THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Mind Games
What I bet others were thinking at the MGM Grand rollout.
y
ou sometimes wonder what is
going through the minds of res-
taurant owners who get together
amid the splendor of a new opening.
They came to the black-tie unwrapping
of the new MGM Grand Detroit and, of
course, spent most of their time in the ele-
gant restaurants at the ultra-lavish casino.
Marty Wilk, owner of the former
Excalibur restaurant in Southfield, now
selling meat for Fairway Packing, was
probably imagining all the innovative
ways MGM Chefs Wolfgang Puck and
Michael Mina will prepare Fairway prod-
ucts ... Marshall Chin and son Brian Chin
looked about and probably wondered
what it had that their Mon Jin Lau in Troy
didn't, besides more than 3,000 employees
and thousands of people every night.
Tom Schoenith of the Roostertail in
Detroit no doubt said to himself that it
was sure gorgeous, but "Hey, did they ever
see the spray from boats that crossed our
place on the Detroit River?" ... Jim Kokus,
bossman at Opus One in Detroit, maybe
said, "Yeah, but our restaurant has done it
without any gambling" ... Joe Vicari, head
honcho of the Andiamo Restaurant Group,
might have wondered about buying a res-
taurant in Las Vegas.
Mike Abrams, Mr. Joe's co-owner in
Southfield, could have thought about his
selling burgers, too, but for only $3 after
6 p.m. on Wednesdays, including fries ...
Luciano Del Signore, Bacco's top man,
probably said to himself, "I've got outside
seating" ... Jim Sage, former owner of
Alia's and Sageo's in Southfield, and now
Sago's in Clinton Township, might have
said to himself, "Sure great looking, but I
1993 when he opened the present MGM
Grand Hotel and Theme Park in Las Vegas
with its eight theme restaurants, four
showrooms, untold amount of food and
beverage locations, a dozen major rides
and attractions, four theaters and one of
the Las Vegas Strips' biggest buffets.
Come to think of it, many might wonder
whether or not MGM Grand Detroit will
someday follow with one of those bounti-
ful buffets that Beldon Katleman, owner
of the El Rancho Vegas, started years ago
to keep hotel customers after its second
show, much before Bugsy Siegel and the
mob's Flamingo turned the town around
... He had a Midnight Chuck Wagon buffet
that people loved.
But Katleman would have shook his
head in disbelief if he could know that
his little idea has become one of the big
attractions in Las Vegas, with places like
Excalibur Hotel having a dining room that
serves around 15,000 people daily, most
of it at the buffet tables ... When it comes
to the buffet, MGM Grand in Las Vegas is
sure no slouch either.
CORRECTION ... David Andrew
Macdonald, with the Soap Opera Weekend
Workship, is in the cast of The Guiding
Light, not an assistant director.
RICKLES POSTPONED ... Due to an
untimely injury, Don Rickles' show Friday-
Saturday, Oct. 19-20, at Andiamo Celebrity
Showroom in Warren has been postponed.
CONGRATS ... To Julie Abrams on her
birthday ... To Tony Abrams on his 27th
birthday ... To Julie and Mike Abrams on
their 10th anniversary.
with its unbelievable bevy of
have window seats for my cus-
hors d'oeuvres that boggled
tomers" ... Louis Nakashian of
the most vivid imagina-
Louie's Coney Island, Trenton,
tion ... No shrimp cocktail,
could have muttered, "Yeah, but
though, and in Las Vegas
do they sell Coneys?"
years back, huge mountains
However, little doubt that all
of shrimp were sort of syn-
were somewhat jealous of the
onymous with lavish grand
beauty and brilliance that now
openings ... But I guess
surrounds Executive Chef Don
Danny Raskin
chefs like Wolfgang Puck and
Yamauchi, formerly of Tribute
Senior
Columnist Michael Mina are past the
in Farmington Hills, at Michael
shrimp cocktail feature stage.
Mina's Bourbon Steak and
A lot of memories were brought back
SaltWater restaurants, and Zoran Smolcic,
to me of attending the two grand open-
previously of Zinc in West Bloomfield,
ings in Las Vegas at the original MGM
assistant general manager at SaltWater
Eric Voight, former pastry chef at Tribute, Grand and the present MGM Grand there
... Detroit's MGM Grand opening had its
is also at MGM Grand Detroit, but not
tumblers, walkers on stilts, gal dancing
to make pastries ... He is one of Don's
in a cage, guys trying to make out with
cooks.
Most of the restaurateurs naturally vis- the pretty cocktail lassies, dancers wear-
ited the kitchens and saw things that gave ing smiles, etc. ... In Las Vegas, Paris had
its gendarmes with billy clubs held high
them ideas along with outstanding fea-
while chasing hobos, Venetian gondoliers
tures that stayed on their minds all night.
Even non-restaurant owners like Florine running after brides and grooms who
didn't pay, camels in Luxor's lobby walk-
Mark must have wondered how she could
improve her Weight Watchers menu, or Dan ing majestically, Flamingo with its talking
birds, etc. ... MGM Grand Detroit certainly
Orman might have looked about and said
that the Freed's of Windsor that he and Ari tried, but comparing its opening with that
Freed own also has its own kind of fashion of Las Vegas hotels would be unfair.
Sure wish I would have seen the rooms
show of men's and women's clothing.
at the new MGM Grand Detroit ... Back
Jon Trasky, Tribute general manager,
in 1973, MGM Grand in Las Vegas (now
may have said that Tribute has toothpicks
in match cover packages ... Barry Sanders Bally's), was billed as the largest hotel in
the world, and featured fantasy rooms like
agreed that the splendid food would be
the Hollywood Suite with elevated round
great, but might have wondered if celeb-
rity chefs Puck and Mina can play football. beds, satin sheets and mirrors on the
ceiling, while carrying out the Hollywood
All will concur, though, that the more
theme throughout, with large black-and-
than 2,000 invitees catered to on opening
night by the new MGM Grand Detroit, was white pictures of MGM's stars in its stable
slightly reminiscent of a Las Vegas opening ... Kirk Kerkorian really outdid himself in
Danny's e-mail is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .
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October 18 • 2007
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