EXTENSIVE WINE LIST • LUNCH & DINNER D'Amato's Brings Italian Fare, Neighborhood Flavor To Royal Oak T • 0 0 c() • F - 0 ce F - U.1 U - z U - 0 LU z 0 LLA ce O ii is *4) Ii • 01,0, b. • f k 100 KITCHEN OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRI & SAT LUNCH MON - FRI DINNER TUES - SAT hey needed a name for their Fundamental dining without to 2:30 p.m. ... Dinner is Sunday new restaurant ... The bank overly done fanfare seems to through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 wasn't interested in corpo- many times work better. p.m., and Friday and Saturday, rate titles, so the co-owners It makes its own foccacia bread 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. left and put their heads togeth- ... and the Parmesan bread soup Goodnight Gracie (George er. has the appearance somewhat of Burns used to tell his wife, Gra- Dennis Antoniello remem- chicken soup with matzah balls. cie Allen, "Say goodnight, Gra- bered D'Amato's Bakery back in Down-to-earth neighborhood cie" on their "Burns & Allen" Chicago, checked to see if the dining as presented by radio show), is open name was registered here ... dis- D'Amato's may not have Tuesday through Sat- covered it wasn't and so was born the frills of more glam- urday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. another Royal Oak restaurant. orous Italian eateries, People must be mind- D'Amato's opened in June but it does center on ful of the fact that 1996, on Sherman between much of which many D'Amato's is a good Ital- Washington and 11 Mile. Italians recognize. ian-style restaurant, but It is the site of Keith Famie's The open-air kitchen not with a full-scale former Les Auteurs and Duran- exudes fresh aromas of DANNY RASKIN menu selection as might go Grill. food, 120 feet of window be expected when din- LOC AL Dennis is the working partner space allows folks to look ing Italian. COLU MNIST of Jack and Mike Hanna. out at downtown Royal Bearing this in mind, The quaint look of yesteryears Oak and the train tracks leading it is a pleasurable place to go. is captured by antique serving to Detroit and Chicago, antique STAR CENTER Southfield, plates on the walls, bicycles hang- furnishings are coordinated with which opens this May, featuring ing from the ceiling, standing wicker-back chairs to create a 20 movie screens, seating for lamps with shades of another more relaxed atmosphere, and 6,000 and six restaurants, will be era, old-type light fixtures, etc. natural colors are accented by one of the largest entertainment A glassed-in open kitchen en- large amounts of open wood. complexes in the nation. ables folks to see their food being Always nice to see persons like Restaurants at the new $35.6 prepared in the neighborhood co-general managers John F. Kel- million Star Center Southfield, restaurant atmosphere. The portions are large, with enough boxes on hand for customers to take home for the next day's lunch or dinner. D'Amato's menu is 40 percent Italian favorites and 60 percent freshly created specials, many of which are always on the bill of fare that is assem- bled each day. Highly recommended pasta items are the ca- vatappi, tossed in a roast- ed garlic cream sauce with spinach and grilled chick- en breast; penne together with tomatoes, capers, ar- tichokes, roasted potatoes, olives, garlic and spinach. Italian meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a wild mushroom sauce is eaten with confidence and good taste ... It goes over big, as does chicken mar- sala, sauteed breast with D'Amato's Mike Hanna, John Broomhead, John Kelly and Dennis Antoniello. wild mushrooms, garlic and marsala wine lemon sauce, ly and John Broomhead available south of 12 Mile between North- over roasted potatoes and as- to assist whenever possible. western Highway and Telegraph, paragus. The next-door Goodnight Gra- will include the Official All-Star Atlantic salmon is an inter- cie lounge bar is accessible from Cafe, co-owned by tennis stars esting preparation and presen- D'Amato's restaurant without go- Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, tation ... chargrilled and served ing outside ... it features a unique hockey great Wayne Gretzky, over a saute of roasted potatoes, combination of the classic 1930s baseball's Ken Griffey Jr., foot- wild mushrooms and basil with speakeasy with live piano tunes, ball legend Joe Montana, bas- a sweet onion sauce. personal humidor lockers and ketball's Shaquille O'Neal and The restaurant concept at specialty cocktails created in an golfer Tiger Woods. D'Amato's focuses on Italian but atmosphere of warmth. The group already has restau- in a different way ... Large por- D'Amato's is a seven-day-a- rants in Las Vegas, New York tions and basics appear to be the week operation ... Lunch is Mon- and Cancun, Mexico. main focal point in its expression. day through Friday, 11:30 a.m. Several of the owners are ex-