WHERE GOOD FRIENDS
ET SERVED GOOD FOOD.

RED
FtliE

S omeone in the kitchen iv thinking.

Trying new thingo-chargyilleo N.Y.
tltrip steak on a bed of caramelizeo
oniony ano roaoteb pepperv, grifleo frevh.
(They mean it.) Salmon with
ETKO IT
corn daloal n H 0 U

marl place it making a name
for itoeffil DANNY RASKIN

We verve a good roacteb Prime Rib
every Fribay, Saturbay night &
freob Salmon a(( through the week.

1 050 Bernotein

Roao, Walla Lake, mi

at for reoervationo.248-669- 2122

Open for Lunch

& Dinner

Wg5A, i?z,44t4,

;0„,1,7 ,e/4

There are
Many Ways
to Pick U p the

DMZ= JEW= NEWS

Now available @ these

ANN ARBOR

LOCATIONS:

• Borders Books
• Barnes & Noble
• Hillel House
• Mainstreet Books
• Michigan Union
Bookstore
• Nicola's Books,

(A Little Professor Books Co.)

12/4
1998

.fillgerMan ' S

The Best Of Everything

Second Troy site for the popular Orchid Cafe.

pers, peapods and carrots) ... and Gulf
Like any good Thai restaurant,
of Siam (shrimp and scallops sautéed
Orchid Cafe's chili peppers are home-
Local Columnist
with a smooth peanut-curry sauce,
grown and roasted ... In Thailand, the
snow peas, carrots, baby corn and
natives put food in their mouths first
ive years ago, I wrote about
bamboo shoots).
and then fresh chili peppers to
a little Thai restaurant that
Back in Laos, near Thai-
bite on.
had been gaining popularity
land, Maria's family had a
Of
course,
if
you
don't
want
on Rochester Road in Troy.
restaurant ... and it rubbed
your food hot and spicy, forget
Recently, I visited another location
off
on her .. She came here
about using the chili pepper
of owner Maria Ngugen, the smiling
in
1978
with a vision ... To
shaker that is on the table ...
and gracious young lady whose pleas-
have
a
number
of Thai
And tell the waitress to take it
ing personality is behind both
restaurants
with
homemade
easy on the curry sauce, which
Orchid Cafes.
food ... The opening of
is
also
homemade
at
Orchid
Opened by Maria this year in the
Orchid Cafe No. 2 could
Cafe, as are its other sauces ...
Troy Corner Plaza on Square Lake
possibly be the beginning of
as
well
as
Thai
ice
cream
of
Road and Livernois, the second locale
D ANNY
that realization.
coconut, mango and Jack fruit.
seats 75... It's a small, clean Thai
RA SKIN
QUITE AN ARRAY of
Orchid Cafe on Square
restaurant that has an aura of cuteness
Local Columnist culinary expertise is expected
Lake Road is big on appetizers,
about it... Artifacts from Thailand are
to help raise funds for Hon-
like royal crispy rolls ...
on the walls and counters ... including
duran
victims
of Hurricane Mitch.
(ground chicken and shrimp, mixed
two costume head coverings (his and
It'll
be
the
Chefs
For Humanity
with bean threads, onions, mush-
hers) made to be worn in Thai classi-
event, Sunday, Dec. 6, 4-7 p.m., at
rooms
and
water
chestnuts,
wrapped
cal dance themes.
Kingsley Hotel & Suites, Woodward
in rice paper).
Besides being a delightful entrepre-
and Long Lake Road, Bloomfield
The best-selling entree is pud Thai
neur, Maria loves to cook and, if nec-
Hills.
essary, says she can go into the
The $150 admis-
kitchen and make whatever is
sion will help in no
on the menu.
small measure
Her chef and cousin, Nivanh
toward the chefs'
Savanh, needs little help,
goal of raising
though, in preparing the tradi-
$105,000 for the
tional Thai food that he and
Honduras disaster
Maria have selected as favorites,
unfortunates.
so that their menu isn't diluted
Award-winning
with seldom-ordered dishes.
cuisine, wines and
An example: sticky rice,
champagne poured
popular in Thailand ... Orchid
by Master Sommeli-
Cafe customers didn't care for
er Madeline Triffon,
it, so they replaced it with Jas-
and live music ...
mine rice.
plus an all-star line-
Another cousin, Sengmaly
up of top chefs that
Bounthavongso, Maria's man-
will include ... Rick
ager, was a waitress for her in
Halberg, Emily's;
the first Orchid Cafe ... All
Steve Allen and
three are now co-partners in
Chuck "Rocky"
Orchid Cafe's Maria Ngugen.
the second restaurant.
Rachwitz, Steve &
The decor motif of Maria's
Rocky's; Derin
favorite color, pink, is again
Moore,
Golden
Mushroom;
Takashi
... (traditional rice noodles, green
carried out ... Pink place mats, piiik
Yagihashi,
Tribute;
Luciano
Del Sig-
onions, bean sprouts, eggs and
carry-out menus, pink exotic fish in
nore,
Fonte
D'Amore;
Jim
Barnett,
peanuts, sauteed with choice of chick-
an aquarium.
Unique Restaurant Corporation; Paul
en,
beef, tofu or shrimp).
It is open six days ... closed Sundays
Gross, Whitney; Marshall Chin, Mon
Maria says that three dishes on the
... Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11
Jin Lau, and others all answered the
menu
are
Orchid
Cafe's
own
prepara-
to 3, and Saturday, noon to 3; dinner,
call for help in less than 48 hours.
tions ... Royal chicken (sauteed with
Monday through Saturday, 3 to 9.
I've yet to hear of a fine chef turn-
Thai
barbecue
sauce,
carrots,
onions.
Where did the name Orchid Cafe
ing
away when asked to help in a wor-
red peppers and green peppers ...
come from? ... Simple ... It is the
thy
cause ... They're a great bunch of
Bangkok chicken (sauteed with gin-
flower of Thailand, so what could be
people.
ger-tomato sauce, garlic, onions, pep-
more appropriate?

DANNY RASKIN

F