor what-
ever it takes.
AS RADIO commentator