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 65