The Best Of Everything
Fish Fare
The magic lives on at Joe Muer's Grill in Southfield.
D
ANDIAMO
What Italian
was meant to be!
Andiamo Italia
East Fourteen Mile Road in Warren
810 268-3200
Trattoria Andiamo
Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods
313 886-9933
Andiamo Lakefront Bistro
Jefferson Avenue in St. Clair Shores
810 773-7770
Andiamo Italia West
Telegraph in Bloomfield Hills
248 865-9300
Andiamo Osteria
Main Street in Rochester
248 601-9300
Andiamo Osteria
Main Street in Royal Oak
248 582-9300
Private dining accommodations
and off-site catering
Selected "Best Italian Restaurant"
by Gourmet Magazine '96, '97 and '98
7/9
1999
visit us at www.andiamoitalia.com
96 Detroit Jewish News
lions, roasted red peppers and toma-
on't think for a moment
They have added pasta items and a
toes ... And Hoisin-barbecued duck
grilled chicken with roasted peppers,
that a name guarantees suc-
breast with Asian vegetable salad and
pecans, grilled scallions, mushrooms,
cess in the restaurant busi-
Wasabi
sauce.
herbs and linguine in a chevre-cheese
ness ... Sure, it may bring in
It is one of the few restaurants that
customers for the first time ... But if
sauce, that has become one of the
carries finnan haddie (smoked had-
restaurant's more popular items.
they don't come back, the restaurateur
dock), which was one of the
might as well put his or her key in the
Although times were
entree items on the original Joe
door and lock up the place.
changing, Joe never did put
Muer's menu.
When Joe Muer's Grill on
pasta on the menu down-
In fact, all 21 seafood entree
Southfield Road, just south of 13
town ... Or even sandwiches
dishes, including great favorites
Mile, opened in March 1994 as Joe's
for lunch ... Both can be
like baked flounder stuffed with
Bar & Grill, people knew it was a Joe
gotten at Joe Muer's Grill on
Maryland crab meat; the best-
Southfield.
Muer's operation ... and came expect-
seller skinless Lake Superior lake
ing to get the same fare as at the Joe
At dinner, when people
perch, which today outsells
Muer's on Gratiot ... Joe Muer was
sit down, they are greeted
everything at Southfield by a
partners with his general manager,
by that same great Northern
DANNY
two-to-one margin; seared or
Chick Taylor, but the magic of down-
white bean relish and cot-
RASKIN
broiled Atlantic salmon, mari-
town was gone ... and Joe Muer's
tage cheese ... plus the bread
Local Columnist basket with flat bread crack-
nated tuna ... and the wonder-
Grill, which the Southfield location
ful North Atlantic swordfish
became, was purchased by a complete-
ers and wheat rolls.
that was tops downtown, with fat
The renovation by Chick and
ly new company headed by Chick and
removed between the skin and blood
Geoffrey modified seating to create
Geoffrey Browning, who bought out
line,
leaving only the center portion
Joe's interest.
more round tables for larger groups ...
prime meat ... were Joe Muer's bill of
and present an enhanced atmosphere
They took over in August 1997, and
fare favorites.
of comfort ... Seating is for 140 ... plus
closed five weeks for renovations ...
That Chick and Geoffrey didn't sit
13 bar stools.
Chick had been at the Gratiot Avenue
back and continue to gamble on a
Geoffrey's family formerly owned
Joe Muer's for 17 years, and Geoffrey
name to bring people back, shows a
spent 20 years as operations manager
Bob-Lo Island, which accounts for the
mettle to be respected.
large replica of the Browning Line's
and nighttime bar maitre d' for the
Muer family.
ship, Columbia, that sits in a dining
That these two gen-
room case ... And as folks enter the
tlemen knew what peo-
restaurant, in front is a ship's compass
ple enjoyed downtown is
from a Browning Lines freighter.
without much question
Many of the servers and bartenders
... And because of this,
are from the former Gratiot Avenue Joe
Muer's ... Bread is made on the premis-
with the original Joe
lostm,WW
Muer's Oyster House
es from raw dough ... and white linen
tablecloths adorn the tables every
that was opened in 1929
by the first Joe Muer,
evening ... Day or evening there are
white linen napkins.
and later became Joe
•
Muer's Seafood, no
Joe Muer's Grill on Southfield, is
open Monday through Friday for
longer in business, they
lunch, 11-5 ... Dinners are Monday
have been able to parlay
through Thursday, 5-10; Friday and
their talents without any
Saturday, 5 to 11.
previous fear of taking
Executive chef Chris Thompson,
business away from
was at Joe Muer's downtown five years,
Gratiot Avenue.
leaving Gratiot in January 1998, to
The result is tradi-
come as a sous chef On Southfield Road
tional fare that many will
... Besides all the fine dishes he is
remember from when
responsible for, with the coveted
Joe Muer's was king of
recipes, Chris also makes the delicious
the seafood hill in this
desserts that are served.
town.
Along with the menu's 21 fish and
Added to the appe-
tizer list is spicy zyleco
seafood items are usually two or three
specials each day.
shrimp sauteed in black
And there is that same great
pepper sauce with a
slightly garlicky taste ...
creamed spinach and stewed tomatoes,
dishes that people talked so much
Pan-seared rock shrimp
Joe Muer's Grill owners Chick Taylor, left, and Geoffley
about
... Also the wonderful
with asparagus, scal-
Browning seem to have improved on the legend.
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