THE BEST OF EVERYTHIN C
•
Why Wyandotte?
Drive to Austin's HP Grille — a steak and seafood destination.
A
nother example among the many
modern versions of a destina-
tion restaurant is going about the
business of pleasing customers in its second
year of operation.
Dining traits like value, food prepara-
tion and presentation, service and price,
are features of the celebration by Austin's
HP Grille on Biddle (Jefferson) and Eureka,
Wyandotte, where a quarter of a million
people have enjoyed relaxed dining since
opening in October 2005.
Owner Sam Ansara may be better known
for his jewelry operations, but Austin's HP
Grille is the culmination of an ambition he
has held for many years ... to own a top-
quality restaurant with his wife, Myrna ...
Sam likes to cook, and if needed could help
out or take over in a restaurant's kitchen ...
He preferred that it would be his own, so
Sam purchased the building that housed
Damon's Sports Bar and Grille and con-
verted it into a larger fine dining restaurant
and chophouse specializing in steaks and
seafood ... Along with his keen business
head, Sam's short restaurant experience has
been a pleasant one ... He is steeped in
customer satisfaction, a prime requisite in
running any type of operation, and very big
in restaurant success.
Where did Sam get the name Austin's
H.P. Grille? ... His jewelry stores in Twelve
Oaks Mall, Novi (Elias Jewelry, managed
by community-ite Fonda Schwartz), and
in Wyandotte (Tiffany Diamonds), and
the restaurant, are named after his three
children, Elias, Tiffany and Austin . . . HP
stands for Hyde Park, a favorite family place
to visit.
Another chief requirement in restaurant
ownership is the presence of key person-
nel ... Personable General
Manager Kelly Marshall was sent
to Houston by Sam to study and
be trained in restaurant devel-
opment ... Kelly, who on Oct.
28, marries Mark Miller, son of
Farmington Hills-ites Leonard
and Barbara Miller, has a one-
track mind ... That nobody
leaves Austin's H.P. Grille without
enjoying a happy experience.
In the kitchen since opening,
another key employee, Chef Jeff
Martin, is responsible for the more than
5,000 gallons of premises-made soup,
including a superb French onion soup
with melted provolone and asiago cheeses
overflowing the cup or bowl, 15,000 pounds
of meat, more than 12,000 pounds of sea-
food, etc. ... Among his dining specialties
is cooked to order rack of lamb, which Jeff
pre-cooks for 10 minutes ... Also cooked to
order is his bourbon brown sugar-glazed
salmon.
Few restaurants can boast of Jeff's unique
ways in preparing Chilean sea bass topped
with scallops, jumbo shrimp and a wine
piccata sauce, or spicy cornflakes-and-
almonds crusted whitefish ... Both have
become signature dishes at Austin's, along
with its best seller,14-ounce New York Strip
Steak Ansara served on a sizzling platter
with a cognac flambe.
The main dining room, seating 220 at
booths and tables, is separated into three
areas; the semi-private sector is surrounded
by etched glass dividers ... On a wall of
another are three large handpainted murals
... A homey bar-lounge seats 80 including
30 barstools ... An outside ground-level
patio with a cute Tiki bar has another 50
and a like amount is in a pri-
vate banquet room.
Sam wanted a restaurant
that made everything itself,
like the bread, excellent des-
serts, soup, etc. ... And a
kitchen that closes only when
the entire restaurant does
... Hence the seven-day
hours, Monday-Thursday,
11-2 a.m.; Friday, 1 p.m.-2
a.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.;
Sunday, 4 to 2 a.m.
Live entertainment is all seven days
as well ... Michael James at the piano,
Wednesday-Saturday; Deborah Jimmerson
Jazz Trio on Mondays; Kimberly Fairchild,
Tuesdays and Fridays, singing top 40; and
Billy Rose strolling with his guitar and vio-
linist Johnny Giovanni every Sunday.
Other Austin specialties prepared by Chef
Martin include grilled chicken breast mari-
nated with olive oil and spices, $16; veal
Oscar of Provimi veal medallions sauteed
with lump crabmeat and Bearnaise sauce,
$20; seafood fettuccine of sauteed jumbo
shrimp, scallop and lump crabmeat, $19;
beef tenderloin and shrimp kabob, $21, etc.
As it celebrates birthday number two,
the white-linen-tablecloths-and-napkins
Austin HP Grille does so with a knowledge
that customers not only leave happy, but are
even happier in returning.
A HUGE CULINARY loss like this is
hard to take ... Unlike Tribute losing
Executive Chef Don Yamauchi to MGM
Grand Detroit, Certified Master Chef
Michael Russell leaves Motor City Casino to
take over food operations in another region:
McCormick Place in Chicago ... Michael
never wanted to leave here, but the proffer
must have been a terrific one ... Many will
also remember Mike from before he went to
Motor City Casino after executive chef stints
at Wabeek Country Club in Bloomfield Hills,
Skyline Club in Southfield, Detroit Yacht
Club and Bloomfield Hunt Club.
HEY, LOVERS OF the good food at
Buddy's Pizza on Northwestern Hwy,
Farmington Hills ... No fire, just an outside
remodeling process to give a more beautiful
look ... Inside is business as usual, dining
in or carryout.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Rossini's,
Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, for gar-
lic soup or poached salmon with white
wine ... To Assagi, Nine Mile, Ferndale,
for Moroccan-spiced barbecued duck
or seared yellow fin tuna ... To Beans &
Cornbread, Northwestern, Southfield, for
trout meuniere or turtle soup ... To Caucus
Club, Penobscot Building, Detroit, for James
Beard Hamburger Steak, Dover Sole or twin
tournedos of beef ... To Franklin Grill,
Franklin Road, Franklin, for premises-made
corn chowder ... To Capital Grille, W. Big
Beaver, Troy, for fresh salmon or whitefish.
FAME THAT FLED before it got started
... Former localite Norma Weitz Zager
decided not to run for 21st district repre-
sentative in California ... She'll concentrate
on writing and teaching at California State
University.
CONGRATS TO ... Jody Jonas on her
birthday ... Roland Harrison on his birth-
day ... Terri Himelson on her birthday ...
Carole Goldman on her 83rd birthday ...
Louise Abrams on her birthday.
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .
*****************************************************
STAR
DELI
IS ONE OFTHE BEST
CARRY OUT ONLY
RESTAURANTS IN AMERICA!
Hours: Mon-Sat 7-9:30 Sun 7-8
* potato Latices
* Our Regular
Tuna & Fat-
Free
ree Tuna
Can't Be Beat!
* Vegetarian
Chopped
Liver
* Homemade
Potato Salad
& Coleslaw
CO
LOMWPAPRREICOEU
SR
WITH ANY
DELICATESSEN
IN TOWN!
MEAT TRAY
$6.99 1 :1,,,,
SALAD TRAY
$7.50 r r so,
SALAD TRAY W/
LOX & CREAM CHEESE
$10.50 person
Per
DAIRY TRAY
$114.99Per
Person
STAR'S TRAYS CAN'T BE BEAT FOR QUALITY & PRICE!
$S onr
****1*
*
•
ON STAR'S BEAUTIFUL E'
ALREADY LOW PRICED
MEAT OR DAIRY TRAYS
-
WITH THIS COUPON
Expires 11/15/07 • One Per Person • Not Good Holidays • 10 Person Minimum
P*1111
24555 W. 12 MILE ROAD
Just west of Telegraph Road • Southfield
4(4144 4r 4ri144(
248•35207377
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * ** * * * * * * *
58
October 4 2007
JN