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Mexican Hat Dance
Ole Ole celebrates five years in Novi under an old name.
T
here's no denying what kind of
restaurant it is, even if the former
name remains on it ... Getting
a sign to tell that it owns a new name has
just taken much longer than expected.
So until the signage change comes
about, Ole Ole Mexican Cantina will sim-
ply have to exist on the reputation it built
under the former name of Southwestern
Bar & Grill, which the present sign still
says ... In this case, living on that repute
is not such a bad thing.
Code enforcement rulings have pre-
vented changes being made at the Ole Ole
site on 14 Mile Road and East Lake Drive,
Novi, across the street from Walled Lake
Drive ... and so until then, the restaurant
will just have to put up with the present
sign.
However, persistent presentation of
food authenticity and new offerings have
become an Ole Ole note that has been
found by many ... It says myriad words,
too, when looking into the kitchen of an
ethnic restaurant and seeing it filled with
people from that country.
Ole Ole will soon celebrate its fifth anni-
versary with further proof that diversity
and authenticity in ethnic dining contin-
ues to be dominant features in this impor-
tant market.
Along with better treatments of tradi-
tional Mexican food preparations, it's add-
ing items seldom seen on Mexican menus
has also been welcomed.
As example, lamb ribs ... Lamb ribs
at a Mexican restaurant? ... Why not?
... Especially when they are a specialty
item that has garnered a large popularity
among a vast menu selection ...
Many foods were meant to
The succulent lamb ribs at Ole
be eaten where they are most
Ole are oven-baked, seasoned
appreciated, which certainly
and then char-grilled to a deli-
is the case with Mexican food
cious flavor, served with rice or
... Ole Ole Mexican Cantina
fries, Texas toast and salad or
prides itself on authenticity
... So much so that if folks
cole slaw, $11.95.
Or the tortilla-crusted fresh
have any pesos lying around,
Tilapia, marinated, well-sea-
they can even use them to
soned and delicately dusted
pay for their meal.
Danny Raskin
You can't miss the place ...
with a light, premise-made
Senior Columnist
tortilla coating, served with pico
a big yellow building with red
de gallo, rice and Texas toast,
trim on the southeast corner
of 14 Mile and East Lake Drive, making
$11.95.
It should be noted that the oil used at
the turn onto Walled Lake Road ... For a
Ole Ole, and the gallons of it are very high
big fifth year birthday present, be nice if
Ole Ole gets the sign change permission.
in numbers, is 100 percent trans fat free,
a most important feature ... Approximate
THE CONTINUING country club
quests for good chefs in the all-important
numbers in Ole Ole's five-year existence
take in over a million pounds of ground
component of satisfying the palates of
beef, 500,000 pounds of shredded chicken, their members took another turn in this
almost 500,000 pounds of nachos, over
direction with two brother chefs at local
restaurants following each other in saying
150,000 pounds of barbecued ribs, more
than 500,000 burritos, 2 million fajitas, etc. goodbye to café kitchens ... First, former
Andiamo executive chef Lee Sharkas left
Barbecue rib dinners, other than lamb
ribs, include two-third slabs, $11.95; whole for what became a short stay at Commerce
Grill in Commerce Township and is now
slab, $15.95; slab for two, $17.95 ... plus
at Shenandoah Country Club in West
chicken dinner, $19.95, and combos ...
Bloomfield ... Latest to leave, sibling
All are served with Mexican rice, baked
Louai Sharkas, has done an astounding
potato or steak fries, cole slaw or salad,
farewell at Zinc Brasserie, West Bloomfield,
vegetable and Texas toast or tortillas ...
Also a 20-ounce Porterhouse steak, $16.95, after helping open it and becoming a
New York strip steak and shrimps, $14.95,
mainstay there, to be the new executive
chef at Birmingham Country Club.
etc. ... Even a good ol' hamburger sand-
wich, a nine-ouncer grilled and served
OWNER JOE SPOSITA, bossman with
wife Lois at Sposita's Italian Ristorante,
with French fries, $6.95.
Of course, it wouldn't be much of a
14 Mile Road, West Bloomfield, may soon
Mexican restaurant without the traditional again be able to have blueberry pie and
say, "I drank it" ... Sposita's is concocting
Mexican dishes one would expect ...
a blueberry pie drink, named following
the experience Joe had after he and Lois
were wed back in 1954 ... She made him a
real blueberry pie that Joe recalls drinking
because it was so loose.
MAIL DEPT. ... "We have a restaurant
here that has been in Monroe 65 years. I've
been to many restaurants but will put the
food at Joe's Italian French Diner on Dixie
Highway up against any other Italian or
French restaurant in Michigan" ... Michael
Ehrlich, Monroe.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Forte,
Birmingham, for roasted halibut ...
To Tomatoes Apizza, Farmington Hills,
for thin-crusted pizza ... To Nak Thai,
Madison Heights, for Pad Bai Grapow
chicken or Angry Eggplant with chopped
chicken.
SONNY ELIOT, WWJ radio's highly
popular weathercaster, quips that he'll
make sure the day's climate will be a
sunshiny temperature as he is the latest
to join an impressive list of celebrity folks
who'll trek in the Walk of Ages sponsored
by the Auxiliary of the Jewish Home &
Aging Services, Sunday, May 6, 10 a.m.
... It'll be at the Eugene and Marcia
Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in
West Bloomfield at Maple and Drake ... If
you haven't signed up yet, call Judy Dunn
in the auxiliary office, (248) 661-2969.
CONGRATS ... To Irving and Bluma
Ellman on their 63rd anniversary ... To
Herb and Adele Goldstein on their 62nd
anniversary.
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
ewish Cuisine
Empire Kosher Chicken, Beef Brisket, Bar
BQ Short Ribs, Meat Loaf, Sauteed Liver
Steak, Stuffed Cabbage and Baked Tilapia
a
a
Complete WIII1OP
Dine-in only. Daily 3-7 pm with purchase of
equal or lesser value. Expires 5/3/07
Iliss maaassessem
52 April 19 2007
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mussammotssamassoldl
32418 Northwestern Hwy.
between Middlebelt & 14 Mile
248.855.9463
vvvvw.JewishCatering.com