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Kreatively Kosher

Milk & Honey reflects Matt Prentice's gourmet talent and taste.

W

hen opened in 2002,
it was with an eager
attempt to in some
way repay a culture that has been
so cooperatively good to him
since entering the restaurant
world as an owner in 1980.
He had been a fine chef with
training at the Culinary Institute
of America in Hyde Park, when
taking over the former Northgate
Delicatessen on Greenfield at 10
Mile in Oak Park, and has since
become one of this region's lead-
ing restaurant entrepreneurs,
with 20 dining venues.
In opening Milk & Honey at
the Jewish Community Center,
West Bloomfield, four years ago,
Matt Prentice's main intent was
not necessarily to make money,
he says, but to provide a service
for Jewish people who need
kosher food.
His training called for gourmet-
style and creative cuisine, which
Matt had also previously included
at that little Oak Park delicatessen
he renamed Deli Unique ... Milk
& Honey soon became much more
than just another kosher restaurant
... And today, it is also somewhat
of a cornerstone of other dining
offshoots serviced by him at the
J.C.C.... Matt's staff dishes up food
for 170 people daily at Hechtrnan
Jewish Apartments, 200 each day at
Meer Jewish Apartments, services
dairy catering for the almost 400
capacity Handleman Hall ballroom
with its onsite weddings, bar and
bat mitzvahs and varied events, off-

site affairs, Milk & Honey showers,
rehearsal dinners, corporate events,
etc., in its private rooms, plus pro-
viding kosher lunch and dinner
trays for about 500 folks a week.
In the four years, an estimate
is that Milk & Honey restaurant
by itself has seen about 315,000
people come through its doors
... This is an astounding figure
because operating a true kosher
restaurant is not easy with hav-
ing to be closed so much due to
Shabbat, fast days and holidays.
The menus at Milk & Honey
are continually changing, with
favorites staying as regulars ...
To all recollection, Matt is the
only restaurateur around who
flies in Ahi tuna daily for his
restaurants ... This includes
the Day Boat Ahi tuna served at
Milk & Honey with candied shal-
lot chutney, balsamic syrup and
rice pilaf ... Its broiled whitefish
and pistachio-crusted sea bass
are outstanding presentations
... Matt's pet dish is the house-
made eggplant and portabella
lasagna ... Accolades are many
for the faux."krab" tempura and
Thai citrus sea bass stir-fry.
Recently added are items
which take Milk & Honey into
still another upside dining realm
... with much being done uti-
lizing the goodness and health
factors provided by the soy bean
(tofu) ... Korean-barbecued
"chicken:' sweet-and-sour "chick-
en:' country-fried "chicken" mar-
tini with a sweet corn sauce, etc.

Ever had a
on the north side of West
whitefish burger
Bloomfield Plaza, north
on an onion roll
of 15 Mile, are Monday-
or salmon club
Friday, 11-4; Saturday and
or faux "krab"
Sunday, 10-4.
Reuben or Ahi
THEY'VE FINALLY
tuna sliders on
gotten their wish ...
challah buns? ...
Former 13-year corporate
They're available
executive chef for Chuck
sandwiches at
Muer Restaurants, Jim
Danny Raskin
lunch and dinner.
Senior Columnist Blake, and wife, Nan,
To say that Matt
always did want to spend
Prentice's Milk & Honey is a dif-
more time together and cook their
ferent kind of kosher restaurant
own favorite recipes for others ...
than many others would be like
The couple now has this dream
comparing a BB shot with a can-
come true with their My Pie carry-
non ball ... Such creativeness
out on Highland Road, Highland,
usually comes from one who
presenting an interesting list of
has gourmet culinary training
selections for both take-out and
and talent ... And this Matt
delivery ... Even their breads and
has, along with the satisfaction
desserts are restaurant-made and
of knowing that the service he
there's a kiddie menu, too ...Call
always wanted to provide is today Jim or Nan at (248) 889-8949
a firm reality.
Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30-
THE RECENTLY closed
10, and Sunday, 4-9.
Fonte d'Amore in Livonia will
FORMER TRIBUTE
reopen this September as Los
maitre d' Mickey Bakst and
Amigos Mexican restaurant ...
Harlan "Pete" Petersen, will be
Owners will be Gulio and Mario
together again for one night
Ledda of Gulio's Cucina Italia
when a reunion dinner is held
on Plymouth, Livonia, and Erich
at Executive Chef Petersen's
D'Andrea, bossmen of the Draft in fine Tapawingo, south of
Commerce.
Charlevoix in Ellsworth, Mich.
Former chefs at Fonte d'Amore,
... The 5 p.m. dinner, Sunday,
Lula Kulaz and Barry Darnell, are
Sept. 17, with Mickey the guest
now wearing their toques across
host-maitre d', is being billed
the street at Gulio's.
'A Night in Charleston" ... He
REOPENING OF lunch by
was at Tapawingo from 1987
Fiddler restaurant adds another
to 2004, and is now maitre d'
complete daytime menu to the
at the fine Charleston Grill in
Orchard Lake Road dining row
Charleston, S.C., from which
sector ... Lunch hours at Fiddler, he is bringing four chefs, who

with Chef Petersen, will prepare
the cuisine ... $200 per person
dinner includes hors d'oeuvres
on Tapawingo's lawn and a
five-course meal accompanied
by select wines in its dining
room ... For reservations, call
Tapawingo, (231) 588-7971, or
you can reach Mickey at the
Charleston Grill, (843) 577-4522.
FOOD NOT UTILIZED
at the coming local Taste of
the Nation benefit dinner,
Wednesday, Aug. 23, will still feed
the hungry ... It'll be donated
to Forgotten Harvest, which
provides food for the hungry in
Metro Detroit ... The event is
6:30-10:30 at Epoch Restaurant
Group's Diamond Center ball-
room inside Rock Financial
Showplace, Grand River, Novi.
ERRATA, TYPO, ETC. Dept.
... Anita Lieberman's correct e-
mail address for Mumford 1956
grads is anitamay2@hotmail.com
... And it was Robert Myrick's
59th birthday, not Wyrick.
CONGRATS ... To Dee
Shapiro on her birthday ... To
Brian Myrick on his 31st birthday
... To Vera Ashare on her birthday
... To Sharon Wohlers, Pepino's
server, on her birthday ... To Lisa
and Harry Garfinkle on their 25th
anniversary ... To Harold (Hal)
Brenner on his 30th birthday ...
To Max and Eleanor Bayer on
their 64th anniversary.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .

UPTOWN

New Location of

CATERING

aGnad ;an

• Fresh, Healthy and Delicious Foods
• The Original Roll Up Sandwiches
• A Variety of Fresh Salads, Fruit & Veggie Trays
• Delicious Hot Dinners
• Tasty Hors D'Oeuvres and more!
• Coney Island Hot Dogs and Gyros Parties

2038 Cass Lake Road, #9 • Keego Harbor

248.681.9092

rio%
an y order 9 717e/r065 100 j

Pick-up, Deliver
or Service Staff
Available

1139090

60

August 17 • 2006