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Arts & Entertainment

THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

New Beginnings

When a restaurant closes, it is often another opportunity for the owner/chef.

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OTPOURRI
When a mom-and-pop restau-
rant closes, it many times opens
the door for another dining operation to
get a great chef ... This is the case with
the recent shuttering of Chef's Cuisine
on M-59 in White Lake, owned by Chef
Michael Hall and wife Kathy ... Chef
Michael is too good not to be picked up as
head of a kitchen elsewhere ... It is unfor-
tunate when a restaurant has to close,
but in many cases such as this, it will be
another restaurant's blessing ... Hopefully,
whoever gets Chef Michael will utilize his
numerous wonderful abilities with prepa-
rations of walleye (in herb and pine nut
crust or sautéed with fricassee of Maine
lobster), perch sautéed with pine nuts
and "Forty Thieves" beef tenderloin tips
brazed in stout like the ones Les Gruber
used to feature at his Den of The Forty
Thieves prior to the London Chop House.
Another couple of wonderful owner/
executive chefs who went on to do won-
ders at kitchens owned by others come
to mind ... Former co-owner of New
Hellas in Greektown, Jimmy "Pappas"
Papatriantafilou, one of Michigan's finest
Greek chefs, whose cooking prowess is leg-
endary as he continues to head kitchens
of others ... Also Elio Petrovich, who fol-
lowed the closing of his Elio's Restaurant
on Orchard Lake Road to latch on to do
wonders at Commerce Grille in Commerce
Township.
FOLKS CAN NOW save some gas
money when dining at Seldom Blues, 400
Tower, Renaissance Center, Detroit ... No
valet parking charge through September,
thanks to General Motors ... Just go to

www.gmrencen.com on the
computer and hit "Enjoy Dinner
& Free Puking"... Print and
fill out the voucher and give it
to the parking attendant, along
with your restaurant receipt.
THOSE AREN'T just ordi-
nary rings on the fingers of
brothers Johnny and Peter
Ginopolis, boss gents at
Ginopolis' on the Grill, 12 Mile
and Middlebelt, Farmington
Hills ... The finger beauties are 1989
Detroit Pistons NBA championship rings
given to them by Pistons owner Bill
Davidson ... Before the Palace was built,
the Pistons used to have all their victory
parties at Ginopolis'.
CLOSING OF the Lazy Lizard Mexican
restaurant in Novi takes away the two-
owner confusion of both having the same
name, Louis Golematis ... The situation
was solved with the cousins being called
"Big Louie" and "Little Louie."
QUESTION & Answer Dept. ... "I want
to start making my own Greek salad for
my family and friends, but just can't seem
to find the right kind of feta cheese. Do
you by any chance have a particular favor-
ite?" ... Ernestine Leavitt.
I don't have any specific pet feta cheese;
there are so many good ones out there
... But if I had to choose just one among
the best, it would have to be the fresh feta
called Tut's that can be found at Detroit's
Eastern Market ... Another choice might
be Dodoni ... Whatever the brand may be
that you use, Ernestine, make sure that it
is Greek feta.
THERE IS A smiling look of much

contentment on the face of
Temple Israel's late beloved
Rabbi M. Robert Syme, as
his portrait stands behind
son David Syme and his wife,
Suzanne.
Thirty years ago, Suzanne
had been converted to
Judaism by Rabbi Syme
After he passed on in 2003,
she searched for a copy of
a recording David and his
father had made together, "Jewish Music
Then And Now" ... David received a call
from her in Houston, Texas, recognized
Suzanne's name as Rabbi Syme's one-time
prized pupil, and after correspondence
accepted an invitation in 2004 to visit her
in Houston ... "It was Dad's final gift to
me," says David ... He and Suzanne were
married in a private ceremony at Temple
Beth El in Bloomfield Township in June
2006 by his brother, Rabbi Daniel Syme.
David does about 15 piano concerts a
year, one every two weeks in June, July
and August, in the 60-seat living room of
the Ireland countryside home where they
live about five months a year ... When
attendance gets to about 50, from advance
reservations, another date near the Sunday
event is added ... Admission is 20 Euros
for a 90-minute concert followed by des-
sert baked by Suzanne, wine and soft
drinks ... Talk about their little series has
led to airplay of David's CDs on Ireland's
national radio RTE and to engagements in
the country's other cities.
His travel schedule will take him to
New York's Carnegie Hall, Nov. 1, and here
with the Plymouth Symphony, Nov. 8 ...

Next year, David will again come to this
area from Houston, where he and Suzanne
live, to appear at Temple Beth El with the
Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony ...
Following his Carnegie Hall and Plymouth
Symphony appearances, David may do his
first-ever Asian tour of Korea and Japan
... He has piano soloed nine times with
the Detroit Symphony, but not since 1989
at Meadowbrook ... Three years ago,
David was reached in the Czech Republic
as a last-minute replacement when Peter
Nero took sick but had to decline since
next day was an appearance there with the
Moravian Philharmonic.
YOU MIGHT want to circle this coming
October on your calendar ... That's when
Variety, the Children's Charity will put
on its always wonderful "Lights, Camera,
Auction" event this year ... It'll again be at
the Emagine Theatre in Novi ... A record
of almost 400 were at Variety's 2007 LCA
shindig and more are expected this year.
CONGRATS ... To Avery and Marilyn
Warnick on their same day birthdays ...
To Sylvia Weinstock on her 98th birthday
... To Newton Berlin on his 86th birthday
... To Martin Kohlenberg on his 80th
birthday ... To Harvey Fink on his 70th
birthday ... To Tom Lebovic on his 60th
birthday ... To Ken and Ronna Katzman
on their third anniversary.
CORRECTION Dept. ... Correct
e-mail address to send your recipe for the
Small Plates, Royal Oak Pizza Contest, is
smallplatespizzacontest@gmail.com . LJ

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobahnet.

201 S Old Woodward Avenue • Birmingham Ml 48009
248.594.7300 • www.forterestaurant.com

JN

July 17 • 2008

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