Restaurant
6066 MAPLE,
North of Orchard lake Rd. •
851-0805
and Carry-Out Dept. next door • 851-8577
Tony Belli & Elia Nichot -as
with their management & staff
Extend- Most Sincere
Wishes For A
Very 51-earthy and - Happy
New Year
To Their Customers and Friends
And Heartily Thank,
Everyone
For Their
Wondeifuta --:,'"
jz71 - 5
Support
01 1:7- .
•
ii/k
Happy New Year
To Our
Customers & Friends
From 4-Star Chef Jack and Linda
HUNAN PALACE
38259 W. 10 Mile Next to Holiday Inn
Farmington Hills
(810) 473-3939
r
C/3
L
20% OFF DINE IN
1 0% OFF CARRY-OUT
(Lunch Menu Not Included)
LU
Cf)
Q: What investment offers
LU
-,,competitive rates
,-
CC
F-
LU
LU
I-
great tax advantages
complete safety
A: U.S. SAVINGS BONDS
THE GREAT AMERICAN INVESTMENT
1-800-US-BON DS
The Artwork Is Not
The Product Of This Gallery
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
hat framed picture on your
left is a collector's item ...
So is the one on your right
T ... Sony, they're not for sale
... That imposing-looking 52-
pound eagle is an antique ... Sor-
ry, it's not for sale ... Hey, what
kind of art gallery is this?
Sorry, it's not an art gallery.
This is the Gallery restaurant
at Bloomfield Plaza on Telegraph
and Maple ... named for its won-
drous maze of framed pictures,
antique brass animals, dishes, ce-
ramic Oriental vases, designer
chandeliers, ginger jars, oil paint-
ings, Oriental wall hangings,
wooden Olympic flame, etc. —
there 200 or more pieces ... and
the only thing for sale is food.
When Stefan Becharas opened
the Gallery on July 18, 1983, he
still owned the original Gallery
Restaurant on 10 Mile and Ever-
green ... But word spread like hot
gravy, and he was serving from
700 to 800 people daily for break-
fast, lunch and dinner at the sec-
ond locale.
Today, 11 years later, Stefan
does well over 1,000 meals a day
in his 124-seater restaurant plus
six counter stools.
One of his noteworthy charac-
teristics of distinction, restaurant
cleanliness, is very apparent ...
Especially on the many spotless,
gleaming mirrors that complete-
ly fill the walls behind The
Gallery's little counter.
It sells a lot of fish and a re-
frigerator holds nothing but wa-
ter catches ... One of the regular
specials is always a broiled fish
of the day ... Biggest sellers are
broiled white fish ($8.25), 150
pounds a week; salmon poached
or broiled ($11), about 100
pounds; and chicken around 500
pounds ... Broiled breast of chick-
en is also skinless ($7.95).
When on 10 Mile Road, which
Gallery restaurant he sold in
1984, Stefan learned his first
Jewish expression, zie gezundt,
from customer Hy Shenkman ...
It was the beginning of a wide
Yiddish repertoire as various cus-
tomers taught him to say shalom,
of long years, and is very proud
of those memorable moments ...
Restaurant guests he knows are
like family members to him.
Its menu is plain and simple
... nothing fancy ... and a black-
board spells out specials like fish
of the day, broiled chicken, stir-
fry chicken, etc. ... Two soups are
homemade daily, mushroom bar-
ley and another which changes
each day ... Although Stefan was
born in Tripoli on the Greek
mainland, and wife Irene on the
island of Chios, the only familiar-
sounding dish is a Greek salad.
The Gallery is like a meeting
place, especially on Sunday
mornings when guys get togeth-
er to cut up jackpots, talk about
Detroit Tiger woes, Detroit Lions'
chances of winning a champi-
onship or how much they lost in
the stock market ... Plus the oo-
dles of two- and three-egg
omelette and scrambled combi-
and all the waitpersons could say
was, "We're going to have it soon."
The moment Stefan moved,
turkey burger was made a part
of the menu, $4.50 ... He has an
enthusiasm for low-salt food, low-
fat items like cottage cheese,
frozen yogurt and others.
There are about 35 sandwich-
es, 15 menu entrees plus many
more specials, five salads, nine
desserts, about 40 breakfast fea-
tures.
Family members are a big
strength working with Stefan ...
Steve Mavrogiorgis, his brother-
in-law, is general manager,
kitchen supervisor and also
jumps in to cook which he has
done for Stefan so many years ...
A sister-in-law, Debbie Gdissis,
is cashier, hostess and floor man-
ager ... Another sister-in-law, He-
len Gerazounis, is hostess and
bookkeeper ... Stefan's mother-
in-law, Maria Mavrogiorgis, pre-
Stefan Becharas In his "Gallery."
nations along with French toast
and five varieties of pancakes ...
Heavy favorites are the lox plate
with lettuce, tomatoes, onions,
sholem aleichem, zol zein mit lox, two bagels and cream cheese,
glick and many more ... Stefan's $9.55; lox and onion omelette,
knowledge of them is now much $5.55; corned beef or salami
larger than a handful ... In fact, omelette, $4.80; scrambled eggs
his customers, 90 percent of with corned beef or salami, $4.45;
whom are Jewish, never know and scrambled eggs with lox and
which one he'll say.
onions, $4.85.
They come from everywhere
On 10 Mile, Gallery never had
... many are of the 10 Mile days, egg white omelettes as are avail-
arriving to eat, look around and able at the present Gallery ...
see Stefan ... but now also with And it didn't serve salmon, stir
their children and grandchildren. fries or pita parmesan, another
He has many good memories big seller at $2.65 ... People
to talk about with his customers would ask for a turkey burger
pares most of the homemade food
and makes the delicious soups.
All have been with him since
he opened the 10 Mile doors and
continue to be of much assistance
to a grateful Stefan ...
Also, Gallery employees from the
first day are Karen Spannos, Agie
Gilmore and Kathie McKinnie,
waitresses working day and night
split-shifts when needed ... His
wife, Irene, comes almost every
day for a few hours to help main-
tain the decor, making sure
everything is clean and, if dam-
aged, replaced where possible ...
Irene also works at home check-
ing the Gallery records ... Their