Cuisine to Dine for Best Of Everything Successful Owners Are Doing The Right Thing At Oakland Grill 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 Gril class act." — Our meal. at Oakland Grill was • exceptional and it left us talking about our food all weekend long." — Oakland Press 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. Please join us for happy hour, Monday thru Friday, 4-7 p.m. Domestic beers $2.00 Imported beers $2.50 Well drinks $3.00 Available for private engagements Saturday afternoons and Sundays. 32832 Woodward ► Royal Oak Oust South of 14 Mile Rd.) 11/14 (248) 549-7700 1997 Reservations accepted. 90 ... It has a wide-open look now instead on the same menu as pecan crusted ,. ike any form of entertain- of the cut-up main room where folks black tiger shrimp with wasabi sweet- ment ... and dining out cer- couldn't see who was in the next and-sour sauce ... or O.G. Burger on tainly is one ... the art of booth. an onion roll alongside a daily special shrewd business sense has Among the few things remaining like seared barbarie duck breast with become as important, if not more so are the beautiful alabaster bar and sundried cherries and Grand Marnier in many cases, than just being a marble floor. glace. restaurateur. The exterior has been changed And appetizers like potato pancakes This is why places like the Oakland from purple neon to ruby red neon with sour cream and applesauce next Grill, on Woodward and 14 Mile in with black and ivory accents bringing to house smoked salmon Napoleon Royal Oak, have such a head start out the good-looking, polished stain- with dilled cucumber noodles and toward the lofty and manytimes eva- less steel facade. Boursin cheese. sive goal of success. Inside, the casual, upscale American There's even fluffy egg- The owners are successful bistro styling includes warm browns white or whole-egg omelets businessmen who know what it and deep reds with accents of green with spinach, mushroom, means to succeed. and yellow. feta or whatever way you In the world of restaurateur- Biggest sellers are appetizers of tiger wish ... to order at any time. ing, the name of the game is shrimp, potato pancakes and tuna Stuart rents his linens to treating people so they will sashimi ... and entrees of salmon, veal other restaurants ... Those at return. chop and angel hair pasta. Oakland Grill are, naturally, Give customers what they But this is misleading since so his ... Gary owns the prop- want and coffers will jingle. many other dishes on the Oakland erty on which,Casa Lupita Oakland Grill owners have Grill menu have also proven to be best in Troy is located ... and DANNY learned this in other businesses sellers as well. loves so much to cook that RASKIN and are applying their knowl- There are specials every day that he has a commercial kitchen Local Columnist edge to the restaurant., might include hash browned crusted at home. Stuart Wish, managing part- The interesting menu that halibut or swordfish tenderloin teriya- ner, is CEO of Ameritex Service ki or grilled baby lamb chops. makes Oakland Grill a complete Group, a prominent uniform and Just about everything is made from restaurant was put together by Gary linen service; Gary Shiffman and Ron scratch, including all desserts and all and Louai. Klein are real estate developers; Steve breads by both a full-time pastry chef — The fellows are smart ... As success- Friedman is a builder and owns and full-time baker. ful as they may be in other businesses, Selective Homes. Oakland Grill is open six days ... the four went out and got someone It is the first restaurant venture for Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to like John Wood to assist them in their all four ... But not so for chef/partner midnight; Thursday and Friday, 11:30 beginning days ... The former execu- Louai Sharkas, in charge of the food to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. tive vice president of Machus operation. Many evenings, especially Saturdays, Enterprises is now an independent Louai is a restaurant veteran ... are like synagogues and temples just let restaurant consultant. When only 14 years old, he worked as out or some country clubs had closed Oakland Grill's banana cream pie is a salad prepper for Bob Kimoto, their doors for the night. Gary's recipe ... and has become the maitre d' at the Bijou ...and was there restaurant's signature for years before going on to Jacques dessert .. Except for Seafood, Restaurant Duglass and having whipped Rugby Grill at the Townsend Hotel. cream on top, it When Louai opened Oakland Grill tastes almost like the with Stuart, Gary, Ron and Steve, he one Johnny Vaqiates looked up Bob Kimoto and brought used to make years him aboard ... to work for him. back at the Cream of Tuxedoed Bob is Oakland Grill's Michigan on Pingree highly proficient maitre d' ... and his and 12th. prowess at preparing Caesar salads, Gary says that his shrimp Saigon, flambeed bananas life-long ambition Foster and cherries jubilee among when he retires is to many other hand-mixed tableside have a restaurant with delights, has been widely acclaimed handcut corned beef since his days at Trader Vic's in the ... Retirement wasn't Statler-Hilton on Washington necessary, and the Boulevard (plus Mauna Loa, Bijou, corned beef is a big Townsend, Joe Muer's and Kingsley). seller on the menu. Bob is also responsible for the The facelift given teriyaki beef, crab toast and wasabi the former site of shrimp at Oakland Grill. Jukebox, Avenue The concept of giving people what Diner and America is they want has been going over big ... much more con- and it is a welcomed pleasure to see Klein, Stuart Wish and ducive for seeing and At Oakland Grill, seated, are Ron Gary Shiffman and items like large, hot; handcut Vienna Steve Friedman, and standing are waving hello to others corned beef on grilled, homemade rye Chef Louai Sharkas.