Arts & Entertainment BEST OF EV RYTHING Less Is More Detroit's successful Small Plates restaurant sets another table in Royal Oak. W hen a new personal vision is conceived and materializes in the restaurant business, success usually depends on its public acceptance. The fact that Small Plates-Detroit, on Broadway between Witherel and John R, is celebrating its third anniversary is indicative of that success being reached ... And because of it, Todd Stern, founder and operating partner, could now keep his word of someday establishing another in the northwest sector. Number two, Small Plates-Royal Oak, recently opened its doors at the former location of BD's Mongolian Barbecue on South Main Street, between Third and Fourth. Todd's conception had its original idea back in 1985, after he graduated from West Bloomfield High and went to Spain selling time shares ... He saw the tapas rage of so-called "Spanish appetizers:' which his fertile mind suddenly dreamed of embel- lishing upon ... Why not something like this, but perhaps with additional ethnic dishes? ... Todd, who had worked as a 16-year-old maitre d' for Steve Romanik at Romanik's in West Bloomfield's Orchard Mall, carried the thought through future restaurant years as cook and manager at Stage Deli in Oak Park when owned by his Uncle Stan Snitz, opening the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit with Jimmy Schmidt, at Intermezzo and Big Daddy's Parthenon. Even when only 8 years old, Todd remembers telling grandmother Sarah Geller that someday he would be a restau- rant entrepreneur ... The recipes of his now 90-year-old bubbie are responsible for the delicious mandelbrot among other r items at both Small Plates opera- premises-made popovers tions ... The wonderful cakes, with herbed cheese spread ... rugulach, honey rolls, popovers, The highly popular hand-cut etc., are from the instructions fries are at both locations. of mother Roz Stern as well as When Small Plates origi- is her excellent premises-made nally opened in Detroit, the chicken soup with true tradi- name might have given many tional long, slender noodles ... a wrong impression that there Todd's parents, Eric and Roz wouldn't be enough to eat ... Danny Raskin Stern, may be remembered from However, you can be sure that Senior Columnist their Moishe Pipik restaurant most of them have since dis- of the late 1950s, near Fredson's covered otherwise and been Delicatessen on Wyoming and Curtis, there numerous times. across from Grunt's Market, Detroit. The combination of American, Pan- The Royal Oak hours allow for people Asian, Spanish and Jewish, is a joy, and to enjoy Small Plates at lunch, dinner and the fact that many more people today are after-theater, nitery or favored events ... eating less and enjoying it more without Monday, 11-8; Tuesday, 11-10; Wednesday, having to pay for what they leave on a 11-midnight, Thursday, 11-11; Friday, 11-2 plate, has placed Small Plates in a class of a.m.; Saturday, noon-2 a.m.; Sunday, noon- its own ... Todd was far ahead of his time 8 . . . Seating is on two levels, downstairs, when conceiving his idea back in 1985 ... 45, plus eight stools at a food bar, where and still is. folks can also watch the interesting mak- FAMILY TIME IS every day in the ing of chow at an open kitchen and brick kitchen at Steve's Deli in Bloomfield Plaza, pizza oven, and eight more at a full-service Telegraph and 15 Mile, Bloomfield Hills liquor bar ... Upstairs seats 125 with a ... Executive Chef Val Izrailov, at Steve's large wine rack and V.I.P room for small Deli since 1995, shortly after opening, wife, meetings or parties. Toma, and mother, Mina, are at his side, General manager in Royal Oak, Scott while daughter Shifra, waits on tables out Sadoff, coincidently also a graduate of West front. Bloomfield High, came directly from serv- Val will spend about a month in ing and managing at P.F. Chang's in Troy's Chicago, soon, when a second Steve's Deli Somerset Collection ... His and Todd's opens there on Hubbard Street ... It'll be knowledge have been instrumental in the owned by Steve Hurwitz, boss here with very important training of employees. wife, Joanee, and operating partner Seth Two new items not served downtown Herkowitz, who always did want to be in have been added to the Royal Oak menu the deli business, and son of Steve's good ... lamb chops grilled with lemon and friend, Dr. Harry Herkowitz Steve's Deli herbs, and seared ahi tuna with a wasabi senior manager, Stan Snitz, will stay here cream sauce ... Also only at Royal Oak, are ... Steve and Joanee can ill afford to lose seven side dishes, along with Roz Stern's his presence and excellent deli know-how. mi WITH MARCH 8 THE last day of oper- ation for Loving Spoonful at the Copper Creek Golf Course, 12 Mile, Farmington Hills, people already envision the missing of dishes that owner-chef Shawn Loving is so adept at preparing ... Like the pancetta- wrapped tuna, his appetizer of fried red tomatoes, smoked salmon, rye and pista- chio encrusted whitefish, etc. NOW OPEN SIGNS are at two new restaurants ... Tres Monti Ristorante, Big Beaver, east of Rochester Road, Troy, has San Marino-style dining presently only dinner Tuesday through Sunday ... Italia Fresca, Orchard Lake Road and Pontiac Trail, Orchard Lake village, is serving Italian cuisine lunch and dinner, seven days, with grand opening Monday, March 10, by invitation only. NEW LOOK AT Buddy's Pizza, Northwestern, Farmington Hills, is in more ways than one ... The psychedelic painted look outdoors and flowing open rafter-like overhangs, are just two of the new addi- tions ... Coming with the warm weather will also be an outdoor patio that'll seat about 40 ... And inside, no more hazy visions wafting around with Buddy's new smoke-free interiors. CONGRATS ... To Ellen Warshaw on her 68th birthday ... To Alan Zeitz on his 60th birthday ... To Harry Neuman on his 52nd birthday ... To Cary Miller on his 61st birthday ... To Dorothy Braiker on her birthday ... To Frank Ellias on his 65th birthday ... To Rose and Sid Neuman on their 56th anniversary. E Danny's e-mail address is dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet. EM MI MI ME MN E= NMI IM Deli Dinner or Two WIT "MIR II 1 MICHIGAN'S (D CA IN R E R -ly N -0 00) i)T r Irk - DeDetnait News Deli Dinners Include Your Choice of Any: I Two Sandwiches from Our Sandwich Board Menu with Overstuffed Corned Beef, I Roasted Turkey Breast, Pastrami, Wilno Salami, Roast Beef or Tuna L =I No No EN EN • Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Potato Salad or Cole Slaw - Jell-O DELI • CAFE • CATERING =I Ell MI MN MI I= NE g 32418 Northwestern Hwy. between Middlebelt & 14 Mile 248.855 ,9463 Order online: www.VineyardDeli.com Weekday Dinner Hours 4.7 pm INE INN INE March 6 . 2008 1 C7