r LONESTAR COUPON mil 11111111 .N• Z.41, t:: -`,.. , $100 • Cappuccino, Espresso, or your choice of coffee drink GOOD ANYTIME Expires October 11th, 1995 . N., ,,, , :,..‘,7: 1, , '..‘k g... ,,,;; ',.. ••, • • ',. ,t- ",.- ...‘, •••,,, 1.-:,, , , •,,,,,, .: ,..., ' , "...; ',•, , k' ',, , . . ' 0-4 , NN, ....: 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 A N • '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 Q: What investment offers competitive rates great tax advantages '.,complete safety A: U.S. SAVINGS BONDS 88 THE GREAT AMERICAN INVESTMENT 1-800-US-BONDS 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