Valgi

voiced about value, and time-con-
scious consumers who were abandon-
ing white-tablecloth restaurants in
search of a less-expensive, more fami-
ly-friendly dining experience. Fine
dining, which had made such promis-
ing inroads in the early part of the
decade, somehow had fallen out of
step with the American public.
"Enter the casual dinner-house
chains with their large portions, mod-
erate prices, children's menus and
quick table turns. Surely, observers
declared, the future of food service
had arrived, and it would be only a
matter of time until high-end restau-
rants succumbed to the Darwinian-
sounding `casualization' process or else
risk total extinction.
"Either way, casual chain operators,
who were certainly in the right place
at the right time with the right con-
cept, prospered beyond their expecta-
tions — and often at the expense of
the more sophisticated restaurants.
"But social evolution, being unpre-
dictable at best, once again has turned
a page and surprised everyone — that
is, with the possible exception of fine-
dining operators themselves. Not only
did white-tablecloth restaurants not
vanish from the landscape, but they
have enjoyed a powerful resurgence
over the past several years.
"Take the dining pulse of any
major city these days, and you will
find tablecloth restaurants thriving
and growing. Part of that renaissance
certainly can be attributed to a strong
economy and an increase in disposable
income. At the same time, demo-
graphics also point to the aging baby
boomers who tasted the good culinary
life 15 years ago and now are return-
ing to it — either with their children
in tow or without them."
Also in the March 23 issue of
Nations Restaurant News ... "Cook-
book outlines recipes to lose pounds
of ugly fat — his.
"For those creative cooks suffering
from a loveless marriage, Los Angeles
Times columnist Roy Rivenburg
recently uncovered the perfect recipe
for deliverance.
"He found several of them, actually
— all contained in the new cookbook
How to Murder Your Husband, pub-
lished by Kensington Books.
"As Rivenburg noted, 'homicidal
chefs Ann Altman and Marilyn Gon-
zalez present a series of artery-clogging
recipes. The authors, divorcees with
five husbands between them,
described their specialties as designed
to get rid of those unwanted pounds

I I lir III III 111 M
II r= r
11.1 1 IOW ell*

7NVE 17. N,

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Enjoy Our Award-WinningTommy Salad...
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Banquet Room For All Occasions . 220 People

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par- reNON

6199 ORCHARD LAKE RD., NORTH OF MAPLE
WEST BLOOMFIELD

248-737-8600

4/3
1998

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