Cuisine to
Dine for

Best Of Everything

`Family Dining' At Pepino's
Means Your Family And Theirs

Renown Chef

Louai
Sharkas

invites

you to

experience

the taste

everyone is

talking

about.

Michigan's

finest upscale,

casual

American

bistro.

Now open

for lunch.

"Oakland Grill gets wows for
class act."
— Observer ei Eccentric

"Oakland Grill's food and ser-
vice shine."

— Detroit Free Press

"Oakland Grill is a winner."

— Daily Tribune

Our meal at Oakland Grill iA'as excep-
tional and it left us talking about our
food all weekend long."

— Oakland Press

Available

for

private

engagements

Saturday

afternoons

and Sundays.

Hours:

Mon-Wed

11:30 a.m. -
12:00 midnight

Thur-Fri

11:30 a.m. -
2:00 a.m.

Sat.

5:00 p.m. -
2:00 a.m.

32832 Woodward
(Just South of 14 Mile Rd.)
Royal Oak

10/24

1997

108

(248) 549-7700

Reservations accepted.

project that has catapulted
sauce to char-broiled pick-
hen people speak about
into
the
top
echelon
of
family
erel with Cajun seasoning
their favorite restaurant,
dining.
to
seafood pasta with crab,
it is usually cut up into
When
Helma
and
Joe
mussels,
shrimp and scal-
categories ... Italian,
Bernardi
opened
the
former
lops
in
a
garlic
lemon sauce
French, seafood, Chinese, American,
Town
Pump
in
Walled
Lake,
to
char-grilled
prawns
with
etc.
there was hardly any paneling
drawn butter and so much
When the boiling-down comes to
at the restaurant and it was
more.
just one because of all-around good
badly
in
need
of
refurbishing.
The kitchen mastery at
service, good food, good prices with a
It
is
so
clean
today
...
pan-
Pepino's
is endless ... One
D
ANNY
casual and cozy atmosphere ... and a
eling
over
the
former
dingy
never
knows
when the
RA
SKIN
true family restaurant run by a family,
walls
...
with
windows
instead
seafood
bowtie
pasta with
Local
Columnist
many folks select a restaurant that has
of
the
former
bare
wall
...
crab,
mussels,
shrimp,
scal-
been in existence only.since 1984.
About the windows, four of
lops in a garlic lemon sauce
This past April 25 was the '13th
them are from the old .Fort
is available on the dinner
anniversary of Pepino's on Walled
Shelby
Hotel
that
used
to
reign
in
specials
along
with perhaps sauteed
Lake Drive and Pontiac Trail in old
downtown
Detroit.
beef
tips
a
la
Pepino,
made with a bor-
downtown Walled Lake.
Where
did
the
name
Pepino's
come
delaise
sauce
...
Or
char-broiled
certi-
Seating is for 112 in three cozy
from?
...
That's
what
Joe's
mother
used
fied
black
angus
prime
rib
of
beef,
rooms, plus 13 stools at a bar in the
to call her little Guiseppe.
char-broiled mahi mahi, osso buco,
main dining room with its 109 tables
Biggest seller at Pepino's is its rain-
swordfish steak ... or even delicious
... Another room has nine booths ...
bow trout ... with 360 trout dinners
homemade chicken pot pie ... or
and a third has six large tables, each
sold
weekly ... It can be gotten pan-
sauteed lake perch.
for six to 10 persons.
fried (95 percent ask for it prepared
Petite frog legs, roadhouse style
When opened in 1984, Joe
this
way)
or
char-broiled
...
sauteed
with
a touch of garlic remoulade
Bernardi was in the kitchen and wife
with
a
meuniere
sauce.
sauce,
is always on the menu ... as are
Helma handled the front area day and
Next
come
lamb
chops,
with
the
fat
filet
mignon
and New York sirloin ...
evening ... At that time, it was open
plus
pasta dishes, breast of
for both lunch and dinner.
chicken, etc.
After the restaurant got
Tuesday evenings are
going, Helma worked
awaited
nights for many cus-
evenings only, splitting the
tomers
...
This is when anoth-
time with daughter Kathy
er
facet
of
true family dining
Kwiecinski, who took over
comes
out
... With short ribs,
during the day.
homemade
mashed potatoes
Six months after opening,
and
gravy
tingling
the taste
another daughter, Carol
buds of whose who wait each
Carson, came to work as a
week for what to them is a
hostess, trained by Helma.
special moment.
Kathy's husband, Ray
Joe comes from a family of
Kwiecinski, has been behind
chefs
... proud of his heritage
the bar since Pepino's opened
of
three
generations of culi-
... Joe and Helma's sons
nary
expertise
... His father,
David Bernardi and Bob
Valentino,
was
at the Park
Bernardi helped out part-
Shelton Hotel ... Joe and
time while working other
Helma's son, Bob Bernardi,
jobs.
and
his wife, Cheryl, used to
David's wife Judy also
have
Bernardi's in Applegate
joined Kathy and Carol as
Square,
where LeMetro now
hostesses ... The latter two
is
located,
and for years has
are managers as well.
been
manager
of the execu-
And there's more, yet, to
tive dining room at General
this list of family members
Motor.
who have worked toward
Now, Bob and Cheryl's
making Pepino's the popular
daughter,
Christa, is follow-
dining spot that it is ...
Pepino's Helma
seared
off
over
an
open
flame.
ing
in
the
Bernardi
tradition ... She
Another son of Helma and
and Joe
Big
favorites
too
are
the
white-
received
her
degree
in restaurant man-
Joe Bernardi's, Don, and a
Bernardi.
fish,
cooked
any
desired
way
...
agement
from
Michigan
State
daughter, Diana Roberts,
broiled, pan-fried, baked ...
University a couple of years ago.
worked the opening and a
and Norwegian salmon, poached or
Pepino's is today open only for din-
couple of years after,... She was a host-
char-broiled..
ner ... Monday through Thursday, 5
ess and he helped at‘the bar and the
There are specials every evening ...
to 10 ... Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11.
remodeling ... along with Carol's hus-
about
six
daily
entrees
...
from
sauteed
Joe has been in the restaurant busi-
band, Neil Carson; Bob's wife, Cheryl;
soft
shell
crab
to
char-broiled
yellow
ness
52 years Starting as a fry cook
and Don's wife Linda.
fin
tuna
with
orange
relish
to
sauteed
at
the
Detroit Athletic Club and six
Even John Roberts, Diana's hus-
orange
roughy
with
tomato
garlic
wine
years
later,
having learned all the vari-
band, has assisted in this huge family

IV

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