EXTENSIVE WINE LIST • LUNCH & DINNER

Romantic Memories Of A Lifetime
From Detroit's Favorite Restaurants

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. KITCHEN OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRI & SAT
LUNCH MON - FRI
DINNER TUES - SAT

ah, love and romance ...
Or love at first sip when a lass Danube (Windsor), Cafe Cortina,
So many stories ... and so= at another table in Sweet Lor- Caucus Club, Emily's, Excalibur,
many ways that fate inter- raine's didn't know what wine to French Gourmet, Giovanni's,
mingled to bring guys and order ... He leaned over and sug- Golden Mushroom, The Lark,
gals together.
gested a Merlot ... Six months af- Lelli's of Detroit, Little Italy, Mar-
Karen Markovitz and Jerry ter, they were wed and have co's, Mario's, Morels, Moro's Din-
Adams saw each other at a nothing but Merlot at
ing, Opus One, Pike
Wednesday evening singles night their home.
Street, Ristorante di
fun fest at Hotel Pontchartrain's
One favor deserves
Modesta, Ristorante di
Top of The Pontch way back another as the saying
Maria, The Restaurant
when . . . Karen went over and goes ... and why not re-
at Ritz-Carlton, Tribute,
asked Jerry to dance ... and it was turn the same kind?
Van Dyke Place, Villa
the start of something big.
Five years ago, Adri-
Maria, Whitney.
He called to ask her out ... had enne Kaufman and Nor-
For many, though, the
tickets to see Elton John at Cobo man Schreiber were DANNY RASKIN
romance of a restaurant
Hall ... Karen couldn't go ... It was fixed up on a blind date
LOC AL
could have varied rea-
family night on Rosh Hashanah by Sharon Gutman ...
COLUM NIST
sons ... Like the Bread
... So their first date together was Five months later, they
Basket Deli, for example,
another day at Mon Jin Lau in were married.
where Bernice and Aaron Farb-
Troy ... the beginning of a long
A year-and-a-half ago, Adri- man went on their first date ...
nine-year engagement ... culmi- enne and Norman did the same and have gone on every anniver-
nated only seven months later thing for Sharon and Mitch Bak- sary for the past seven years.
when they became man and wife
So many others in the restau-
in 1982.
rant and entertainment games
Karen and Jerry were mar-
have their favorite romantic sto-
ried in Birmingham's Shain
ries and occasions.
Park before 30 family members
Back in 1991, says Mark
and friends ... followed by over
Wright, new executive chef for
350 at the Hamilton Place re-
Sperber's Kosher Catering, a
ception.
gentleman came into the restau-
She never did know
rant where he worked on a
where the surprise wedding
Valentine's Day and hoped that
was to take place ... and
Mark could do him a favor ... He
wasn't even able to bribe the
wanted to ask his girl-
limousine driver into telling
friend to many him
her where.
and wondered if
Mel Ball, who arranged
Mark would cook
their ceremonies, was the
them a special din-
same band leader with
ner befitting the oc-
Colours that played at Top
casion.
of The Pontch when they
"I suggested
met.
a meal that he
For their 10th an-
loved. The en-
niversary, Karen and
tree was a
Jerry renewed their
prime rib but-
vows with another
terflied to look
surprise dinner that
like a heart. On
Karen didn't know
the prime rib I
about ... She thought
placed a bed of red
they were going to
pepper curls, with a dia-
the Townsend Ho-
mond ring on top."
tel's Rugby Room
Mel Ball recalls at one time
with friends ... but
doing an outdoor wedding at
wound up at the
a private estate where the bride
Birmingham
and groom made their grand en-
House ... The cere-
trance after being married. "It
mony was per-
was between 24 violins, 12 on
formed by Judge
each side of the aisle, with 30 or
Susan Moiseev, with
40 exotic love birds around the
whom Karen had been in Unit-
pool and roaming area.
ed Synagogue Youth.
"When the couple reached the
Their 15th won't be a surprise
dance floor, the violinists stopped
... Both know exactly where they
and a 35-piece orchestra of mine
will go ... to their favorite restau-
took over to play their favorite
rant ... Pike Street in Pontiac ...
romantic songs."
It's where Karen and Jerry are
Another time, he com-
every Friday evening and some-
posed the music and lyrics
times more.
er ... who will become of a song that was recorded by
Then there's the couple who man and wife this April.
George Benson ... A prominent
met when one asked the other to
The 25 most romantic restau- local couple, in search of an orig-
pass the pepper at Giorgio's din- rants is a real toughie ... but in inal love song, heard the record-
er restaurant ... and were mar- alphabetical sequence could ar- ing on the radio and hired Mel
ried four months later.
guably be ... Andiamo, Blue and Colours for their wedding ...