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Arts & Entertainment
Shiraz-Ma-Tazz
Conjuring up much more than just steaks.
T
here are regular steak-
houses and there are
steakhouses-plus ...
The regular steakhouse usu-
ally concentrates mainly on
steaks with many also offering
just smatterings of other non-
descript menu selections ... A .
steakhouse-plus is better defined
as that restaurant with major
steak attention, but also a heavy
focus on varied menu items.
One of the steakhouses-plus
in the local region, Shiraz, in the
Bingham Office Plaza, Telegraph
between 12 and 13 Mile roads,
Bingham Farms, can be classified
among the better such operations.
Among its strong points is a
lunch, 11-4, that might be con-
sidered somewhat of a top secret
... Lunch like the half-sandwich
(chicken, tuna, egg salad, turkey
or corned beef) and soup or
Caesar salad, $8; or open-faced
truffled egg salad sandwich with
shaved parmesan cheese, $7; or
the eight-ounce steak-burger on
grilled challah roll with
pommes frites (fries) $7, etc ...
Fine salads and soups are the
same reasonable price both
lunch and dinner.
A steakhouse-plus that also
thinks of veggie folks ... Daily
vegetable choices are featured,
and on Friday is a four-course
vegetarian meal, $35 prix fixe,
that changes items each week for
diversity.
Dinner at Shiraz is high-qual-
ity with its best seller being the
7-ounce prime filet mignon,
but also a winner is the sauteed
Provimi calves liver with grilled
red onions, duck with plum
glaze, pan-roasted chicken breast
and grilled lamb loin, all rarities
at a steakhouse ... Another big
seller with steakhouse infre-
quency is the seafood trio with
poached lobster, pan-seared scal-
lops, jumbo prawns and garlic
whipped potatoes ... There's
Dover sole, lobster tails, grilled
Alaskan king salmon ... and
other uncommon steakhouse -
dishes like the Thai-barbecued
Ahi tuna.
Shiraz is open six days a week,
Monday-Thursday, 11-10; Friday
and Saturday, 11-11.
It had been closed for just a
short while and reopened when
arrangements were made to
reduce the space ... But there
has been no reduction of the
dining area, which is the same
as before, with seating for about
100 in the main dining .room
and another 30 each in both a
private room and bar-lounge
... The only space relieved of
was a 2,800-square-foot unused
kitchen area.
Shiraz managing partner, Rick
Therrien, was cook and manager
for Dick Lichtman at Northgate
Delicatessen in Oak Park years
ago ... He stayed on when Matt
Prentice bought
ties of the fat-free, sugar-free
Northgate from
and calorie-free with the
Dave Raben and
same good taste, are being
has been with
sold at the restaurant for
him 17 years,
$5.95 ... Plus being used on
the last three
steaks, Giorgio's zip sauce is
since opening
also great for dipping bread
Shiraz.
... No-charge dishes of it are
Master
now on all tables for dipping
Danny Raskin
Sommelier
at the restaurant.
Senior Columnist
Madeline
MINI READER
Triffon is a
REVIEW ... "Pat Gorman
mainstay at Shiraz witner bevy
and I found a deli here in Las
of select and hard-to-find wines
Vegas that serves a corned beef
and fine wine list.
sandwich like we used to get at
The contemporary decor styl-
Brother's Delicatessen, owned
ing at Shiraz is created with an
years back by the Horenstein
air of clean and simple lines that
brothers on old Dexter Blvd. It
seem to bring out its ebony, ivory is called Old Tyme Deli, owned
and black tones ... Subdued
by former Detroiters Frank and
lighting and plush settees give it
Nancy Seman on E. Sunset Road
a comfortable, yet sophisticated
in Green Valley. They give you
feel.
a half-sandwich, which is more
As a steakhouse-plus, Shiraz
than enough, and the prices are
takes its high seat among those
very reasonable. It is the only one
who serve exclusively USDA
in town that has Faygo pop. I've
prime beef and chops, a distinc-
been here since 1972, lived on
tion given to only 2 percent of
Fullerton and Dexter and later
meat in the United States ... But
Oak Park. I met you here at the
also menu choices rarely seen
front desk of the Flamingo Hilton
on a regular steakhouse menu
when I was its assistant man-
... For this, it must be ranked
ager." ... Art Brand.
among a highly select restaurant
GOOD SERVER DEPT.
group.
... Vicki Frank, 18-year veteran
PEOPLE CAN NOW have
at Ram's Horn, 12 Mile, east of
their own bottles of the delicious
Telegraph, Southfield, smiling
zip sauce they get at Giorgio's
and well-organized, with a lot
of customer satisfaction know-
Gourmet Diner, Orchard Lake
Road, north of Maple, West
how.
Bloomfield ... 8 1/2-ounce bot-
NOSTALGIA DEPT. ...
"Back in the '60s, I used to work
at the Egg & I on Woodward in
Royal Oak. It was open 24 hours
a day, seven days a week, and
owned by my father, Abe Duke,
a wonderful boss and person.
My mother, Blanche Duke, and
I used to eat there twice a week.
We loved the food, especially its
great French toast, patty melts,
chocolate chip pancakes and so
much more. It was also a way of
seeing my father, too. He was a
real workaholic!" ... Paula Duke.
GET OUT THOSE walk-
ing shoes ... The awaited Third
Annual Walk of Ages at the
Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield, is Sunday
morning, Sept. 10 ... Grand mar-
shal will be JET Theatre actress,
director and producer Evelyn
"Evie" Orbach.
CONGRATS ... To Edie
Goldman on her 65th birthday
... To Betty Simons on her
80th birthday ... To Wendy
MacDonald on her birthday ...
To Sheldon Yarsike on his 50th
birthday ... To former Detroiter
Susie Kasmer, now of Atlanta, on
her 50th birthday ... To Bruce
Guttman on his 52nd birthday
... To Linda Powell on her birth-
day ... To Allen Goldenberg on
his 50th birthday ... To Florence
Ostrow on her birthday. II
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
GRAND OPENING
Jack & Jayna Suidan formerly of Jennifer's Cafe
are pleased to announce the opening of their new
carry-out/cafe in downtown Wixom.
THE GALLERY RESTAURANT
— Our Specialties —
Maurice
Salads
•
Wrapped
Sandwiches • Homemade Soups
•
° • Sandwich trays & salads for your next event
Open Daily 10 am — 9 pm
Closed on Major Holidays
Enjoy gracious dining amid a beautiful
atmosphere of casual elegance
BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER
Je k imifer'8
OPEN 7 DAYS:
MON.- SAT. 7 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. SUN. 8 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Bloomfield Plaza • 6638 Telegraph Road and Maple • 248-851-0313
Phone: 248-863-5350
..3111111100.-
114 950
49070 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, MI 48393
Across from City Hall
[.-•
of 'Wixom
1152730
August 31 • 2006
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