Arts & Entertainment

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Southfield Rim' What A Mouthful!

Fifty years have provided a movable feast of dining memories.

D

fining reminiscences will no
doubt jog the memories of many
who stroll with me through
some Southfield restaurants of yesteryears
as the city of Southfield celebrates its 50th
anniversary.
Like those who eventually married
the spouses they met there, or had their
first date eating all-you-eat chicken din-
ners at McInerney's on a lonely stretch of
Northwestern that became known as "res-
taurant row" with openings by Carmen's
Pizzeria, Library, Fior D'Italia, Gould's Beef
Buffet, Tunnel Bar-B-Q, Hickory's, etc., or
filled their plates at Skandia Smorgasbord,
Northwestern, or held hands while shar-
ing a Maurice salad at Northland's J.L.
Hudson's, or mistakenly laid their keys or
purse on the track at Holiday Inn's slow
rooftop revolving restaurant on Telegraph
and prayed it would still be there after the
restaurant made its circuit.
To Bijou, Southfield Road and 13 Mile,
an elegant 1920s style restaurant ... To
Victoria Station, Northwestern, with a for-
mer train used as a restaurant.
To Healthy Jones, Northwestern,
where today's Sero's is located ... To
upscale Vineyards, Franklin Road, in the
Normandy farmhouse-style building.
To Raleigh House, Telegraph, where
caterer Sammy Lieberman opened the
Piccadilly Delicatessen run by George
Fink, the House of Lords, an Elizabethan
dining room, and the Lion's Head, an
English-designed pub.
To Nosherie eatery in the Advance
Building, Greenfield, opened by Ron
Forman and Earle Mostyn ... To Young
Kim's V.I.P. Palace in Town Center ... To
House of Hunan that followed Point After
Deli, on 12 Mile and Northwestern.
To Dimitri's on Southfield Road north

Center on Northwestern ...
of 10 Mile ... To Rascal House,
To Ristorante De Modesta,
owned by Jack Meyers, Al
Northwestern, now Bacco's
Hacker and Bernie Glieberman,
Ristorante ... To Harry
10 Mile and Southfield Road,
Boesky's Delicatessen, also on
on property owned by Jack
Northwestern.
Peitz.
To Mama Zelda's,
To Golden Mushroom
Southfield Road, owned by
that followed Rascal House
Ira Levy and Fred Waterstone
and became one of the fin-
Danny Raskin
with
all-you-can-eat pizza
est restaurants in Michigan
Senior C olumnist
and spaghetti, and a mezuzah
... To Restaurant Duglass
on its door.
on Southfield Road north of
To Food And Beverage Co. that took
12 Mile ... To Brasserie Duglass, that
over the Mama Zelda's spot ... To
followed Restaurant Duglass, with fine
Sinbad's, 10 1/2 Mile and Lasher ... To
French cuisine.
North China restaurant, Northwestern
To Pickle Barrel Deli, Evergreen and
and 12 Mile.
11 Mile, owned by Al Winkler and Sy
To Original Esquire Delicatessen in
Ginsberg and then Al and Jack Baiter ...
To Kory's, Greenfield and 10 Mile, a restau- Harvard Row, 11 Mile and Lahser, where
after owner Harry Weiss hung up his last
rant and old-fashioned ice cream parlor
salami and retired, selling it to Irene and
owned by Ron Light, Harvey Kozin and
Erno Klein.
Mickey Weiner.
To Benchmark fine dining in the
To Nosh that took over at the site of
Michigan Inn, J.L. Hudson Drive ... To
the former Bagel Nosh, owned by Sid
Bluestone, 10 Mile east of Evergreen ... To Larco Bros. Italian Carry-Out, 12 Mile
and Evergreen ... To Coach & Four and
Gallery Restaurant across the street ... To
Grogshop in Northland Inn, Northland
Southfield Souvlaki, Greenfield and 121/2
Drive ... To Stouffer's, Northland Drive ...
Mile, start of the Leo's Coney Island etc.
To Sussex House, 13 Mile ... To Max's Deli,
chain.
To the Eatery, owned by Howard Tapper, Southfield Road south of 13 Mile, owned
by Max and Belle Horenstein.
Dr. Michael Gotleib and Jeff Ishbia on the
To Brunetti's, Franklin and
previous site of Bagel Nosh, Nosh and
Northwestern Hwy ... To Hugo's that fol-
Times Square Deli.
lowed, and to Excalibur, on site now occu-
To Bernardi's on the former site of
pied by Pi.
Ala Cart Cafe in Applegate Square,
To Purple Pickle, Southfield Road and
Northwestern and Inkster ... To Le Metro
10 Mile ... To the Landing at Southfield
that followed Bernardi's ... To Minnie's
and 10 that closed and reopened with new
Seafood, at the former Bar-B-Q House
owners and Sultan's Table name ... The
spot, Greenfield, now occupied by Sweet
location formerly also was King's Arms
Lorraine's.
and then Christopher's.
To Irving's Deli owned by Rose
To Trio, Northwestern, north of 12
and Irving Guttman, 11 Mile and
Mile, owned by the Meyerson family, with
Greenfield, and then in La Mirage

201 S Old Woodward Avenue • Birmingham MI 48009

248.594.7300 • www.forterestaurant.com

B26

April 24 • 2008

three restaurants under one roof ... Great
Oyster Bar Lounge, Buddy's Bar-Q and
Brown Bear.
To Dubbs Country Kitchen, 10 and
Greenfield, owned by Dave Dubbs
To L.J. Loophole's in the Shiawassee
Hotel, 9 Mile, and then Au Sable Room
when becoming Sheraton-Southfield,
both Gershenson-owned ... To Oscar's,
Southfield Road ... To Southfield
Charley's, 12 Mile ... To Bouquets in the
Radisson Plaza, John Lodge Service Drive.
To Cocina Del Sol, Northwestern Hwy
... To Hilton Garden Inn, Franklin Drive
... To Rikkie's American Inn, American
Drive ... To Sol's Deli, 11 Mile, owned by
Sol Shpargel ... To Red Cedars, Telegraph,
with bosses Jack and Lenore Freed ... To
Chianti, Northwestern Hwy ... To Sageo's,
Greenfield and 11 ... To Lenny's Deli, 11
Mile and Lahser, owned by Lenny Fidler.
To Vassili's, Bangkok Club, East Side
Mario's, Woo Lee Gardens, and Matt
Brady's, all on Southfield Road.
To Diamond Jim Brady's in the Town
Center ... To Post Office Inn, Telegraph,
on Grodan Drive named after owner Iry
Grodan.
To Sandy's Stockade, Evergreen ... To
Rib 'n Hastak, Greenfield and 12 ... To
Provincial House, 10 Mile, later becoming
Pipers ... To Drydock, Greenfield and 11
Mile.
To Summerfield's in Ramada Inn,
Telegraph ... To Rib Shack, owned by Eric
Citron, 12 Mile, near Star Deli ... To Wing
Hong, 10 Mile and Southfield Road ... To
Highway Ribbery, Southfield.
And to so many other Southfield dining
spots always remembered. ❑

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.