Cuisine Iwo
Dine for

Best Of Everything

The Old Train Station
Has Two Back On The Track

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 & Eccentric

—

"Our meal at Oakland Grill was
exceptional and it left us talking
about our food all weekend long."
Oakkoul 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.

01111111111

144' Nk

32832 Woodward

►

Royal Oak

(Just South of 14 Mile Rd.)

11/28
1997

96

(248) 549-7700

Reservations accepted.

0

filet ... But there's a 16-ounce veal
Rock, it is a 1,950-square-foot brew
hen the doors were
porterhouse
chop
stuffed
with
Boursin
house
with state-of-the-art equipment
closed Jan. 15 at
cheese
and
wild
mushroom
sauce
on
Brewmaster
Dean Jones has a mash
Norman's Eton Street
the
menu
that
has
few
equals
for
taste
tub,
brew
kettle,
hot liquor tank, six
Restaurant in
and
tenderness.
fermentation
vessels
and six storage
Birmingham, a consensus of opinion
Nutty
chicken,
pan
seared
with
tanks
that
each
hold
16
barrels (there's
loomed for a while that it would not
crushed
nuts,
goes
over
big,
as
well
as
31
gallons
in
a
barrel),
which
comes
open again.
broiled
Canadian
whitefish
and
out
to
3,968
glasses
per
tank.
But Norm and Bonnie LePage had
horseradish rubbed potato-wrapped
The piping system that runs
other ideas ... And those thoughts
salmon.
between
the brew house and dining
would take longer to assemble than
If
it's
just
pizza
you
want,
they've
room
is
called
transfer piping ... a
assumed.
got
that
too
...
six
gourmet
piz-
basic
system of hard pipes
The result came almost seven
zas
like
the
pizza
quatroformag-
and
hoses.
months later ... with a totally new
gio with olive oil, fresh herbs,
Dean has created four
look, concept and name.
sliced
tomato,
garlic
and
four
signature
beers to go with
Big Rock Chop & Brew House on
cheeses;
or
bourbon
glazed
beef
Randy
and
Carole's
S. Eton in Birmingham is a multi-
pizza with caramelized onions,
American fare ... Norm's
faceted restaurant with two separate
grilled sirloin, fresh tomato
Raggedy Ass Ale,
operations inside of one ... as well as
sauce
and
aged
Provolone
Raymondo
El Rojo (named.,,,
brewing its own beer.
cheese.
for
partner
Ray
In the downstairs main dining
The house burger is a
Nicholson), Flying Buffalo
room, there is a rustic, casual, moun-
D ANNY
chopped
sirloin
in
a
sesame
Stout and Weizenheimer
tain lodge feel with the high-energy
RA SKIN
bun
...
That's
chopped
sirloin
Hefe Weizin.
electricity of a contemporary restau-
Local
Columnist
as
in
the
real
thing.
For the younger folks,
rant that is unlike other dining experi-
Have you ever had shrimp
there's root beer, cream
ences in this sector.
martini? ... You'll love this
•
soda and rock and rye ...
Seating is for 130 amid dark woods
appetizer
of
1/2
dozen
with
a
vodka
all
brewed
on
the premises.
and high-backed booths, with neon
cocktail
sauce
and
olive
trio;
or
the
Then
there's
the "Louie sent me"
tubing ringing the dining room.
sauteed
wild
blue
mushrooms
with
room
named
Got
Rocks, which is a
On top of the open bar, with 28
sherry,
shallots
and
cream
gratin
with
part
of
Big
Rock
Chop
& Brew House -
seats, are eight 150-pound grizzly
blue
cheese.
but
has
its
own
identification.
bears holding decorative lights ... A
A favorite is the homemade lavosh
It is more like a private club, but
hand-carved grizzly carved from a sin-
bread
with
freshly
grated
parmesan
anyone
who can ring the doorbell to
gle redwood log weighs 1,200 pounds
cheese
...
Also
the
homemade
garlic
the
elegant,
upstairs room with a large
and stands 8 feet 6 inches ... In a cor-
mashed
potatoes
and
the
quite
elegant
window
that
overlooks the downstairs
ner is an 8-foot totem pole that
cream
of
mushroom
soup
made
with
main
dining
room
can get in if dressed
weighs 500 pounds and was carved by
stout
beer
...
delicious,
different
and
a
country
club
casual
or in proper attire.
a Native American from a single log.
lot
of
body.
So
quiet,
comfy,
lavish-looking
Canoe paddles hand-painted by a
Randy makes the yummy bread
with its dark woods and plush chairs
Canadian Indian, lamp shades with
pudding and Carole the Key lime pie
and couches, soft lights, large, elegant
buffalo heads, light fixtures from the
and
a
buffalo
stout
cheesecake
made
paintings,
soft piped-in music, etc. ...
original Birmingham train station,
with
beer.
in
a
very
clubby,
New Yorky atmos-
white linen tablecloths and white
About
the
micro
brewery
at
Big
phere.
linen napkins, etc.
The gent who runs it,
Executive Chef Randy
Lewis
Weidemann, was
Smith is assisted by wonderful
nine
years
at Townsend
Carole Haskins ... Both are
Hotel in Birmingham,
responsible for the talked-
and as maitre d' at Big
about food being served at
Rock he rejoined Norm
Big Rock Chop & Brew.
and Bonnie, who lured
Randy was executive chef
him
from Chicago when
at the Country Club of
they
ran Townsend and
Jackson, sous chef at Golden
its
Rugby
Grill.
Mushroom and medal winner
If you didn't see
on the Michigan Culinary
Louie light up someone's
Olympics team.
cigar, you'd almost be
Carole, coaxed out of
sure
that there was
retirement by Norm and
magic
going on ...
Bonnie, has been a dining
Where's
the smoke? ...
chef stalwart for many years
Where's
the odor?
... Many folks remember
A
specially
made fil-
when she took over the Great
tering
system
makes
the
Dane kitchen after Chef
smoke and odor disap-
Douglas Grech left to open
pear ... Got Rocks is
Big Rock's Lewis •
his own place.
open Monday through
Weidemann and
Biggest steak seller at Big
Saturday, 5 p.m. to
Norm
LePage.
-
Rock is the 14-ounce bone-in

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