Oakland Universit 's

NI EA E DO W•13
A R OO
R K

A Professional Theatre

The

hiss M

erie

by Tennessee Williams

March 16 - April 9

A special 50th
anniversary
production of an
American classic

"A magnificent play"

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—New York Times

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FOR TICKET
INFORMATION CALL
MEADOW BROOK
THEATRE
(810) 377-3300

Presented with the
generous support of

aca

77Cof
--

(810) 645-6666

MICP1p71 1,111,11

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,r115n.,

HUDSON'S, HARMONY HOUSE
& BLOCKBUSTER MUSIC

HITCH'S H

BANQUET ROOMS AVAILABLE
FOR ANY OCCASION

From 100 to 400

Creative Ideas For Your Favorite
Bar Mitzvah, Etc. Theme Parties
And Everything From
Fresh Fruit Bars To Elaborate Sweet Tables
At Reasonable Prices

Complete Personalized Service By Georgiann Mitchell

For More Information, Please Call Juanita

810-666-4440

6685 Highland Road, Across From Oaldand•Pontim Airport • Pontiac, Mich.

4 111111,

M A R C H 3, 1995

Michigan's Most Unique Little
Gourmet Restaurant

72

GIORGIO'S

At Diner Prices!
Your Host:

George Golematis

Greenfield at Lincoln

968-4060

Oak Park

Dark And Murky Name
Belies The Food, Atmosphere

DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST

D

fining in the cellar of a
restaurant has a certain
charm ... for the first and,
in most instances, an only

visit.
Mushroom Cellar, however, is
far from being any old murky
basement, where food and drink
of sorts are substandard and the
atmosphere condusive for any-
thing but.
Located beneath a four-star
restaurant would automatically
make it among the best ... if only
for reputation sake ... And Mush-
room Cellar, under the presti-
gious Golden Mushroom on the
N.W. corner of 10 Mile and
Southfield has certainly upheld
the high standards for which its
upstairs parent has gained
prominence.
With its own separate en-
trance off 10 Mile, or going down
the Golden Mushroom stairs,
where walls are decorated by
Golden Mushroom honors and
awards, Mushroom Cellar, to
many, is even called their own
private club, although open wide
to the public.
It had been a banquet area
...until the spring of 1973, a year
after opening of the Golden
Mushroom ...when converted into
a cocktail lounge with banquet
chairs and a stand-up only bar.
Furniture hadn't arrived yet,
but some people enjoyed Mush-
room Cellar so much that they
brought in their own bar stools ...
Rattan rakes and mushrooms
used to hang from the rafters and
plaster cast animal heads were at
booths where mirrors now hang.
The bar at Mushroom Cellar is
a story in itself ... where regular
customers, even out-of-town
guests, are recognized with bronze
plaques inserted by owner Reid
Ashton ... He began the practice
in 1976 when customer Mary
Whipple was retiring from the for-
mer Maple House on Southfield
... Somebody suggested retiring
her chair at the Mushroom Cellar
... and Reid came up with the idea
of remembering others, too.
The large 30-seater angular
bar that extends almost across
the entire room, has about 400 or
500 plates under lamination with
names and dates, inserted by
Reid in a grouting and plasticiz-
ing method ... People from all
walks of life are named ... Richard
Steinik, Dave Bing, Alan Kaplan,
Natalie Cole, Tom Jones, Gil Hill,
Mel Farr, Soupy Sales, Ron Rose,
George Benson, etc.
The clubby New Yorkish
Mushroom Cellar isn't just an-
other downstairs operation ... It

is comfortable, intimate and ca-
sual ... Guests come in wearing
anything from jeans to suits and
dresses and sit amid high-backed
padded booths, dark woods and
rose and gray colorings.
Sure there's pizza and sand-
wiches, but also dinner courses
of grilled chicken cutlets with stir-
fried vegetable and bean sauce;
sesame rock shrimp; fettucine
with wild mushrooms; broiled
scrod, etc. ... Also lobster bisque,
Golden Mushroom soup and soup
du jour ... And appetizers of house
smoked salmon, escargots, oys-
ters on the half shell, salads and
desserts ... Dinner entrees include
choice of house or Caesar salad
and bread basket.
Golden Mushroom Executive

There are health dishes like
broiled scrod, tomato, cucumber
and red onion vinaigrette, and
new potato; grilled chopped veal
and chicken medallions with a
lemon-garlic glaze, brown rice
and garden vegetable... Also
sandwiches, pastas, house-
made desserts, ice cream and
sorbets.
Hours at Mushroom Cellar are
Monday through Friday lunch,
11:30 a.m.to 3 p.m; Monday
through Friday dinner 5 p.m. to
midnight; Saturday drinks only,
5:30 p.m. to midnight.
Mushroom Cellar at Golden
Mushroom has many well-
groomed faces ... And well it
would, being beneath such an ex-
cellent and acclaimed restaurant.

Mushroom Cellar's Reid Ashton

Chef Steve Allen prepares a fine
array of hors d' oeuvres daily
from 5 p.m. ... and the wine list
has more than 800 vinos to
choose from, including over 20
single malt scotches, one of Michi-
gan's largest collections.
Lunch at Golden Mushroom's
Mushroom Cellar includes choice
of tole slaw, house or Caesar sal-
ad ... and the likes of Canadian
whitefish saute in almond crust
with a shrimp and vermouth
sauce; skillet steak saute of
mushrooms and onions, with
mashed potatoes and vegetable;
grilled salmon nicoise with green
beans, tomatoes, onions, potatoes,
olives and herbed vinaigrette.

.

And like with many parents of
note, a little of Golden Mushroom
has rubbed off on it.
But the fact remains that cozy,
intimate Mushroom Cellar has
all the necessary ingredients to
stand on its own at what could be
considered a good, solid neigh-
borhood place to go ... and with
off-white Villeroy & Bosch china
to boot.
AN ERA OF restaurant own-
ership ended with the recent
passing of Sol Boesky.
All five brothers were togeth-
er in the early '30s at the Boesky's
on Farnsworth and Hastings ...
and each branched out for him-
self.

L\'