Oakland Universit 's MEADOW•BROOK T HE A T R E A Professional Theatre Hiarious Comedy! I Hate Ham A Delicious Taste by Paul Rudnick February 9- March 5 The ghost of John Barrymore returns to coach a young star in the role of a lifetime! Of An Ancient Cuisine DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST W hen people speak of ad- ventures in dining, the usual reference is to "A definite restaurants whose cui- sine has gained a measure of note crowd-pleaser" because of their diverse popular- — Associated ity. Press Almost all types of ethnic restaurants are candidates to fall FOR TICKET into this category ... Italian, INFORMATION CALL Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Russ- MEADOW BROOK ian, Mexican, Greek, Spanish, THEATRE etc. ... But one is seldom thought Presented with (810) 377-3300 of ... and offers a unique and the generous most educational experience. support of When Seifu Lessanework, an 77LKE-r4444-STER ® Ethiopian Jew, opened his Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant in (810) 645-6666 1983, since moved from Wood- and adtural HUDSON'S, HARMONY HOUS ward and Alexandrine, it was & BLOCKBUSTER MUSIC mainly through curiosity that many diners ventured there ... After all, it was and still is the =III =IN MIMI 1111111111 only Ethiopian restaurant in Michigan. But by the time Seifu had transferred his operation to the fourth floor of Trapper's Alley on Monroe in 1984, a large number of persons from everywhere had heard of his Blue Nile, with INN its total authenticity of foods, preparations and presen- tation. In 1987, Seifu moved again, this time to the second floor at one-time trading post Trapper's Alley in Greektown, on the cor- ner of Monroe and Beaubien, where a large stand-out sign beckons diners to its outside en- trance of what had once been a bank for trappers ... The teller windows area is still there, even a large cage and glass door in front and former vault Valid Mondays thru Thursdays Only which Seifu uses as a storage room. Coupon Dates 2/10 - 2/16/95 The food of Ethiopia, its prepa- 43317 East Grand River, Novi (810) 305 5856J ration, presentation and style of consuming, are the revelation of much gastronomic knowledge on go go go go go 40, goo go go go goo go go go a centuries-old dining custom. Although the food is a distinct BRING HER TO standout because of its extreme good health factors, probably the most interesting appearance of PLACE VALENTINE'S DAY Ethiopian dining is its manner of service. SHE'LL LOVE HOW YOU SAVE MONEY! F Prior to and after eating, din- r ers are given hot towels ... Home- r made injera, a flat, light, spongy and porous bread serves as both plate and utensil ... Foods are mounded on injera, which is spread out on a messob, a hand- • 1 COUPON PER ORDER • 1 COUPON PER ORDER woven wicker that has tradition- • DINE IN OR CARRY-OUT • DINE1N OR CARRY-OUT ally served as a table, with wicker • EXPIRES 2-16-95 L • EXPIRES 2-16-95 JN JN fL cover to keep food warm if people OPEN 7 DAYS, 11 A.M. TO 12 MID. get up for any reason ... Diners break off small pieces of the un- 31006 ORCHARD LAKE RD. AT 14 • Farm. Hills • 851-7000 leavened injera to place food into fiklo 40 WI 410 41/ qP 110 ir the mouth. Guests sit on little chairs with small glass-top tables on the side for the excellent Ethiopian wine and wonderful Ethiopian tea ... In Washington, D.C., there are 28 Ethiopian restaurants on one block, and some smaller ones around the country ... Blue Nile is the only one that serves au- thentic Ethiopian honey wine and Ethiopian tea which is so good that Seifu now sells the leaves in jars ... In the Ethiopi- an diet, there is no cane sugar ... However, when you drink this tea, it is noticeably sweet and preparation, of course with re- frigeration too, is still retained by Blue Nile. Skin is removed from chicken which has been marinated overnight in lemon juice ... Acid from the lemon breaks down the fat, and chicken is then rinsed and cooked in special herbs. Since lamb is noted as a very fatty animal, special effort must be made for fat removal ... The result is a sweet and tasty fin- ished product low in saturated fat. arts r ENJOY CASUAL DINING AT OUR NEW NOVI LOCATION RIBS • OYSTERS • SEAFOOD • STEAKS I I 20%0FF ENTIRE BILL WITH THIS AD T HE DE TRO IT J EWIS H NEWS - HE- YAKD SLAB FOR 2 $2 OFF AR.B a CHICKE FOR 2 $2 OFF Blue Nile's Seifu Lessanework. light ... The reason is its natural ingredients of orange peel, lemon peel, clove, camomile, rosehips, wood betony and cinnamon ... Af- ter the tea is steeped for about five minutes, it produces a truly excellent taste. Best seller at Blue Nile is the Ethiopian feast of vegetables ga- lore prepared like people have never tasted, along with lamb, beef or chicken, $14.90 per per- son, but all you want ... A normal way of ordering for two people, as example, would perhaps be poul- try, lamb or beef dishes and a cou- ple of vegetables ... Unless, naturally, all vegetables are re- quested ... Prices for these are most reasonable. The health in Ethiopian din- ing has a large influence on to- day's dining habits ... Excess fat is removed before serving ... When there was no refrigeration in Ethiopia, special techniques were developed to preserve food- stuffs ... This authenticity of Only lean beef _is served at Blue Nile from red USDA choice cuts that have been thoroughly fat-trimmed. If you are a coffee drinker, you may know that it was first grown in Ethiopia thousands of years ago ... The first coffee crops were raised in a place called Kaffa, thus the name coffee ... Blue Nile grinds and brews its coffee from Ethiopian beans. The food, although based on a variety of spices, is far from spicy ... And is extremely flavor- ful. When Seifu first opened Blue Nile, he was no stranger to the restaurant business ... Sear had been a head cook in Ethiopia and a sous chef ... The latter was with the Hilton International Compa- ny, for which he worked from 1969 through 1982, plus being food and beverage manager, a post Seifu also served for Chuck Muer ... He was regional man- ager for Chuck's restaurants