ntertammen
Restaurants Are Forgetting
A Key Ingredient: Atmosphere
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24555 W. 12 MILE
Just west of Telegraph • Southfield
248 • 352 • 7377
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39450 14 Mile Rd. corner (Atiagrty in
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(810) 960-7666
Original location: 29215 5 Mile
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ort Eskin, barrister and the tremendous sums they're on that information. I remember
former restaurateur, spending to present contempo- Ben Weinberg who lived on
writes, "Recently, I had rary-looking restaurants and en- Highland as a youngster and
the occasion to dine at one deavoring to recover their cost was a close friend of Mitch
of the newer restaurants that within a very short period of Tendler, who later became as-
opened in the metropolitan De- time.
sistant racing commissioner.
troit area and like a lot of re-
"They have lost sight of what
"Ben, in his high school years,
cently opened restaurants, I is important to the customer and
excelled
in tennis and basketball
found it very sterile.
are only interested in
at
Central High and be-
"It seems to me that the new- satisfying their own
came
a dentist.
er restaurants are being de- egos by trying to outdo
"I
know
that this in-
signed without much thought to each other. More
formation is factual. My
the ambiance which makes it thought should be paid
regards to Cooney. I
more enjoyable and presents a to making the dining
knew him well when we
feeling of participating in the cul- experience one that is
were kids. Also his
ture that the restaurant repre- lasting and meaningful,
brother Naudy. I do re-
sents.
without causing the
member them having
"To go to an Italian restau- customer to go broke DANNY RASKIN
very beautiful sisters."
rant, for example, and find that while eating in these
LOC AL
BIG ROCK Chop &
there are very few Italians work- newer creations of the
COLUM NIST
Brew House on Eton
ing there, no smell of Italian owners.
Street in Birmingham
food, no Italian music and a
"We should learn from the ba- recently opened its doors to the
modern-looking facility without sics of the past and return to public with a totally new look
any representation of Italy or them in the development of the from that of the former Nor-
anything Italian in its decor, newer eating experiences."
man's Eton Street Station
turns me off.
MAIL DEPT. ... from Bob restaurant.
"I recognize that some people Schwartz ... "The recent insert
Also the cuisine of Chef Randy
believe that all that counts is the in your column by Harold Smith, whose menu selections
food, service and cleanliness of `Cooney' Finegood was extreme- — like Kansas City strip steak
the restaurant, but if it lacks a ly interesting, but also had some and potato wrapped salmon —
feeling of the culture that it rep- inaccuracies.
are accompanied by soups that
resents, it leaves me flat.
"The Korn Restaurant was include Big Rock's microbrewed
"I personally feel that it would not glatt kosher, but kosher beers ... The cream of mushroom
be more enjoyable to walk in and style. The three schools from soup is made with Raymondo El
hear Italian-speaking people, Tuxedo to Glynn Court ran in Rojo, its signature red ale.
Italian music and Italian pre- this order, Central High, Roo-
Brewmaster at Big Rock's
sentation in the look of the sevelt Elementary and Durfee 1,950-square-foot brew house is
restaurant as well as its food to Intermediate.
Dean Jones, who bases his beers
add to the enhancement of the
"The Desert Gold Ice Cream on traditional techniques, but
basic ingredients that go into Parlor was not across from Leo the names certainly aren't ... One
making a restaurant a truly ex- LaFluer's Barber Shop. It was of the restaurant's four beers
ceptional one.
located on the east side of Lin- brewed on the site is Norm's
"Owners who are open-
ing new restaurants, par-
ticularly ethnic ones,
should in my opinion pay
more attention to the at-
mosphere and ambiance of
the restaurant so that cus-
tomers will have a greater
appreciation, not only for
the kind of food they are
eating, but the feel of the
place. Walking into a
restaurant that is very con-
temporary, and serves eth-
nic food which is not
indicative of the country it
represents, does not add to
the experience I'm looking
for when I go out to dine.
"Another area of concern to wood, between Richton and Raggedy Ass Ale, named after
me in the newer restaurants is Monterey. He mentioned the Norman LePage, who owns the
the outrageous prices being four Taub brothers but neglect- restaurant with wife Bonnie ...
charged both at lunch and din- ed to mention that Sammy is the Raymondo El Rojo is derived
ner. After being at one of the only survivor.
from Norm's business partner,
newer restaurants recently and
"I also checked and Ted Bale Ray Nicholson.
looking at the lunch menu and is not in the Veteran's Hospital.
Besides hand-crafted beers,
the prices, it turned me off from
"Now unless there was an- Dean also adds family flavor to
having any desire to go back to other Benny Weingarten (or the age-old ritual of brewing
that restaurant for dinner.
Weingartner) who was an ath- with a root beer recipe that has
"Restaurant owners are los- lete in high school and later be- been passed down over three
ing touch with reality because of came a dentist, he's also wrong generations.