THE BEST OF

VERYTHNG

Yo, Yossi's!

Expanded restaurant menu, new supermarket venture highlight successful five years.

F

ew could have imagined that he
would become so successful ...
Even with his previous experi-
ences as a restaurant owner and his astute
acumen in the field.
But Israeli native Yossi Benjamin is
not your ordinary restaurateur ... The
boss-gent of Yossi's in Robin's Nest Plaza,
Orchard Lake Road, just north of 14 Mile,
West Bloomfield, is into his fifth year on a
note that continues lofty heights.
Not only does his restaurant receive
constant accolades for its preparations of
authentic Mediterranean foods ... many
of them hand-me-downs acquired over a
lifetime ... and who can deny the authen-
ticity when the boss himself has prospered
so many years on the favored recipes?
Born in Haifa, Yossi came here backed
by years as owner of Indian, French and
Israeli restaurants, coming to America
when wife Lisette's employment was
transferred to this country ... In the short
time Yossi and Lisette have been here,
their ambitions have brought them local
dining entrepreneur note ... Not only as
restaurant operation owners but the recent
addition of a major step upward in the
food industry ... Plus Yossi's restaurant,
they now also own Yossi's Famous Food,
with its own bright yellow and blue pack-
aged Mediterranean products, 100 percent
vegetarian and all vegan except baba
ganoush, available in all seven Hiller's
Markets and five Whole Foods Markets in
this area (West Bloomfield, Troy, Rochester
Hills and two in Ann Arbor) ... However,
all was not peaches and roses for the
Benjamins ... After coming here in 2001,
Yossi's enterprising ways were met with
resistance as many gave his new little
restaurant only five months to live ... But
18 months passed and Yossi began to see

the light of success ... With the
cooperative help of his landlord
Mike Robin, owner of Robin's
Nest Plaza, he was able to
combat the scourge of difficult
times.
Yossi opened in 2004 with a
very limited menu ... Not even
having fish listed until discover-
ing that people in the United
States enjoyed their fish ... So
came the addition of tilapia,
popular in Israel, served in a
tomato-wine sauce or garlic butter sauce,
both like prepared back home ... He
hopes to soon add whitefish, as well ...
Falafel, the chick pea or fava bean favorite
continually held on to No. 1 ranking until
the introduction at Yossi's of grilled bone-
less chicken breast, the excellently mari-
nated chicken grilled with a juicy elegant
taste, which has pushed falafel into second
place while taking over as the dining
leader at Yossi's.
Open six days a week, seating is for
about 50, including a nine-seat counter
Monday-Thursday, 11-9; Friday, 11-3;
Saturday 5-11; Sundays reserved for pri-
vately catered parties.
Another new Yossi's dish that has gained
much reordering acceptance are the
quarter-size "Dutch Puff" pancakes, also
known as poffertjes, in various interesting
flavors ... Yossi's is still probably one of
the very few, if any, restaurants that serves
true Dutch family pancakes, also in a
choice of flavors.
In the five years since opening, Yossi's
has sold more than a half-million falafel
balls, over 60,000 pounds of chicken sha-
warma, almost 100,000 pounds of horn-
mus, around 60,000 portions of chicken
shnitzel, etc.

It might have been appar-
ent after a while that the
attainment of success by
Yossi Benjamin would be
only a matter of time ...
Now, however, with the com-
bination of Yossi's restaurant
and Yossi's Famous Foods,
it is even more evident that
his upward climb to greater
heights has only just begun.
GOOD DINING DEAL is
the Monday to Thursday 25th
anniversary celebration dinner through
October of Big Rock Chophouse, South
Eton, Birmingham ... $25 for three-course
dinners with a choice of of chophouse
salad, chicken potsticker or butternut
squash bisque; a choice of six-ounce filet,
shrimp scampi, grilled salmon or pecan
chicken; and for dessert, bumpy cake or
pumpkin cheesecake ... Also 25 percent
off bottled wines $100 or less.
GOOD SERVER DEPT. ... Sabrina
Must at Buddy's Pizza Northwestern,
Farmington Hills, making mother and
father, Moni and Joel Must, proud of her,
along with the many customers Sabrina
is pleasing with her pleasant congeniality
and efficiency.
A THREE - SEAT PATIO is now at
Pepino's on Walled Lake Road, Walled Lake,
with colored umbrellas and wrought iron
furniture ... plus outside heater for cool
evenings ... It was designed and built by
Rick Sinkevics, landscape company owner
son of Kathy and Ray Kwiecinsky, Pepino's
co-owners with Kathy's sister, Carole
Carson ... Pepino's, by the way, is now also
available for afternoon events, 11-4:30, plus
carryout during all regular hours.
ANOTHER DINING OPERATION
opens for Matt Prentice Restaurant Group,

Lim rsaal n m alichm gent the se- co-nr i sandwich
Hey!
I for FREE!

as his Deli Unique Novi swings open its
doors to the public this month at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel, onetime Sheraton
... General manager is Michael Prentice,
Matt and Lisa Prentice's son, formerly
one of the managers of Deli Unique West
Bloomfield ... His previous post is now
taken over by Jim Campau ... Michael
and Matt's first charitable endeavor for the
new deli was recently for Raymond James
financial adviser Denise Dunn with gour-
met sandwiches and salads plus gift cer-
tificates to their new operation ... Denise's
charity Euchre Tournament raised funds
recently for the Down Syndrome Guild of
Southeast Michigan.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Rugby Grille,
Townsend Hotel, Birmingham, for Caesar
salad ... To Caucus Club, West Congress,
Detroit, for Dover Sole ... To Da Eduardo,
Woodward, Detroit, for shrimp in sherry
wine sauce ... To Sweet Lorraine's Greenfield,
Southfield, for vegetarian meatloaf.
THE FACES ON those preparing and
putting out food for 19 attendees at the
second seder night by Marshall and Dee
Shapiro were so familiar ... They were
cateress Modesta Devita, co-owner of
the former Ristorante Di Modesta on
Northwestern in Southfield, now Bacco,
assisted by computer engineer Malek
Taha, onetime server at Dimitri's of
Southfield, and nine years at Di Modesta
... Everything was delicious.
CONGRATS ... To Arthur Smith on
his 90th birthday... To Louise Abrams
on her birthday ... To Sam and Dorothy
Essick on their 61st anniversary ... To
Mark and Frank Klinger on their 50th
anniversary. ❑

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

r

(Of equal or lesser value)

With the purchase of 2
fountain beverages.

One coupon per person

Meet me at 'Vineyards...
Buy one get one free with over
85 different choices...
Nothing else even
compares....

ti

Not valid with any other offer or promo expires 10/15/09

YARDS r

The Detroit News

248.855-9463 1

Order online:
www.VineyardDeli.com I

I!

No

NE EN EN Ns

1.1

32418 Northwestern Hwy. between Middlebelt & 14 Mile
INE NE Es EN mu =I NE
1.•

Weekday Dinner Hours 4.7 pm

— ® we

October 1 . 2009

a

47