Arts & Entertainment
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Mission Accomplished
Giorgio's of West Bloomfield reaches destination status on fifth anniversary.
A
s time went on following its
2002 opening, people began to
consider it a positive alterna-
tive they could always count on when
undecided as to what restaurant to visit.
Giorgio's Gourmet Diner on Orchard
Lake Road, West Bloomfield, had started
out with a big bang and eventually lev-
eled into the sort of neighborhood res-
taurant that folks could depend upon
... This is a tremendous asset, but not
exactly the only kind of reputation that
owner George Golematis strived for.
Now that it is celebrating its fifth
anniversary since opening on Feb. 2,
2002, Giorgio's Gourmet Diner in West
Bloomfield has filially attained the status
that so many times makes for a suc-
cessful restaurant operation ... and one
that he always wanted ... It has at last
become a true destination restaurant.
Customers from near and far come
for its broiled whitefish or red trout or
the big-seller liver and onions ... Or so
many of the diverse selections available
in its well-varied menu ... In a week
now, Giorgio's sells over 400 pounds of
whitefish and red trout, and around 200
pounds of calves liver ... among untold
amounts of other desired orders.
It is not your usual type of blue-plate-
special diner with predictable food not
difficult to obtain elsewhere ... Giorgio's
in West Bloomfield has built an enviable
name by providing a variety of dishes
that makes menu scanning a pleasant
adventure ... Selections you won't find
in too many fine restaurants, let alone
diners ... with deft touches of Midas that
George held while maitre d' and man-
ager at the upscale Benchmark
restaurant of years past ...
and as maitre d' and food and
beverage manager at La Place
in the St. Regis Hotel ... Steak
au poivre; steak Diane; flam-
beed beef carpetbag; veal or
chicken picanti, marsala or par-
mesan; shrimp scampi, Dijon
or Bordelaise, etc. ... all low
priced at Giorgio's, including
premise-made soup choices,
salad, potato or vegetable,
bread basket and rolls ... Plus desserts
that include flambeed bananas Foster,
cherries jubilee, etc.
So many pasta dishes that they merit
their own separate menu section ...
Spaghetti tossed with salmon, penne
with scampi, fettuccine, linguini with red
or white clam sauce, etc.
At the Benchmark and St. Regis,
George was noted for his excellence
with gourmet food prepared tableside
... During his stint at La Place, George's
deboning and cooking style of Dover
sole for customers like co-owner Al
Goodman, and veal marsala for co-owner
brother Sam Goodman, were standouts
... Both preparations are available at
Giorgio's with whitefish used instead of
Dover sole already delivered deboned,
but when requested, otherwise prepared
as was the Dover sole.
Open seven days, Sunday-Thursday, 8
a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday to 11 p.m.; Saturday
till 3 a.m., Giorgio's Gourmet Diner in
West Bloomfield seats 80 people, includ-
ing 15 at the granite counter, where food
is cooked in front of them ... Watching
the cooks prepare the cui-
sine with various wines
and flaming liqueurs brings
added pleasure to many.
From coneys and grilled
cheese to steak Diane, pep-
per steak and filets with
Giorgio's much-noted zip
sauce ... From a gourmet
diner that had its original
beginning as a former
Biff's in Oak Park ... to a
highly respected neighbor-
hood destination restaurant in West
Bloomfield, five years later, is truly an
admirable success story.
DINERS AT Gateway Deli, 11 Mile
and Lahser, Southfield, a recent morning
must have wondered what was going on.
There behind the Gateway counter was
former owner Lenny Fidler and the gent
he sold the deli to, former owner Peter
Berishaj.
Only missing previous owners at the
location were Harry Weiss and George
Gojacj ... Harry had sold his Esquire
Deli spot to Lenny, who sold it to Peter,
who sold it as Gateway Deli to George,
who sold it to its present owners, Tony
Prendi and family (mother Lisa, father
Preng, and brother Edmund and his wife,
Alison) ... with all going to New York
for a kin reunion, and asking Lenny and
Peter to watch the store for them.
DARKNESS HAD COME a bit
early and someone might have forgotten
to get the outside lights on ... However,
here again is where a reputation took
over ... Zinc, Orchard Lake Road, West
Bloomfield, may have looked closed from
caper Bowl
Pa Trays
FREE
the outside, but folks can almost find it
now with their eyes closed.
GOOD SERVER DEPT. ... Chris
Vasquez at Deli Unique, Orchard Lake
Road, West Bloomfield, is the courteous,
smiling and professional waitperson you
always long for ... None of that "How are
you guys doing?" or "How are we doing?"
... Chris asks the question with class, "Is
everything going well for you?"
MAIL DEPT. ... "My name is Irving
Cutler. They used to call me Turkey Legs
when I lived on Gladstone off 12th. I
used to love turkey legs and still do. I
am coming to Detroit for a bat mitzvah
and in those days I would head straight
for the best turkey legs in town at
Lieberman and Citron on Linwood. If you
know of any place, please let us know. We
read your column every week." ... Irving
"Turkey Legs" Cutler, San Mateo, Calif.
REMINDER DEPT. ... Kosher
Italian buffet by Jeff Rosenberg at Adat
Shalom Synagogue, Farmington Hills,
Wednesday, Feb. 7: hors d'oeuvres 5-6;
dinner 6-8.
CONGRATS ... To Marsha Weisberg
on her birthday ... To Sidney Seidman
on his 99th birthday ... To Rudi Straus
on his 80th birthday ... To Dorothy
Sussman on her 90th birthday ... To
Bea Freud on her 81st birthday (sorry
for the boo-boo) ... To brother Marvin
Raskin on his 92nd birthday ... To Ernie
Harwell on his 89th birthday ... To
Marion and Jay Grant on their 64th anni-
versary. 1 I
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
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Ipp
B oom's
'ialic as
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1212650
32418 Northwestern ffighway
248.855.9463
February 1 • 2007
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