THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Viva La Chef!
Great chef carries on wonderful Tribute tradition.
I
t is so true that a good chef makes
a good restaurant and a great chef
makes a great restaurant.
When its upper echelon executive chef
had gone, the mistaken word might
have evolved that things wouldn't be the
same anymore.
One of America's finest restaurants,
located right here in Farmington Hills,
has proven the latter untrue and weath-
ered the proverbial dining storm with
grace, sliding into the culinary transi-
tion with the ease of a well-oiled gear.
Don Yamuchi, executive chef since
January 2005 at Tribute, 12 Mile west of
Orchard Lake Road, was the carefully
hand-picked choice of its former execu-
tive chef, Takashi Tagihashi, who had
left to join Steve Wynn at his new Wynn
Hotel in Las Vegas, and has easily prov-
en to have all the necessary attributes as
well for culinary greatness.
Being the former executive chef at the
classic French haute cuisine Le Francais
restaurant in Wheeling, Ill., and the
very fine Carlos' French restaurant in
Highland Park, Ill., is no slouchy back-
ground by any means ... At Tribute,
Don's imaginative blending of contem- .
porary French food with strong Asian
persuasion is being met with high
acceptance.
Chef Don is so talented that a few
years ago, while at Le Francais, he never
batted an eyelash while preparing
Passover seder for 85, with the tradi-
tional likes of gefilte fish, brisket of beef,
white fish and matzah ball soup. -
This April 23 will be the 10th anni-
versary of Tribute, which since open-
ing has become a national standout
in fine dining ..-. Diners talk about
Tribute in the same breath as fine,
world-noted restaurants like Le Bec-
Fin in Philadelphia, Charlie Trotter's in
Chicago, Mansion on Turtle Creek in
Dallas, Daniel's in New York, etc.
When it first opened, few people in
the restaurant industry thought that
a place like Tribute could work in the
Metropolitan Detroit area ... It was too
costly, they said, and the Detroit sector
wasn't sophisticated enough.
Not only has Toni Wisne and the
Epoch Group seen it succeed, but very
much so above all expectations.
Seating at Tribute is for 88 in the
five-day-a-week, dinner-only operation
... Tuesdays through Saturdays, 5:30 to
9:30.
(0371 What A Selectionl
Nothing at Tribute is made
on her birthday ... To Carol
in advance, not even the
Egnator on her birthday.
sauces ... Its interior is a
THE NINE STATIONS
being set up by Jeffrey
blend of contemporary and
Rosenberg for his Cuisines
classical themes with rich
Around the World Pre-
velvet booths, 30-foot-high
cathedral ceilings, art deco
Passover Kosher Buffet,
Tuesday, April 11, 6-8, at
lounge, and arched wine
Adat Shalom Synagogue, will
vaults housing fine collec-
be Japan, United States, Italy,
tions of wines.
France, Russia, Asia, North
Off-white linen napkins
Danny Raskin
Africa,
Ireland and Nepal
and tablecloths are topped
Senior Columnist
... Jeff's Farmington Hills
with custom-designed base
Kosher Catering number is
plates and napkin rings, both
made of quartz, amethyst and gold coil
(248) 626-5702.
MAKING DESTINATION
... Swiss glassware and French silver-
rounds . Ole Ole, Novi-Walled Lake,
ware make up the very exquisite table
for Mexican favorites; Rochester
settings.
Chop House, Rochester, for salmon
In the 15 months since Chef Don
salad; Steve & Rocky's, Novi, for Milos
has been at Tribute, he has recreated
Mushroom Soup; Sposita's, West
its menu ... with the lone exception
Bloomfield, for steak with zip sauce and
back from the previous one being the
cottage fried potatoes; Pasta Fagiole,
delicious Tribute signature dessert, not
Bloomfield Hills, for pasta fagiole; Hoa
on the menu but may be ordered ... Its
unbelievable, lip-smacking Dessert Egg, Hoa, Novi, for veal cutlets with tomato
sauce; Agave, Detroit, for Caesar salad
with the shell full of chocolate, liquid
caramel, caramel foam and maple syrup and Central Mexican food rarely seen;
Antonio Cucina Italiana, Farmington
... Many excellent dessert favorites
Hills, for chicken Antonio.
by Pastry Chef Eric Voigt go over big,
l3acco; Southfield, for scallops; Beau
including his delicious chocolate tart
Jack's, Bloomfield Hills, for turkey burg-
with chocolate ganache, salted cashews
er; Big Rock Steak House, Birmingham,
and linzer pastry ... Among the very
for buffalo steak; Pepino's, Walled Lake,
few items not on the menu that Don
for stuffed green pepper soup; Andiamo
makes is an exquisitely prepared
West, Bloomfield Township, for ossobu-
poached salmon he infuses with rose-
co; Roma, Detroit, for Monday evening
mary, thyme and garlic r.. His favorite
dishes, though, are the menu-item short Italian buffet; Zinc, West Bloomfield,
for chopped sirloin plate; Chef's
ribs braised in a Hoisin sauce with deli-
Cuisine, White Lake, for walleye; Assagi,
cious bay scallops ... and a wonderful
Ferndale, for salmon in a vodka sauce.
ceviche made with yellowtail hamachi,
Congress, Detroit, for cedar plank
lime, mayonnaise, black truffles, tortilla
salmon; Cafe Cortina, Farmington Hills,
and chorizo oil.
