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EVERYBODY KNOWS
THAT STAR HAS
THE BEST
HOMEMADE TUNA ANYWHERE!
INCLUDING GREAT
HOMEMADE FAT•FREE TUNA!

A New Year Brings
Reflections On Yesteryear

AND

HANDOUT LOX!

DID you KNOW THAT ALL OUR WONDERFUL
SIDE DISHES ARE HOMEMADE?

THESE ARE AMONG THE REASONS WHY WE ARE RATED
ONE OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST LITTLE CARRY-OUT DELIS!

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Meat Tray $5.50 per person

$

Dairy Tray $9.95 per person

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OUR TRAYS CAN'T
BE BEAT
FOR QUALITY & PRICE!

5 OFF

With This Coupon

• Expires 12-31-96
• One Per Customer

DELIVERY
AVAILABLE

• Not Good Holidays
• 10 Person Minimum

STAR DELI

24555 W. 12 MILE, Just West of Telegraph
Smithfield

352-7377

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COUPON

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4 FAMILY ITALIAN DINING & PIZZA I

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4033 W. 12 MILE, 3 Blks. E. of Greenfield
Berkley 548-3650

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DAILY LUNCH & DINNER SPECIALS
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DINING ROOM, CARRYOUT I

• 1 COUPON PER TABLE
• ONLY ONE COUPON PER PURCHASE . NO SEPARATE CHECKS
• EXPIRES 12-31-96
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15% OFF 1

DINE IN OR CARRY-OUT

CLOSED
MONDAYS

Farmington Hills Only

DINE IN
AND
CARRY-OUT

• Not Good With Any Other Discounts
Expires 3-31-96 1111
1 Coupon Per Table or Booth

SIAM SPICY II

AUTHENTIC THAI CUISINE

32425 Northwestern (Bet. Middlebelt & 14 Mile) • 626-2092

74

Visit Our Other Siam Spicy Location, 2438 Woodward, Royal Oak • 545-4305

him over closely, saw that he was Nicholson and Cliff Bell bought
a role in the minds of sober and said, "Why not?" ... the old Seafood Grotto and turned
it into a beauty spot called the
many as we begin 1996 ... That's how it all began.
From the new year on, Tiger Country House that later became
another new year.
One time, just before New Benny, as Frank billed him, be- Topinka's Country House owned
Year's Eve, suave restaurant and came just about the hottest show by Al Balooly on Telegraph and
music man, Frank Gagen, was biz act in Detroit ... He opened an 7 Mile ... The Gold Cup, in the
about to go into his act on the indefinite stay at Gagen's, for- Whittier, was completely rebuilt
bandstand when he was ap- merly Cliff Bell's uptown branch at a cost of $250,000 (big money
proached by an earnest little man and later Beauchamps, on W. Mc- then) ... Eddie Paul spent a like
amount refurbishing the old Sid's,
whose seedy clothing nicely com- Nichols west of Woodward.
I remember catching Tiger owned by Sol Boesky, on E. War-
plemented his rather detached
ren, and Mitch
Benny's act a couple of
air.
Housey's Maison Riv-
He introduced himself as Ben- times and meeting him ...
iera on Jefferson was
ny Cantelli, said he was from He was short, modest
alleged to have cost
Toronto, and asked if he could and self-effacing, pleas-
even more.
sing a couple of numbers ... Frank ant-looking, certainly not
Then Al Green, that
Gagen, because he was Frank handsome ... Benny was
sly knight of the
Gagen, full of Irish wit, warmth, shy and carried on a con-
damper, went and did
imagination and humor, looked versation in subdued
it, too ... He brought
tones ... He had an en- DANNY RASKIN
LOCAL
Cantonese vittles to the
chantingly naive quali-
east side ... Al reached
COLUMNIST
ty and a vaguely
out to Trader Vic's Hon-
wistful air.
But when Tiger Benny got up olulu store for his chef, a gent by
to sing, ah, there was the dif- the name of Shan G. Thin ... For
ference ... It became apparent his bartenders, Al hired a couple
why they called him Tiger ... No of the boys away from Don the
caged-up wild one ever paced Beachcomber's, also in Honolulu.
Between the exotic drinks,
the floor with more intense,
served in strange and wondrous
nervous energy.
The dinner crowds at vessels and made with 151 proof
Gagen's were crazy about rum, and the huge portions of
him. succulent Chinese food, Al's new
For many years, the Hawaiian Room was quite a
Lounge Bar in the former Statler smash.
Russell's Steak House on
Hilton on Washington Blvd.,
where today's Sarah-Lil boss Grand River grew from a hum-
Harold Finegood used to bellhop, ble, side street chili parlor into
had been a favorite meeting place one of Detroit's busiest restau-
for weary shoppers in search of rants ... Originally, Russell's lo-
an energizing cocktail while they cated in one store ... Then it
awaited the arrival of their mates. expanded to two stores ... and
Almost any afternoon, but par- then three stores ... with steaks
ticularly on Saturdays, you could and chops the biggest items.
The food at Joey's Stables on
see them gathering in little knots
of two, four or more persons ... W. Jefferson was uniformly good
The women always looked smart ... Specialty of the house was
and the men, well, they looked chicken paprika, something of a
like men ... Chances were very rarity in Detroit and a great fa-
good that you would meet at least vorite with the lovers of Hungar-
one or two persons or groups with ian vittles ... But it was pretty
whom you were friendly and that much a steak and chop house, al-
though lobster tails were also a
made it all very congenial.
The minute your back was very big un-Hungarian seller.
turned in Detroit, somebody came Ciungan's Shrimp House on
along with a bunch of moola and Southfield in Ecorse, served
opened a restaurant ... Time was shrimp six different ways ... The
when the restaurant population specialty was French fried
in Detroit was fairly stable ... shrimp, but for those who liked
There was Joe Muer's, the Lon- shrimp not French fried, Ciun-
don Chop House, Little Harry's gan's owner, Virgil Ciungan (pro-
and quite a number of good nounced Chin-gun) also served it
restaurants doing business at the Creole, Newburg, sauted, boiled
same stand every year. and cold.
The Clam Shop on E. Grand
Most of the places continued
going strong, but then a million- Blvd., was originally owned by
aire electrical contractor named Dave Goldfine ... Frank van Brus-
Joe Schoenith built a spectacular selen became his partner 10 years
restaurant on the river and called later ... Neither man had any pri-
it the Roostertail ... Mario's Sec- or restaurant experience, but
and Avenue restaurant added a what a great operation they had
sumptuous cocktail lounge ... Ken ... As the name implied, the Clam

esteryears continue to hold

A rr
iw
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