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Eye On The Pi

Dining spot to feature European delicacies at lower prices.

1 11 T O,

P

OTPOURRI ...
Following a restaurant with
a successful reputation is never
easy ... Especially when its interior and
exterior has been completely changed
beyond recognition and an origi-
nally intended concept is not followed
through.
Negative talk before it even opened
carved a difficult task for Caffe Milano on
Northwestern and Franklin, off 12 Mile,
Southfield, and when the concept was
altered from the spoken plan, ultimate
doom was predicted.
New owners have taken over and will
change the Caffe Milano name to Pi (the
Greek letter) come October.
New owners Tony Gioutsos, his son
Anthony and Tony's mother, Dorothy
Gioutsos, will give Pi a strong European
flavor with higher-end dining at lower
prices the main theme ... It will be as
was originally intended insofar as the
moderate pricing is concerned ... The
menu will continue with pizza and pasta
but also include an all-European selec-
tion instead of only Italian.
The Gioutsos family also purchased II
Posto, across Northwestern in Southfield,
which will remain as is except for pro-
jected lower-priced lunch menu selec-
tions ... And the newly acquired and
renamed Pi Banquet Center will also
conform to the more reasonable pricing
objective.
The former Excalibur and Caffe
Milano free-standing building will soon
attain a new look, too ... with renova-
tions inside and out more on a European
theme.
AS IT STANDS NOW, the cost in
today's market for Carl's Chop House to
be built would probably top the eight
or 10 million dollar mark ... Standing
on Grand River, off the John C. Lodge
Expressway, it easily ranks among
America's grandest dining spots.
Interior remodeling has now also pro-
vided more features for daily dining and
entertainment enjoyment ... There are
now two wooden dance floors at Carl's
... one in the lounge, which has been
transformed into a sports bar atmo-
sphere, and the other in the elegant main
dining room with its soft, relaxing ambi-
ence ... The Darren McKinney Quartet
appears every Saturday evening, and the
food is still among this locale's better
presentations.

IOTA

NEW RESTAURANT
DEPT. ... Polo Grille,
recently opened by a former
restaurateur, Sam Abraham,
whose itching to get back
into the dining game was
scratched with the former
location of Mama Loccrichio,
Steamers, Tringale's New
York Deli, etc. on 12 Mile,
just east of Orchard Lake
Road, Farmington Hills ...
He returns with higher-style cuisine at
reasonable prices served by tuxedoed
waitpersons on linen tablecloths sided
by colored linen napkins that go with the
fresh-look interior.
FOLKS WONDERING WHERE
all the people came from on a recent
Thursday evening were given a quick
reason ... Israeli owner Yossi Benyamin
is now doing his own cooking.
Which means that it is now really
true authentic Israeli food, not just
authentic-style at Yossi's Israeli Cuisine
on the northern side of Robin's Nest,
Orchard Lake Road, north of 14 Mile,
West Bloomfield ... As example now
with Yossi at the stove, the delicious beef
meatballs in tomato sauce, surround-
ing a mound of brown rice ... Major
complaint before was of them being
overcooked and hard ... The meatballs
now have a soft, yet firm consistency and
a much better taste-blending of herbs.
MORE NEW DISHES to try
with the 14th annual Summertime in
Michigan Festival by Bill Kruse and his
five Kruse & Muer restaurants (plus
Rochester Chop House and Kabin Kruser
Oyster Bar), with Michigan's prominent
meats, fish, produce and wine ... July
17-Aug. 21 ... Among the best gazpa-
cho soup around, of course, along with
grilled salmon and apricot salad, perch,
shrimp primavera, etc.
ANOTHER EVENT making a
strong bid to join the ranks of "bests" in
charitable events, is the new For the Kids
Dinner and Auction,
Foundation
recently held at Oakland Hills Country
Club ... It was the first annual, a day
before the group's Coaches for the Kids
Golf Tournament.
About 350 people attended the inaugu-
ral affair and enjoyed an elegant dinner
with a rarely seen class act of individual
salt and pepper shakers for each diner.
The Simone Vitale band was its usual

musical top-notch and much
fun.
For the Kids Foundation
raises funds for families of
youngsters who have lost a
parent ... giving professional,
personal and financial assis-
tance in helping to fill a huge
void with the parental loss.
CONGRATS ... To Ethel
Klavons on her 96th birthday
... To Andee Rothenberg on
her 50th birthday ... To Carl Diem on his
birthday ... To Dr. Hamid Banooni on
his birthday ... To Mert Robbins on his
birthday ... To Andee Barenholtz on her
birthday.
REUNION DEPT. ... 55th by
Central High class of 1951, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2, at Peking House on
Washington, Royal Oak ... Contact
Joanne Satovsky Shatanoff, (248) 682-
8555, or Millie Lewis Kovan, (248) 851-
3880.
HE MODESTLY SAYS that he has
made better, and if so, many of those
who attended the recent opening of
Tamara's Medical Spa & Wellness, on
Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills,
introducing Dr. Steve Grekin, dermatolo-
gist, and Dr. Steve Stein, plastic surgeon,
want to be there when Eugene Friedman
does.
Tamara Friedman's right-hand man
hubby, is an amateur chef of much tal-
ent and made one of his luscious salads
for the packed open house attendees
... Tasty with almonds glazed with cin-
namon, chicken, strawberries, cherries,
mango, melted goat cheese, maple syrup
and balsamic vinegar.
THREE MEASLY INCHES that he
won't forget ... That's how far Hershal
Gross was away from his first hole-
in-one in 30 years of golfing ... After
hitting from the tee, barber bossman
at Clippers Salon in Applegate Square,
Northwestern and Inkster, Southfield,
could see the flag marker move and was
ready to jump with joy while running to
witness the long-awaited culmination of
his supposed one-timer shot ... But alas,
the golf ball hadn't gone straight down
into the hole ... instead, trickling a mil-
lion miles away of three inches past the
cup.

fi

FR.ENDSHIP
li rCLE0

Walk

with
your
feet and
help
with
your

heart!

SUNDAY,

September

10th, 2006

1-4 PM

248-788-7878

our proud
sponsors:

IMAGE ONE"

TM

❑

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin®sbcglobal.net

howa rd
schwartz

commerciol real eitole, llC

July 20 • 2006

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