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Feast Your Eyes

Chef Elio's creations are a treat to see and taste.

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OTPOURRI ...
It was almost inevitable that
he would be back in the food
preparation game ... Elio Petrovich is too
good not to be ... The former owner and
executive chef of the closed Elio's Bistro on
Orchard Lake, Farmington Hills, is making
folks very happy again as the new execu-
tive chef at Commerce Grill, Union Lake
Road between Commerce and Willow,
Commerce Township.
The news of his being there is music
to many ears ... Commerce Grill owner
Diane Walsh again pushes the right
button and couldn't have made a too-
much-better choice ... Many folks will
also remember Elio from Joe Muer's on
Gratiot, Lelli's on Woodward, London
Chop House in Detroit and Indianwood
Country Club in Lake Orion.
Being from the school of cooking that
believes food must look good, since many
people eat with their eyes, so to speak, and
the fare sure has to taste first-class as well
... Elio is great at both.
AWAITED OPENING DATE has been
set for Chef Theodore authentic Greek res-
taurant, Orchard Lake Road and Pontiac
Trail, Orchard Lake ... It's Monday, Aug.
27, from 4 p.m., dinner only for the pres-
ent ... Seating inside is for about 100, and
the spacious porch around 70 ... Liquor
permit is still pending ... Chef Theodore
is taking reservations, (248) 851-1400.
SMALL WONDER that she and her
husband love food so much ... The
children and spouses of Eva Piasek, nail
technician at Tamara Spa + Wellness,
Northwestern, Farmington Hills, and
hubby Frank, own and operate their own

restaurants where she and
he are happy customers ...
Son Tom and daughter-in-law
Katarzyna Piasek have New
Deli on Middlebelt, just north
of Northwestern, Farmington
Hills, where their tuna sandwich
and salad variety are big favor-
ites as is the large vegetarian
selection ... In Plymouth, on
Starkweather, two blocks north
of Main Street, their daughter,
Anna, and son-in-law Jeff Crawford own
Crawford's Kitchen, where Anna makes a
delicious stuffed cabbage and the chili is
a community love, along with veggie and
carb-smart sandwich wraps, etc.
THE NEW SITDOWN and carryout
delicatessen owned by Al and Debbie
Winkler, Al's Famous Bread Basket Deli,
is open on the east side of Woodward, a
block south of 14 Mile, Royal Oak.
NEW DESSERT BY Executive Chef
Matteo Giuffrida at Il Posto Ristorante,
12 Mile, east of Northwestern, Southfield,
goes over big during summer months ...
It's his Cantaloupe Melon Mousse with a
filling of fresh fruit, pineapple, kiwi and
strawberry purees.
Across the street from Il Posto, owner of
both places, Tony Gioutsos' other spot, Pi,
Franklin, Northwestern and 12 Mile, just
say the word before 5 p.m. on Saturday
and Sunday and you'll get a brick-oven,
thin-crusted pizza for $3.14 ... The word
is all numbers, "314159"
MAIL DEPT. ... "I often frequent a
place where the good food and first-class
customer service is tops. Unfortunately,
not many people know about Nippon

You will get

Grille, a Japanese restaurant
on 12 Mile, Berkley. But the
food like spicy tuna rolls,
specialty dishes of asparagus
tips with a beef wrap and
teriyaki glaze, are fantastic.
The owner, Tot Nguyen, used
to work at Cherry Blossom."
... Jason Brown.
JAZZ NOTES ... Bugs
Beddow on flute and muted
trombone and his upbeat
jazz group (cello and keyboard) perform
every Thursday evening at Commerce
Grill, Commerce Township.
GOOD WAITPERSON DEPT. ... Sheila
Bianchi, at Deli Unique of West Bloomfield,
Orchard Lake Road, south of 15 Mile, West
Bloomfield Plaza ... Very attentive, effi-
cient, smiling and knowledgeable and she
brings coffee refills in a fresh cup.
THEY REMEMBER DEPT. ... "When
I first started to matriculate at Detroit
Mumford High:' says Florida barrister
Stanley Rosenberg, "one of my classmates
was already working at Fredson's Deli on
Wyoming. Fredson's had the best French
fries since Mason's on Linwood and was
my favorite lunch stop to avoid the 'poison'
they served in the school cafeteria. Behind
the counter from our 1953 class was Larry,
who seemed to have the unique talent of
being everywhere. Be it Ben & George,
Darbys, Lou's, Sammy's, Deli Unique and
others. He worked at all of them. In 1974,
I went into the Bread Basket and he was
behind the counter slicing a large lean one.
We talked and laughed about some girls
from high school and I floated off on a
cloud of pastrami and moved to California.

"The next week, I was in Beverly Hills,
Calif., sitting at Nate & Al and ordering my
usual concoction. Five minutes later, Larry
brought the sandwich to my table and sat
down. I was completely confused. Was
this corned beef heaven where I died but
always had the same counter man? Larry
explained that he had moved to California
at the same time I did and that it was just
coincidence that he was in every deli I
ever went into.
"Ten years later, I moved to Florida and
entered the Twin Bagel deli on Military
Trail in Delray Beach, and there was Larry
behind the counter. A little older but still
slicing the cheese too thin. Turns out he
had semi-retired but missed the odor of
warm corned beef and dills too much
so back to the deli he went. A few weeks
later, I found myself in Flakowitz' Deli in
Boynton Beach, Florida, and while stand-
ing in line I heard a familiar voice say,
`Stan, do you want one sandwich or two?
Yes, it was Larry!"
CONGRATS ... To Lillian Diamond on
her birthday ... To Edwin "Tut" Mentzel
on his birthday ... To Marilyn and Avery
Warnick on their same-day birthdays ...
To Marshall Hersh on his 68th birthday
... To Hilly Goldman on her 70th birthday
... To Judy Neirynck on her birthday ...
To Dolores Farber on her birthday ... To
Harry Goldberg on his 85th birthday ...
To Peter Sidlow on his 70th birthday ... To
Dee Shapiro on her birthday ... To Lisa
and Larry Garfinkle on their 26th
anniversary.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobalmet.

FREE

1 lb. Double Baked Rye
1 lb. Homemade Coleslaw or
Old Fashioned Potato Salad
New & Old Kosher Dill Pickles
Russian Dressing
Serties

Now Taking
Orders for
Rosh Hashanah!

32418 Northwestern Hwy. • between Middlebelt & 14 Mi. • 248.855-9463 • www.Vine ardDeli.com

August 16 • 2007

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