Arts & Entertainment
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
An Old Friend
Shoeshine stand brings back memories of the Fort Shelby.
T
here it stood, as regal as ever ...
One third of the stand that kept
men and women's footwear in
immaculate condition as it displayed the
sign, "World's Greatest Shoe Shine."
Formerly downstairs in the basement by
the barber shop and beauty salon and now
serving two people at a time instead of
six, it has been elevated to a new position
on the lobby floor of the newly-renovated
Fort Shelby Hotel on Lafayette, Detroit,
now open as Fort Shelby Doubletree.
The old shoeshine stand ... and the
sign that is still there ... hold fond
memories for many and are just about the
only things, other than the outside walls,
remaining from the former hometown
hotel favorite that opened back in 1917
and closed in the 1970s.
Now co-owned by local-ites Gene Curtis
and Leo Phillips, together with two other
partners, it is a strikingly elegant design of
colorful and warm aspects.
A major addition to the new Fort Shelby
Doubletree is the well-appointed, Hilton-
owned, Finn & Porter restaurant headed
by an executive chef whose kitchen talents
have become favorites ... Executive Chef
Bradley Durr is no stranger to these parts
... recognized from Cafe Bon Homme
in Plymouth, Ernesto's in Plymouth,
Oakland Hills Country Club and Opus One
with Chef Peter Loren ... He also heads
the entire food operation at Fort Shelby
Doubletree with an excellent policy of
everything on the restaurant menu also
being available for room service as well.
Chef Brad's innovations are endless ...
like a very simple presentation at lunch
that is receiving ongoing popularity, the
hamburger sandwich on a
challah bun, choice of cheese,
with his own hotel-made
potato chips and, if desired,
at no charge, grilled onions
and mushrooms, $8 ... This is
indicative of reasonable lunch
and dinner prices at the new
Fort Shelby Hotel as myself
and others will prefer to still
call it ... And the hamburger is
perhaps a thoughtful remem-
brance of the old Anchor Bar, owned by
Leo Derderian, that served a heck of a
burger itself and was frequented aplenty
by newspaper folks, politicians and sports
figures when located in the Fort Shelby
Hotel before moving to its present location
on Fort Street.
A couple of Brad's signature din-
ner favorites are the broiled Strawberry
Salmon atop Swiss chard with fresh straw-
berries, $28 ... and an excellent Trio of
Lamb dinner dish with mint and jalapeno
or chili-encrusted lamb, medallion stuffed
with Greek olives and feta cheese, and a
baked potato stuffed with what he calls
curious shepherds pie, $32.
POPULAR SMELT is in season for
another few weeks and again a big hit
at O'Brien's Crabhouse, Opdyke Road,
Auburn Hills ... Owner Dan Dunsky dips
the smelt in egg wash, coats them with
seasoned flour and fries the fish until
crisp ... $16.95 dinner includes soup,
salad or slaw, cottage fries and tartar sauce
... Lunch is $9.95.
GOOD GENERAL Manager Dept.
Darline Peterson at Buddy's Pizza,
Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills ...
Smilingly pleasant, with top
know-how to go with a cus-
tomer-pleasing personality ...
Also a restaurant track record
that speaks volumes after
years that include London
Chop House and Tom's Oyster
Bar.
MAIL DEPT. ... "When
writing about the multitude
of good restaurants, you men-
tioned them by name with the
wrong exception of Ernie Klee's. The name
of the restaurant in which he was chef was
the Embers Lounge, located inside the
Windsor Hotel, both owned by my father,
Ben "Benny" Feldman. Ernie Klee was
certainly known as one of the best!" ...
Sandy Dubin.
(Right you are, Sandy. Chef Ernie had
been a fine stalwart at Clifford Bar on
Cass, before leaving to head the kitchen at
the Embers Lounge in the Windsor Hotel,
also on Cass ... At both Clifford and the
Embers, he prepared some great steaks,
but many folks also remember him best
for that delicious dressing Ernie con-
cocted and drizzled over ice-cold lettuce
... When customers asked for the recipe,
he would say, "I'll never tell!" although it
was simply Roquefort cheese and Russian
dressing mixed together.)
QUESTION & ANSWER Dept.... "Why
is the price of steak so different from one
restaurant to another even though it is
the same size? Sometimes they even come
with more side dishes or accompaniments
on the plate." ... Edie Barsky
(High rent has a lot to do with it, Edie,
but steak comes in eight U.S. grades:
prime, choice, select, standard, commer-
cial, utility, cutter and canner ... Prime,
choice and select are the top ratings, with
select usually the ones you see in markets.
In most cases, price is predicated on its
cost to the restaurant owner ... This is
why a few places can advertise low-ball
"come on" prices.
NUMBER THREE in the jazz concert
series by nonprofit Living For Music is
set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, at Temple
Israel, West Bloomfield ... It'll again
feature saxophone stylist George Benson
and the Cliff Monear Trio ... All funds
raised will be used to help cancer victims
... Nine-year ovarian cancer survivor
Elaine Greenberg and husband Sheldon
are founders of Living For Music ... Both
are over 40-year members of Temple
Israel, co-sponsor of the concert, where
Elaine was junior choir director for 31
years, and its adult choir director ...
Both Elaine and Sheldon, also known as
Shelly, are jazz buffs ... For $30 tickets,
call (248) 661-8344.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To La Dolce
Vita, Woodward, Detroit, for roasted bone-
less duck ... To Il Gabbiano, E. Erie Street,
Windsor, for Linguine Mare Monte with
shrimp in tomato sauce ... To Hong Hua,
Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, for
stir-fried scallops or steamed prawns.
CONGRATS ... To Robert August on
his 80th birthday ... To Jim Gottfurcht on
his birthday ... To Jay Grant on his 87th
birthday ... To Irving and Bluma Ellman
on their 65th anniversary. HI
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .
1.1414t4
201 S Old Woodward Avenue • Birmingham MI 48009
248.594.7300 • www.forterestaurant.com
1496640
April 23 • 2009
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