THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Sleeping Beauty
Lepanto is a jewel in downtown Royal Oak.
A
s it continues its
climb toward further
recognition as a
region with restaurants to be
reckoned with, Royal Oak is
revealing even more good
dining spots that have seem-
ingly been lying dormant ...
not receiving proper
Danny Raskin
acknowledgement.
Senior Columnist
Sleeping good ones like
Lepanto on Fourth, between
Main and Washington, have been around for years,
but are only recently being discovered by the masses.
It had been on Main Street 11 years before mov-
ing to its present location five years ago ... originally
opened by Christopher and Laura Claire and named
after his grandmother, Lily Lepanto ... Many of the
recipes served today by Lepanto are those of their
grandmother and mother, Barbara Lepanto Claire.
In fact even one of the servers, Meghan Rooney,
is also a family member ... Her brother, Christopher,
opened its doors in 1988, and she has never left.
Lepanto is now owned by localites Mike Nash,
Rob Jackier, Eric Hurley, Ralph Gustayson and
Marty Tuchman, also owners of the popular Mr. B's
restaurant group; who took over in May.
The restaurant, with its new striped awning, dark
woods, burgundy linen napkins, fine waitpersons
wearing black shirts and white ties, etc., seats 98 in
the dining room, plus 13 at a bar that serves 64
wines by the glass and is popular for dining at as
well ... An outside patio seats another 16.
. Executive Chef Dennis Skief, a certified chef
member of the American Culinary Federation in
Columbus, Ohio, still uses Lepanto's old-fashioned
Italian pasta machine for his pasta dishes like roast
duck on ravioli and lasagna, which ranks among its
top pasta sellers ... No. 1 is the arrabiata with toma-
to, garlic, vodka, hot peppers and basil.
Nobody in this area has the "candy wrappers" of
pesto filled with fresh spinach, ricotta and mascar-
pone cheeses on marinara sauce ... and is a true
destination dish because of both its deliciousness
and rarity.
His Chilean sea bass with a hazelnut sauce is
choice ... as is the smoked salmon filet with white
wine and capers ... and a popular stuffed tenderloin.
Lepanto is again a seven-day-a-week restaurant
... dinner only ... at one time closed on Sundays and
Mondays ... The hours now are Monday-Thursday,
5-10; Friday and Saturday, 5-11; Sunday, 5-9 ... Live
entertainment is on Monday evenings with two
strolling Gypsy guitarists.
Constantly used pizza ovens put out six gourmet
pies for appetizer or entrees.
Many folks will recognize a couple of the wait-
persons ... Meghan Rooney was at Maria's on Grand
TN
October 27 2005
River in Rosedale Park four years before coming
when her brother Christopher, opened Lepanto in
1988 ... Marisa Pleshakow, a former Style, the
Magazine Waitress of the Year, was at Maria's in
Rosedale, on Greenfield and in Ferndale, 10 years
before joining Meghan ... Both are among the best
in Michigan, so very personable, knowledgeable
and efficient.
A restaurant like Lepanto does much for the com-
munity in which it is located ... It not only brings
people, but makes sure they leave with satisfaction.
"I MET ELVIS Presley in 2004 at a Kalamazoo
supermarket while driving in from Chicago:' says
localite Richard Steinhart ..."He couldn't talk long
because he said he was having lunch that day with
Glenn Miller and Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Hoffa
was stopping by:'
New CD by Richard and the Bunker Boys, is
called "Elvis Has Left the Building" ... with Chuck
Litvin, Berkley, and William Stein, Farmington
Hills, among the five-man musical aggregation.
Richard wrote all eight songs, including the
title tune which he says Elvis Presley helped him
write ... On one of them, "If I Could Be Here"
Richard says that he and Elvis sing together ...
elvishasleftthebuilding.biz has the Elvis story, and
thebunkerboys.biz is the group's Web site.
CALL CAME FROM Missouri City, Texas, that
had Ron Asmar, owner of Vineyards, Farmington
Hills, thinking a joke was being played on him ...
The caller, Becky Carver, wanted a Wilno kosher
salami overnighted as a High Holiday gift for her
boyfiend, former Detroiter Howard Fishman ...
Becky thought it only came in one size ... and with
overnight shipping the Wilno kosher salami was a
whopping $114.95 ... Howard's brother, Charles,
lives in Farmington Hills.
CONGRATS ... To Ed and Shirley Rosenberg on
their 59th anniversary ... To Rose Light on her 75th
birthday.
LOOK FOR Irvin "Mr. Baseball" Cohen at the
Jewish Community Center Book Fair's Local Author
section on the upper level (by the balcony) ...
Sunday, Nov. 6, in West Bloomfield ... His Echoes of
Detroit's Jewish Communities and Tiger Stadium will
be on sale ... along with Irwin's latest, on
Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
ROBERT PORCHER is getting his voice in shape
for all the times he'll be asked about the Detroit
Lions ... Their former all-pro lineman gets the Alvin
Foon Humanitarian Award, Monday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m.,
at Adat Shalom Synagogue on Middlebelt between
Northwestern and 13 Mile, Farmington Hills ...
Seated dining, with kosher caterer Jeff Rosenberg's
waitpersons, will be back for Michigan Jewish Sports
Hall of Fame's 21st Annual Induction Dinner.
❑
FUgen you work this
hard to raise money,
YOU'RE CAREFUL
HOW IT'S SPENT.
With so much effort behind
each dollar we raise, we're
particular about where
those dollars go. That's
why we support only the
most promising programs.
Learn more at komen.org
or 1.800 I'M AWARE®.
The Susan
G. Komen
Breast Cancer
Foundation
This space provided as a public service.
©2005, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Danny's e-mail address is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
75