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Cheers For Sposita's!

Neighborhood favorite even attracts celebrities.

T

here are always slow times in
the restaurant business ... It is
something that, like any other
business, goes along with the territory,
so to speak ... Although there are a few
exceptions to this somewhat rule, one of
today's neighborhood marvels continues
to rise above the peak and enjoy a steady
flow of guests.
It wasn't always like this at Sposita's
on 14 Mile Road, between Orchard Lake
and Farmington roads, West Bloomfield
... Owners Joe and Lois Sposita initially
found the road a tough one under another
name for their restaurant ... And when
it became Sposita's Italian Ristorante, the
mom and pop influence combined with
family assistance and devoted employees
to present one of the few neighborhood
restaurants around that can boast of being
labeled by customers as "the kind of place
we've always been looking for."
Today, it boasts celebrities and everyday
patrons who have made Sposita's a favorite
for many of its fine dishes ... America's
first lady of boxing, Jackie Kallen, loves
the Shrimp Sposita; Johnny Wilson, for-
mer Red Wings star and coach, enjoys a
side of angel hair pasta with meat sauce
and entree of veal piccata or Siciliano;
Ron Kramer, football great at University
of Michigan and NFL standout, regularly
has a veal chop; baseball Hall of Fame
announcer Ernie Harwell often enjoys
the veal marsala; Health guru Richard
Simmons is a seafood salad devotee; for-
mer Detroit Lions hall of famer Charlie
Sanders is a porterhouse steak regular;
film star Dolly Parton relishes a filet at
Sposita's, etc.

What, you may ask, makes a
geniality, Sposita's celebrates
good neighborhood restaurant?
its ninth anniversary with
... Here is a question that has
further proof of a very high
no first and foremost answer ...
and much deserved destina-
Time was when success in the
tion status.
neighborhood restaurant busi-
THE RE-OPENING OF
ness was divided into three cat-
Pepino's on Walled Lake
egories ... Very good, good and
Drive and Pontiac Trail,
average ... Even a few mediocre
Walled Lake, also brings back
Danny Raskin
and below somehow made it ...
leadership of its original
Senior Columnist operator, Kathy Kwiecinski,
But it is usually the combina-
tion of goodness that embraces
and her sister, Carole Carson,
a very friendly atmosphere matched with
who came as a hostess six months after
essentials like good food, service, cleanli-
opening in 1984 ... Their late dad, Joe
ness and utter affability ... Sposita's may
Bernardi, was in the kitchen and wife,
have originally begun under another name Helma, handled the front area days and
with a turbulence that might have closed
evenings ... At the time, Pepino's was
many dining operations, but it has steadily open for both lunch and dinner ... After
and comfortably emerged as a neighbor-
the restaurant got going, Helma worked
hood Italian restaurant leader.
evenings only, splitting the time with
Back in 1999, the need for its second-
daughter/hostess Kathy ... It has opened
rate standing to be altered was very
again still for dinners only, Tuesday
apparent ... However, not anymore than
through Saturday 5-10, with the same fine
an immediate shuffle in ownership and
executive chef trained by Joe, Keith Couch,
name ... The recognition of this proved
and Pepino's excellent wait staff ... As
to be the restaurant's savior ... As a result, usual, Kathy's husband, Ray, and their son
instead of closing doors at the time, its
Rick are behind the bar.
name became that of its owners.
BEST BUYS REPEAT DEPT. ... Those
Some also say that among the mettles of kosher hot dogs and all-you-can-drink
a true destination restaurant might pos-
beverages at Cosco (Sinai Kosher) and
sibly be the inability to get in the place ...
Sam's Club (Best Kosher) for $1.50.
If this be true, it sure hasn't been easy get-
DINNER IS NOW FREE, choice of menu,
ting into Sposita's these days ... but in a
on your birthday at Tribute, considered by
different way ... Work around it has been
many as this locale's premier upscale res-
feverishly going on for some time in the
taurant, 12 Mile just west of Orchard Lake
road repairing and building of a round-
Road, Farmington Hills ... Show driver's
about west of Sposita's at the corner of 14
license or birth certificate or passport for
Mile and Farmington roads.
the free dinner on your birth date only,
However, the food, service and prices
Monday-Saturday, 5-10, or Sunday brunch.
are so good that together with much con-
IF THE WINDOW announcement

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

dlo November 6 • 2008

at Steve's Deli, Telegraph and 15 Mile,
Bloomfield Township, "Chicago Now Open"
is confusing, it's that a Steve's Deli on
Hubbard Street in Chicago has unwrapped
for business.
MAIL DEPT.... "In a recent column, you
mention a Bar-Le-Duc sandwich as being
one comprised of peanut butter and jelly
but my memory recalls it as being cream
cheese and jelly and perhaps enjoyed more
on challah or a seeded roll as opposed to
plain white bread. Actually, I don't think
we ever had plain white bread. Either way,
Zoe's Pancake House's French toast version
sounds worth a visit." ... Mary Jo Wolfe
I totally agree with you, Mary Joe, that
the Bar-Le-Duc sandwich as we know it
is cream cheese and jelly, but some res-
taurants used to also call their peanut
butter and jelly sandwich a Bar-Le-Duc
... In fact the sandwich named after the
little town in France has been a number of
other concoctions as well, like currants and
gooseberry, currants and grapefruit, etc. ...
As for the bread, I have had it on both white
bread and challah ... On white at Saksey's
Lounge, Hy Horenstein's Delicatessen and
other spots, and on challah at Darbys
When Stan Snitz, general manager at Steve's
Deli on Telegraph and Maple, Bloomfield
Township, had a Royal Oak delicatessen, he
featured a Bar-Le-Duc on white bread.
CONGRATS ... To Sandy Levine on his
80th birthday ... To Bruce and Rosalie
Bruce Rosen on their 50th anniversary ...
To Frances and Irving Sable on their 50th
anniversity.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

