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There's Great Food
In A Beautiful Back Room
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
T
CLASSIC COFFEE HOUSE
207 S. WOODWARD AVE., DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM
(NM TO BIRMINGHAM THEATRE)
THE ENVOY CAFE
Casual Dining
DAILY LUNCH &
DINNER SPECIALS
JA Z ON WtEKE S
Friday & Saturday Starting at 9 p.m.
33210 W. 14 Mile at Fqfpinion Rd.
West Bloomtteld
Serving From: Mon.-Thurs. 11-10,
Fri. & Sat. 11-11
855-6220
B
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'The Simone Vitale
Band is an assurance
of a great evening."
D
Danny Raskin, Jewish News
• Weddings
• Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
• Atutiversaries
• Private Parties
FOR ALL YOUR
HAPPY OCCASIONS
(810) 544-7373
a a
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88
THE GREAT AMERICAN INVESTMENT
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he expression, "Fresh and tomers suggested that he and
fantastic Middle Eastern wife Therese open a restaurant
cuisine" is used many times so they could sit and eat his won-
by like restaurants in de- derful food ... In 1988, with his
scribing their food ... But only cousin naming the restaurant,
one is so highly concentrated on Steve's Back Room opened on
this ... that even its letterhead Kelly Road in Harper Woods.
says these important words,
Steve's Back Room West
And significant they are ... es- Bloomfield is a take off on the
pecially the fresh ... when used Eastside operation ... Therese
as a truthful statement rather Kalil painstakingly tweaked all
than wishful thinking or a re- her recipes that have been passed
mark from the head instead of down through the family and de-
the heart.
veloped a very highly rated
Steve's Back Room West menu.
Bloomfield, that opened its doors
Steve Jr., who helps operate
March 9, 1995, on Orchard Lake Steve's Back Room West Bloom-
Road, behind Dunham's, near 14 field, worked for noted chef Wolf-
Mile and Northwestern Hwy., is gang Puck in Santa Monica and
the former Sultan's site, but with taught him how to make falafil
a new interior look ... and menu salad ... A favorite Wolfgang
items that are rapidly attracting Puck dish now is his falafil salad
discerning diners.
The fresh, homemade
dishes, some of which
are not seen at any oth-
er Middle Eastern
restaurant hereabouts,
are now in a surround-
ing that might have been
previously thought of but
never done.
Instead of being cut
up as before, Steve's
Back Room West Bloom-
field took out a number
of booths and made a
more open area where
people can see each oth-
er instead of seemingly
being hidden ... Also
added is a complete car-
ry-out setup ... Seating
was reduced from 95 to Steve Khalil, Barney Ales, Steve Khaki Jr.
85, but is now a much
more pleasant and non-claustro- with crabmeat ... Steve Jr. was
phobic setting.
a waiter, but Wolfgang's curiosi-
Why the name Steve's Back ty about Middle Eastern food also
Room? ... It's a story in itself ... had him teaching the renowned
of when Steve Kalil used to man- chef about Middle Eastern dish-
ufacture Middle Eastern pastries es.
which were sold at his retail store
Barney Ales, a customer at the
in Harper Woods, Kalil Mediter- Harper. Woods restaurant, was
ranean Pastries and Gourmet told of Steve Jr.'s interest in mu-
Foods, the first wholesaler of Mid- sic, and got him the post of run-
dle Eastern pastries in the Mid- ning a publishing company for
west.
Lionel Richie in California.
Its demand for phyllo dough
Barney wanted Steve Kalil Sr.
with which to make the pastries, to bring a Steve's Back Room to
grew so high that the two major the northwest; and when he saw
manufacturers, Athens and Apol- the former Sultan's was for sale,
lo, awarded Steve sole distribu- Barney asked him to open it as
tion in the state of Michigan.
his partner.
Before long, expansion at the
Today, Steve Jr. cooks, serves,
Harper Woods store was next washes dishes, and does what-
door into a larger complex with ever is necessary, along with run-
the introduction of prepared. Mid- ning Steve's Back Room West
dle Eastern food ... The packag- Bloomfield.
ing area and Steve's office were
The formerly cut-up Sultan's
in the rear ... and when people restaurant now has a much
came to see him, they'd be told, brighter look to it ... The black
"He's in the back room" .... Cus- and gray decor is gone and in its
stead are beige and jewel tones
(burgundies, blues, greens) ...
Also created is a carry-out section
with pre-packaged items to go ...
plus a full line of Middle Eastern
frozen foods, beer, wine, gourmet
jams, jellies, etc.
The food at Steve's Back Room
West Bloomfield is made by
Therese, Steve and Steve Jr. ...
All recipes are primarily
Therese's ... She does most of the
cooking at both restaurants ...
spending every other day at each
one.
Barney had been a customer
in Harper Woods since 1989 ...
and was one of many communi-
ty-ites who traveled to Steve's
Back Room on Kelly between 7
and 8 Mile.
He is former president and
chief operating office of Motown
Records ... starting in 1960 as
vice president of sales and spend-
ing four years to 1980 as its pres-
ident ... when Motown's Stevie
Wonder topped the world charts
with his hit album, "Songs For
a Key of Light" that sold 20 mil-
lion ... and Marvin Gaye's single,
"What's Going On" that reached
the 3 million mark ... Many folks
will also remember Barney from
back in 1958 when he was with
Capitol Records as salesman and
branch manager ... And being
partner with Johnny Kaplan,
Henry Drose and Harvey Kahn
in Aurora Distributing Co.
The engagement ring Barney
bought for wife, Mitzi, was from
Henry Abrams, then at Hall Dis-
tributors on 12th St., owned by
Barney's brother-in-law, Milt
Fantich, with brothers Julius,
Jack and Max Fantich.
Barney is big on Middle East N
em dining ... stemming from