It is small wonder that Tribute has far for lamb chops seared with Barolo wine
exceeded anything ever imagined by the and Sicilian figs; New Seoul Garden,
Southfield, for Bibam-Bap; Blue Ginger,
Wisne family.
West Bloomfield, for shrimp sauteed
THE VERY TALENTED stu-
with shredded mango; Cuisine, Detroit,
dents at Oakland Community College
for French turbot; Gravity, Milford, for
Culinary Studies Institute, Orchard
Tuscan steak marinated in garlic and
Ridge Campus, archard Lake Road,
Farmington Hills, have their 1950s-style herbs; Italian Epicure, Novi, for torna-
does of beef; Guilio's, Livonia, for Vitello
Sock Hop gourmet dinner Thursday,
Arrosto (braised veal roast); Mon Jin
April 13, 6 p.m. on third floor of
Lau, Troy, for peppered tuna sashimi;
Building J ... The culinary brilliance
Jeremy, Keego Harbor, for Chilean
guys and gals prepare and serve the
sea bass in soy ginger; Rugby Grille
great food ... There'll be live enter-
in Townsend Hotel, Birmingham, for
tainment too ... $50 tickets must be
crepes suzette tableside.
purchased in advance by calling (248)
522-3700.
Danny's e-mail address is
CONGRATS ... To Bob Levison
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
on his 80th birthday ... To Jane Sweet
CARMEL Potato Pancake Mix
CROYDEN HOUSE Dumpling Matzo Ball Mix
Instant Chicken Soup Mix • Matzo Ball and Soup Mix
EMPIRE Chicken Breasts • Chicken Tenders • Turkey*
GOLDEN Apple Blintzes • Black Bean Pancakes
Blueberry Blintzes • Cheese Blintzes • Cherry Blintzes
Potato Blintzes • Vegetable Pancakes
Zucchini Blintzes
GOODMAN'S Onion Soup
Rice With Vermicelli For Beef
Rice With Vermicelli For Chicken
GRANNY'S Toasted Marshmallows
JOYVA Chocolate Halvah • Sesame Crunch Halvah
Sesame Tahini • Vanilla Halvah
KEDEM Blush Grape Juice • Concord Grape Juice
Gold Grape Juice • White Grape Juice
KING GOLD Potato Blintzes
MACCABEE Hanukah Candles
MANISCHEWITZ Almond Macaroons
Borscht - Reduced Sodium
• Borscht With Shredded Beets • Cake Meal
Chicken Broth • Chocolate Almond Macaroons
Chocolate Macaroons • Clear Chicken Soup
Egg Matzos • Gefilte Fish • Hanukah Candles
Malden For Soup • Matzo Ball and Soup Mix
Matzo Ball Mix • Matzo Ball Soup • Matzo Meal
Memorial Candle • Noodle Pudding Mix
Original Marinara • Potato Kugel Mix
Potato Pancake Mix • Potato Starch
Reduced Net Carb Noodle Style Pasta
Shabbat Candles • Sodium Free Matzos
Sponge Cake Mix • Thin.Tea Matzo
Ultimate Double Chocolate Dipped Egg Matzo
Whitefish • Whitefish and Pike • Whole Wheat Matzo
Zesty Chicken Noodle Soup
MOTHER'S All Whitefish
OSEM Couscous • Israeli Matzah • Matzah Meal
ROKEACH Coconut Macaroons
Israeli Shabbat Candles • Yahrzeit Light
SIMON FISCHER Lekvar Prune Butter
STREIT'S Bag'n'Bake • Barley Mushroom Soup Mix
Chicken Consomme • Coconut Macaroons
Egg and Onion Matzos • Farfel
Lightly Salted Matzos • Matzos
Mediterranean Matzos • Minestrone Soup Mix
Mushroom and Barley Soup
Onion Poppy Moonstrips
Potato Pancake Latkes Mix •.Split Pea Soup Mix
Unsalted Matzos • Whole Wheat Matzos
TELMA Falafel WOLFF'S Kasha
KOSHER WINES
Alafasi • Altoon Hills • Barkan • Baron Herzog
Bartenura • Herzog Selection • Manischewitz
Mogan David • Recanati • Teal Lake • Weinstock
And...If We Don't Have It We'll Get It!
celebrating the chef in you
❑
www.holiday-market.corn
1203 S. Main • Royal Oak • (248) 541-1414
Mon.—Sat. 8 am-9 pm • Sun. 9 am-7pm
•Three day advance order required for Empire Kosher Turkeys
(0 2006 Holiday Market
1102420
April 6 • 2006
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