all's fare

platinum plates

Adventures
In Dining

Spring has sprung and, with it, a crop
of new restaurants and new menus.

BY LISA BRODY

You know what you're getting and are glad that you did.

BY ANNABEL COHEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

It's easy to talk about Uptown Parthenon in West
Bloomfield because it's like describing an old friend:
comfy and familiar.
True story: When I returned recently to the
Detroit area after traveling for many weeks, I had but
one food desire: Uptown Parthenon. To this reviewer,
it is a favorite Michigan comfort-food place: satisfy-
ing, with a dash of Opa!
I didn't realize how much I missed its usual and
familiar Greek salads with their salty and slightly
sour feta cheese; gyros, hand-cut from giant revolving
spits; hand-rolled meat and rice-stuffed grape leaves;
tender and ever popular slow-simmered lamb shanks
and aromatic lamb chops.
When I'm really keen for soothing, I go every time
for the moussaka, with its layers of eggplant, com-
bination of ground beef and ground lamb and thick
covering of white sauce — a Greek lasagna, if you
will.
Another popular menu choice is a stir-fry of
chicken — not Greek, but delicious.
Of course, a meal at Uptown Parthenon is not
complete without an appetizer of blazing Kaseri
cheese, flames calmed with a generous squeeze of
fresh lemon. I always order a side of sageki, a tart
yogurt and cucumber sauce I use as a dip, sopping it
up greedily with thick slices of bread
For dessert, there's no other ending for me than
the sticky sweet phyllo pastry and nut-filled baklava.
But that's just me — there is plenty to choose from.

B 8 • MAY 2009 •

IN platinum

In my younger years, my family would drive down
to Detroit's Greektown for this type of chow — an
experience that is still a treat. But when Polyvios
Panagopoulos, an Uptown owner, took his well-
known concept uptown about a decade ago, to the
busy Orchard Lake Road at Lone Pine intersection,
a new tradition was born for all of us who love the
open, often boisterous, fun ambiance and consistent,
savory fare from an extensive menu that mirrors
Greektown eateries exactly.
There's a famous scene in the film My Big Fat
Greek Wedding, where the father proclaims: "There are
two kinds of people: Greek people and people who
want to be Greek."
At Uptown Parthenon, you can be Greek, even if
it's just for meal.

Uptown Parthenon

4301 Orchard Lake Road

West Bloomfield (in Crosswinds Mall)

(248) 538-6000

Appetizers: $4.50-$13.95

Sandwiches: $8.50-$9.95

Dinners: $12.95-$29.95

Hours:

Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is open in
Southfield at the busy intersection of 12 Mile
and Telegraph roads, serving fresh, made-to-
order burgers, fries, hot dogs, grilled cheese and
more. With more than a dozen free toppings,
it's a great place to take the kids or meet a
group of friends. Soon, there will be more Five
Guys Burgers and Fries, in Macomb Township,
:
has
Warren and Rochester Hills.
opened in Birmingham in the former Marty's
Cookie's location, with fireside outdoor seat-
ing for 20 in back. Lunch offerings include an
herb omelet, Angus burger (also available at
dinner), salads and pot pie, while dinners at the
moderately priced bistro feature pastas, roasted
chicken, salmon and whitefish. ----
r is
a lovely spring addition to the dining scene in
Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, at the cor-
ner of Trumbull and
Howard streets. The
petite French cre-
perie and cafe offers
handmade crepes,
salads, baguette sand-
wiches and espresso
drinks. Assaggi
Mediterranean
Bistro in Ferndale is
now offering its won-
Above: A dessert wall at
derful signature dishes
Forty-Two Degrees North.
in two sizes, at two
different price points.
The outdoor patio, with a wall fountain and
vegetable and herb garden, is a delightful spot
all summer long.
in Troy understands that times are tough but
wants you to continue to enjoy its delicious
cuisine, offering a three-course meal that
includes a salad, an entree with a choice of
one side dish and a dessert for $39.95. Entrees
include a 6-oz. filet and shrimp, fresh fish,
stuffed chicken breast or BBQshrimp.
Two Degree
has opened on level three
of the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance
Center, offering classic and contemporary
Midwestern food —emphasizing local and
regionally grown ingredients — with a river
view. If you are heading downtown for a Tiger
game, the theater, opera or business, check
out ',rigelina Italian Bistiu, on Broadway, in
the first floor of the former Madison Theater,
where you can enjoy thin-crust pizzas, pastas
and charcuterie. Bon appetit.