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The Best Of Everything

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ray Sholyrooni

Thurs., Fri., Sat.
Dec. 12, 13, 14.

Fare With Flair

Kosher dining is gourmet at Milk 6- Honey
in West Bloomfield JCC.

experimenting with various
f you thought you'd never
ethnic cooking styles ... and
see many of these dishes
the former Morels' chef easily
in a kosher restaurant,
adapts his excellent prepara-
you'd probably be right.
tions with much adeptness.
Different? ... For sure ...
Jewish dietary laws are
Food with flair that reeks of
observed in preparation of the
gourmet dining? ... Absolutely.
Cholov Israel dairy products
When Milk & Honey in the
that are used at Milk &
Jewish Community Center in
DAN NY
Honey ... Kashrut requires
West Bloomfield opened to
RAS KIN
chefs like Clinton to also
the public on Feb. 7, it was
Local Co lumnist
forgo any short cuts in their
with the slogan ... "A great
cooking ... Having to use
restaurant that just happens
reduction methods instead of additives
to be kosher."
result in astonishingly intensive flavors.
But being kosher was not just an
Other big favorites at Milk &
after-thought for Milk & Honey ... It
Honey are the eggplant and portabella
is a well-planned venture.
mushroom lasagna, the squash risotto
A lot of thought ... many hours and
and much more.
days ... swirled around in Matt Prentice's
Try the sweet and sour tofu "chick-
head ... to eventually come up with a
kosher restaurant concept that would not en" ... You'll be amazed at its goodness
... the eggplant blinis, too.
only be different ... but acceptably so.
There are few kosher restaurants in
And offer something like innovative
the United States that have the feel of
kosher dining ... instead of the same
gourmet tasting without the unreason-
humdrum fare ... There's certainly
able prices some of them charge ...
nothing wrong with traditional Jewish
dishes ... but interesting creativeness lit That so many of them go out of busi-
ness is no surprise.
kosher food is something you won't
At Milk & Honey, a middle of the
easily find at too many kosher restau-
road approach seems to have been
rants in the United States.
taken ... The excellent dishes are avail-
Matt borrowed tastes from around
able ... like grilled walleye with corn
the world ... and finally arrived at a
saute, wild mushroom risotto and
menu that would require the utiliza-
Shitake mushroom essence or house-
tion of classical cooking techniques.
made potato gnocchi on ratatouille de
As a result, his Milk & Honey
kosher restaurant has become a defi-
nite destination place not only for per-
sons who observe kashrut (Jewish
dietary laws) but also for all who enjoy
good dining ... Jew and non-Jew alike.
It is today the only kosher vegetari-
an-focused restaurant in the United
States that is operated by an independ-
ent multi-concept restaurateur.
Sure there's broiled whitefish ... and
also potato-crusted whitefish with
tomato basil beurre blanc and fresh .
vegetables.
Sauteed perch? ... You won't find it
too much better than that served at
Milk & Honey.
• Scallops in a kosher restaurant? ...
Heaven forbid ... But you'll thorough-
ly enjoy them at Milk & Honey ...
"Scallops" made with sea bass that will
have you shaking your head in amaze-
ment at the delicately lovely taste ...
The pistachio-crusted sea bass, too.
L .
Executive chef Clinton Moore enjoys
John Helzer, Clinton Moore, Mark Sherman and owner Matt Prentice

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TULA,

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Celebrity, Show 100in
Mile Road
w 7096 East Fou rt een

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11/22

2002

82

(Between Mour1 &Van Dyke)

41

(586) 268-3200

••••••••••ii

Provence with tomato-basil sauce and
parmesan cheese ... without the overly
ridiculous high prices.
Kosher food is not cheap ... Its
dietary restrictive laws require numer-
ous steps for ultimate attainment ...
That Matt Prentice is restaurant-knowl-
edgeable enough to realize a proper
pricing structure is commendable.
Milk & Honey is divided into three
rooms ... The main dining room seats
100 ... and a second room an addi-
tional 60 ... A third room opens to
seat about 40 more ... totaling 200.
The contemporary decor that
includes a long marble bar, soft leather
booths, padded chairs, soft lighting
and walled artwork ... is conducive to
the creation of a casual and elegant
atmosphere.
Lunch is served Monday-Thursday,
11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m.-2
p.m. ... Dinner is Thursday, 4-9 p.m.;
Saturday (November-March), 7-11
p.m.; Sunday, 4-9 p.m. ... with Sunday
brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (eggs, French
toast, eggs Benedict and more ... plus
the regular menu.)
Everything is house made ... except,
of course, traditional condiments like
ketchup or mustard ... This includes
the luScious desserts made by pastry
chef Erica Humphrey ... pecan pie
with maple chantilly, apple pie with
vanilla ice cream and bourbon
caramel, pumpkin cheesecake with
white chocolate hazelnut whipped
cream, etc. ... Talk about innovative
presentations, look to the winter fruit
Napoleon, crispy phyllo layers stacked
with rice pudding and brandy-
poached pears and plums.
Guests wishing to observe the cus-