Dates That Rate
The best dates you've
had (or hope to
.,.)
JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER
Ax<
Rowboating on the moonlit lake
underneath a starry sky is Rick
Goren's idea of a great date.
As a staffer at Camp Tama-
rack, Goren has access to a
glassy lake or two, along with
a pretty view and a gazebo at
what is known in Tamarack
circles as the Overlook. Con-
versation into the wee hours
would complete the picture,
says the Farmington }Ells res-
ident
A picnic at Kensington —
don't forget the cheese and
crackers, wine and blanket --
appeals to Michele Goldstein of
Birmingham. In the evening?
Dinrier at Maria's in Ferndale,
followed by a film at the Detroit
Film Theatre and a drink at
the Rhinoceros to hear live jazz.
Stacy Levine recalls a par-
ticularly fun date with her
boyfriend: After a visit to the
Detroit Zoo,they picnicked in
Birmingham's Shain Park.
They topped off the day with
an evening of Scrabble.
Throw in a bit of culture and
you might end up at the man-
made cascade in Jackson, a
kitschy remnant of the past.
Michael Epstein, a graduate
student of American cultural
`es at U M Ann Arbo
t*PAthit "RIC?
.
at age 13 he started making pizzas
and scooping ice cream at the Rib
Shack.
His job took him to Columbus, Ohio,
but Barton eventually moved back to
Michigan to manage another estab-
lishment. Even later, he relocated
again, that time for a romance. "I
chased a girl who I thought I was in
love with out to California. The day af-
ter I got there, she dumped me," Bar-
ton says.
Despite being jobless and practically
homeless, he stayed out West and
eventually landed a position at the
Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.
He stayed with the company, moving
to Seattle and Chicago, until he went
out on his own to open a restaurant in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Crystal Room opened its doors
in 1991. When it closed in 1992, Bar-
ton walked away with no money, no
car and no job.
Determined to make it on his own,
though, he found work at a Boca Ra-
ton restaurant, went back to school and
eventually graduated with honors.
For two years, he worked as a wait-
er and also worked "on myself I was
in group and individual therapy be-
cause I felt I wanted to change my per-
sonal direction in life. It was the best
thing I ever did."
In his free time, Barton runs, plays
softball and hangs out with his two
cats and his girlfriend (who moved to
Detroit with him from Florida). In the
fall he plans to return to school for a
master's in business administration.
Missing "-the stimulation of school,"
Barton says, "I want to do this for my-
self"
He is fluent in Hebrew, to which he
entered the management training
program. The restaurant industry credits his early years at Hillel Day
was a natural choice for Barton — School. `T11 always carry that with me,"
en Barton Charlip was a lit-
tle boy, he used to peer out
the window of his grandfa-
ther's downtown Detroit
building and watch the Thanksgiving
Day Parade. While other kids viewed
it on TV, Barton was in the midst of
all the action.
Today, he stands in a similar spot,
as owner of the new hip restaurant,
Canfields on Woodward. The restau-
rant is located in the historic structure
built in 1920 that has been in his fam-
ily's hands since 1940.
The restaurant name came from
the fact that it is located at the corner
of Canfield and Woodward. "I had no
clue what kind of restaurant I want-
ed," says Barton, 35, who pulled to-
gether everything he had learned from
years in the biz.
Canfields on Woodward opened
Dec. 16, 1996. The space was available
after the previous restaurant, Stew-
art's, closed last June.
"It just felt like the right time ... in
my life. I was in a stable enough place
with myself to take a chance," says
Barton.
But he wasn't always so stable. Bar-
ton's path has been an arduous one,
which thankfully led to where he is to-
day.
The oldest of five, Barton gradu-
ated from West Bloomfield High
School and completed two years of
college at Michigan State Universi-
ty. At MSU, he says he "partied and
played" before realizing he was too
young to take school seriously. So
Barton moved back home, to work at
Max & Erma's.
He started as a bartender, then
he says. "I feel strongly about being
Jewish. It's inbred."
His Jewish identity, however, is not
what motivates him to offer Empire
kosher chicken on the Canfields menu.
"I wanted to cater to a Jewish clien-
tele, but I bought the kosher chicken
because it is clean, healthy and the
best quality out there."
The building that houses Canfields
is a Detroit landmark — it once
housed the Graystone Bar and Grill
in the '60s and '70s as well as a boxing
gym where Jake LaMotta's trainer, Al
Denapoli, coached fighters during the
`70s.
But for Barton, the Canfields build-
ing has sentimental value.
"I kind of feel my grandfather's pres-
ence here even though I was never in
this building with him. I was never re-
ally close to him, but I feel he is one of
my guides, kind of watching over me."
Keeping the past alive, the walls of
Canfields are a tribute to old Detroit
— adorned with pictures of the city,
taken in the first half of the century.
Barton's nostalgia for Detroit's good
ol' days matches his excitement for the
rebirth of Motown. "This is another
building that's not boarded up. When
people drive by, [they see] there is life."
All but one of his 25 employees —
many of whom are in their 20s — live
in Detroit, which Barton also calls
home. He lives two blocks from the
restaurant.
"I decided if I was going to be part
of _the city's growth, it didn't make
sense to live in West Bloomfield. I
needed to live here in Detroit."
One thing is certain: As long as 4265
Woodward stands, the next genera-
tion of Charlips will be just a hop, skip
and a jump from the Thanksgiving
Day Parade.
❑
'`*ths, he said.
t take adate to
in Clinton for
the C
and a
ve
,
"really ' t4='1.•.
4,4vev
t play
piano player
the old piano` every" VI." A
movie theater in town offers
first-run features for $2.
"It means taking a drive for
40 minutes, but I like getting
out of town. There's a much
more romantic element, too, be-
cause you get to see new
places," he said.
In a romantic vein, Jill Schu-
macher thinks an entire date
planned by a guy is good.
A trip to the cider mill also
ranks up there with dreamy
dates for Schumacher, a
Berkley resident.
Debbie Weinstei.n's idea of a
great dinner date also is in-
fused with romance. In cele
bration of her boyfriend's
birthday, she sent him an in-
vitation for a home-cooked veg-
etarian dinner. When he
arrived, he found a menu on his
plate, candles, flowers and mu-
sic. Afterward, Weinstein took
him to the Earle in Ann Arbor
for dessert and jazz.
❑