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A Reputation Grows Again

First anniversary of Ron's Bagel Deli brings more improvements.

p

otpourri ...
He looks around his
40 to 50-seat delicates-
sen and says, "I'm not done yet"
... This is the first anniversary
of Ron Forman's Ron's Bagel
Deli Restaurant on 14 Mile, just
east of M-5, Walled Lake, and
improvements since opening
have been received with much
appreciation.
No more paper plates or plastic
tableware, now with larger menu,
more entrees for lunch and din-
ner, booths, etc. ... Over 60 sand-
wiches, regulars, combinations,
three- and four-deckers ... Also
roll-ups, grilled vegetarians ...
plus nine salads, six soups, daily
entree specials, etc.
Ron's original plan was to open
Ron's Bagel Deli with the primary
thought of it being more a carry-
out 'operation ... However, it took
off with such a dine-in bang that
carry-out, though very popular,
as is the deli's outside catering,
has become secondary to table
seating. .
Ron had said that he had
enough of bigger-size delicates-
sens, following Nosherie, and
Bread Basket in Oak Park's
Lincoln Center ... The latter
location saw as many as 5,000
customers a week, corned beef
sales averaged about 5,000
pounds weekly, hand-sliced,
double-baked rye bread usage
was 1,500 loaves per week, four
to five barrels of pickles weekly,
etc.
But he might be changing his

Siteiee

mind, looking at all the
filled tables and saying,
"More space might not
be too bad."
IT IS A DREAM that
so many chefs have ...
That of someday own-
ing their own restaurant
... Most turn out to
be a short-lived fulfill-
ment and they go back
to being a chef for someone else
again ... At least they found
out that cooking was their main
forte, not being an owner.
Not so with Hamad Kouka
who, with wife Janine, opened
the small, mainly carry-out
restaurant with a few tables
on Franklin Road, just east of
Telegraph, Sugarbush Plaza,
Bloomfield Hills.
It is now celebrating its 10th
anniversary as one of the north-
west area's more popular little
eating places ... and a huge
favorite of notables, not only
dining in the Bloomfields, but
throughout the Metro Detroit
region.
Pasta Fagioli has become a
much coveted destination Italian
restaurant ... For a small Italian
dining spot to develop into this,
it has to be very good ... There
are too many Italian eateries that
must be passed to get there.
As example, its superb pasta
with fagioli and minestrone
soups ... The latter, very much
unlike the traditional, is in its
own class with rice, carrots, okra,
etc., in more of a light-colored

Vectost"d,

Jewish

broth than with too
much tomato as so
many others are.
There were just a
couple of veal dish-
es when it opened
in 1996, after
Hamad left the
former Ristorante
di Modesta, but
numerous more
have been added along with
more seating and an abundant
amount of other items, as Pasta
Fagioli celebrates the becoming
of more than just another Italian
restaurant ... Being a favorite
destination of so many says a lot.
A 45-YEAR TRADITION
ends as Stage Deli in West
Bloomfield again becomes a
seven-days-a-week operation
as of Monday, Jan. 15, 2007 ...
In 1962, Stage's late owner Jack
Goldberg, closed Mondays as
an employee day of rest and it
has been that way ever since ...
Open Mondays is brought back
by present owner Steve Goldberg,
Jack and Harriet's son.
HAVING MUSICAL group
Intrigue in the Townsend Hotel
Tea Lobby New Year's Eve is
another top job by new Tea
Director Laura Klein ... Her
theme teas are going over big.
THE TRANSITION from
large to small is only in space,
with much of his menu intact
from Jack Suidan's former
Jennifer's Cafe to Jack's new
Jennifer's of Wixom, on Pontiac
Trail in the Tribute Wixom

Village Center.
It is now mainly a carry-out
but also with 14 seats to enjoy
many of Jack's still available fine
dishes, including a wide variety
of entrees, six salads, rolled and
regular sandwiches, etc., plus a
good children's menu.
Jack is always remembered for
those many years he was chef at
Restaurant Duglass, Holly Hotel,
Truffles and Bay Pointe Country
Club.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
... "We recently visited the
Wine Cellar Restaurant in
Fort Lauderdale. My sister
and brother-in-law, former
Detroiters Sarah and Sy Neuman
of Pompano Beach, and my
former business partner, Leon
and Maxine Feig, who share
time between their home in
West Bloomfield and a condo in
Tamarac ... This 30-year-old res-
taurant, rated four diamonds by
Zagat, serves continental cuisine,
with specialties of wiener schnit-
zel, veal goulash (Hungarian
style), chicken paprikash and
spaetzle. Also potato pancakes,
cream of spinach and hot red
cabbage for the entire table. The
Wine Cellar's ambience is very
European and its moderately
priced food is exceptional." ...
Ex-Detroiter Harold "Hutch"
Bobroff, Aventura, Fla.
WHERE THEY ARE Dept.
Rohit Khanna, who helped
open Bombay Grill, formerly
Shalimar, on Orchard Lake Road,
Farmington Hills, is now operat-

ing Chili Masala in the Lilley
Plaza, Canton.
FOLLOWING ITS huge
success, Giulio's Cucina Italiana,
Plymouth Road, Livonia, will
now have opera night every
month ... Next one is slated for
Wednesday, Jan. 17 ... Michigan
Opera Theatre soprano Kimerica
Parr and tenor Michael Parr will
again be accompanied by David
Carle from 6:30 during dinner ...
No added charge.
HERE'S A LITTLE gift for
you, hubby Barry Solomon said
while handing his wife a paper
bag ... Celebrity photographer
Linda Solomon looked inside and
meekly pulled out a mink wrap
that she sure has no ambition of
ever wearing ... It was vintage
all right, probably from the early
1930s with Sears-Roebuck on
the label ... something Barry
had bought at an antique shop in
Ortonville for $15.
CONGRATS ... To Sy and
Pearl Manello on their 46th anni-
versary ... To Gloria Jacobs on
her 65th birthday ... To Marvin
and Darline Leader on their
31st anniversary ... To Carol
Myrick on her birthday ... To
Barbara Cohen on her birthday
... To Norman Schwartz on his
90th birthday, celebrated with
30 friends and relatives at Sazio
Italian Restaurant in Orleans
Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

LAST MINUTE TRAYS FOR
NEW YEAR'S EVE & NEW YEAR'S DAY

FREE DESSERT TRAY with any tray order for 10 or more people!

Bloom's Complete Catering in your Home, Hall or Clubhouse

248.855.9463

120 , 290

46

December 28 2006

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