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Spangas Sparkles

For two decades, a popular beacon on Woodward.

F

rom a restaurant that seated 210
to just a 48-seater is quite a jump,
but it provided one restaurant
owner with something he had always
wanted ... A small place to mingle in
closeness with his customers and provide
the kind of relationship he had found so
very lacking in the larger atmosphere.
This month, November, is the 20th anni-
versary of Tom Drosis' opening the little
Spago's Coney Island, now named Spangas
Coney Island Plus on Woodward Avenue,
south of 14 Mile, Royal Oak ... Tom and
wife, Margarita, have not only seen his
dream realized, but also the appreciation
of people whose relationship has been
formed with them.
Being open 24 hours on Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays, to go with its
10 p.m. closing on the other four days,
Spangas has given Tom and Margarita
another reputation to cherish ... That
of being the No. 1 favorite spot of so
many who like to think of Spangas as a
home away from home, as well as a large
after-theater and nitery spot to snack
... Numerous former Detroiters make
Spangas a must when back in the local area
... And people such as world-noted enter-
tainer Kathy Kosins, songstress daughter
of Marilyn and the late Harry Kosins, is a
regular when in the hometown ... Penny
and Harold Blumenstein rave about the
favorites when here from Florida, etc.
Spangas is far from being a fancy little
restaurant ... But it is clean, and the food
served is of the premises-made variety
that is lacking in too many like operations
that prepare food otherwise ... It is one
of the few dining operations around that
steadily serve Manhattan Clam Chowder

house-made to perfection ...
And is presenter of Michigan's
first Angus Gyro, made with
angus beef and served in pita
pocket or wrap ... Spangas'
Feta Chicken Gyro with
romaine lettuce and tomatoes,
is also in pita pocket or wrap.
Big popular items continue
to be the hot dogs and Coneys,
with customers given the choice
of kosher dogs and kosher
hamburger meat products or
all-beef or mixed-meat ingredients ...
along with ground hamburger selections
that include ground turkey ... These alone
make the little Spangas restaurant a wanted
mom-and-pop Coney operation ... And the
much-noted Greek salad with or without
romaine lettuce and fresh chicken or turkey
strips among the most popular.
Also Margarita's baklava among other
desserts and her tasty spinach pie.
Morning and noon hours are filled with
familiar faces ... Lawyers, doctors, store
owners, etc., noted prominently in the
Jewish community, are Spangas regulars.
From the 210-seat Town Center
Restaurant, owned with brother Dino
and brother-in-law Greg Karris in the
Southfield Town Center, to the 48-seat
Spangas Coney Island Plus, opened in
1988, bring to Tom Drosis the most pre-
cious asset of a good restaurateur ... see-
ing the numerous return visits by his well-
satisfied customers so many who have
also become first-name friends.
MAIL DEPT. ... "David Overton, CEO
of the Cheesecake Factory, was sent a
copy of your recent article that mentioned
that the Cheesecake Factory had been

201 S Old Woodward Avenue • Birmingham MI 48009

248.594.7300 • www.forterestaurant.com

C16

November 20 • 2008

looking at a site in Michigan.
David asked me to inform you
that we continue to look for
a location in Michigan, and
are hopeful that we will be
able to find one." ... Althea
Rowe, Director of Marketing,
the Cheesecake Factory incor-
porated.
However vague this is,
it might somewhat answer
questions of whether or not
Cheesecake Factory restaurant
as it is today could be coming to Michigan
... Although originally founded here, it has
never opened a Cheesecake Factory in this
locale, prompting much wondering of why.
GERMS AT SUPERMARKETS beware
... Now comes another fighter adding to
their getting knocked out of the box ...
Jim Hiller helped get the ball rolling with
those disinfectant wipes to clean market
wagon handles when entering his local
Hiller's Super Markets ... Now comes a
mini "car wash" type shown on ABC'S
World News Tonight where shoppers roll
their entire buggy through for a fast spray
of the killer-diller stuff.
IT WOULD HAVE been 24 consecutive
years, except that another kosher caterer was
tried for one of the years, and then back it
went to Paul Kohn and his Quality Kosher
Catering at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield ... Throughout those 23 years, the
annual Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Induction Dinner by Paul has gone from
sit-down to partial sit-down with attendees
getting food to bring back to their table, and
back to complete sit-down again this year.
Before the ceremonies, a social time
with various appetizer stations and open

bar were always favorites ... And this
is where Paul's biggest challenge comes
in ... He tries to inject at least one new
kosher appetizer item each year in what
has become like a game to him ... This
time, with the younger set becoming more
and more attendance active, Paul has
injected Coney dogs to go along with the
standard hot dog sandwiches, fries and
onion rings, Asian, deli soup and salad,
sliced beef, etc., stations.
The induction ceremonies were as they
should always be ... Don't know if it was
dinner co-chairman Howard Gourwitz's
idea, but the time limits made for enter-
taining brevity in both the acceptance
speeches and video presentations
Inductions were of all localites
Leonard Alkon, track; Benny Bayer, bas-
ketball; Don Shane, WXYZ-TV sportscast-
er, and Denise Thal, tennis ... Alvin Foon
Humanitarian Award went to Red Wings'
retired captain Steve Yzerman, who was
true to his gracious self with accolades
to the other award recipients and advice
for the Jewish News'high school athletes
of the year, Matthew Broder and Danielle
Dulberg, and the JN's Bill Hertz Memorial
Scholarship winners Dustin Goldenberg
and Janelle Greene.
The 24th MJSHF Induction Dinner
ceremonies' brevity made for an evening
of snappy enjoyment and Quality Kosher
Caterer's variety presentations an evening
in good taste.
CONGRATS ... To Mark Cooperman on
his 60th birthday ... To Marvin Tamaroff
on his 83rd birthday. 0

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.