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Lick Your Chops!

Greek and American bistros may soon revive vacant Northwestern Hwy. sites.

p

otpourri ...
If you, too, have been wonder-
ing when, and if, they will open
... join the parade — you are one of
many.
But the lingering delays may be over,
and that waiting might not be too much
longer ... From the looks of things and
progress, openings on Northwestern
Highway, Farmington Hills, of R.J.'s
American Grill on the former site of
Chili's, and Mykonos Greek Taverna at the
previous locale of Macaroni Grill, both
being developed by the same ownership,
could be before the year is up ... Now
that obstacles all seem to be out of the
way, like varied city and state permits
and liquor license final approvals, com-
pletion of curb cuts and entrance areas
from various sides, etc., the openings
soon are more probable than possible
and could finally be just a short matter of
time ... R.J.'s American Grill is expected
to open in early November, and Mykonos
Greek Taverna's opening is projected to
be in time for New Year's Eve festivities.
WHEN IT REOPENS after exten-
sive renovations, the former Il Posto
Ristorante on Northwestern Hwy.,
Southfield, will be a casual wood-fired
pizzeria ... And owned by Luciano Del
Signore, whose popular fine dining Bacco
Ristorante is a short distance away on
Northwestern, between 12 Mile and
Inkster, Southfield ... Luciano expects to
open the new spot in about six months.
NO COUPON IS NECESSARY for
the juicy offer extended by Boneyard
of Farmington Hills, Orchard Lake
Road, south of 14 Mile to celebrate its
30th anniversary ... 30 percent off
entire bill, both dine-in and carryout,

Monday-Friday, Oct. 26-30 ...
(Farmington Hills only).
GOOD DINING DEAL
... Hard to beat the 14-
ounce prime rib dinner on
Saturdays at George's Honey
Tree, Northwestern Hwy, West
Bloomfield ... Includes soup
or salad, potato and vegetable,
$12.95 ... Those prime ribs
run out every Saturday evening
so might be wise to call and
have Chef Jerry reserve yours.
GREEK NIGHT monthly event every
last Saturday at Mosaic on Monroe,
Greektown, Detroit, demonstrates the
Greek heritage of its family ownership ...
Disc jockeys play Greek pop music and
tunes usually heard in Greece niteries
No plate-breaking but napkins are tossed
to simulate the tradition, and sometimes
belly dancers shake on the bar ... Next
one is Saturday, Oct. 31 ... Along with
its continental dishes (calamari, porcini
mushroom dusted scallops, Chilean sea
bass, filet, Mosaic steak gratinee and, of
course, the J.Ft's (Jim Papas) lamb chops,
etc. ... Mosaic's new menu includes
numerous Greek-inspired items, from
saganaki to Shrimp Tourkalemono appe-
tizers to grape leaf-wrapped striped bass
to roasted duck moussaka, roasted lamb
shank, etc.
REMEMBERING DEPT. ... Two
restaurants that successfully opened
then closed because they were too much
ahead of their time ... Healthy Jones on
Northwestern Highway, North of 12 Mile,
Franklin Plaza, in what is now Sero's
and Mei Ling, Haggerty between Maple
and Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield.
Healthy Jones was owned by Joan and

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

48 October 22 • 2009

Ai

Dr. Donald Wittenberg, and
served wonderful gourmet
natural foods with a menu
listing far less items than its
amount of beverages, frozen
yogurts, hot dishes, juices,
teas, etc., plus a blackboard
that included oodles of
specials ... The "bartender"
concocted mixtures made
with strawberries and
bananas and garnished
them with fresh mint leaves
... Another side of Healthy Jones was
a complete grocery store for take-out
health food products including frozen
foods, snacks, vitamins, cosmetics, etc.
Mei Ling Chinese Vegetarian restau-
rant, owned by body builders Tom and
Megan Lin, had hard-to-believe vegetar-
ian "meat" dishes made from soy protein
and wheat gluten, like sesame chicken,
Peking duck, steak burgers, etc. in an
amazing array of good tasting "meat"
dishes that tasted so much like the real
thing, made with the many tastes of tofu
... Even people who had never tried ham
made with turkey or otherwise, could
have it vegetarian-style.
MAIL DEPT. ..."I recently returned
from a wonderful trip back home to
Michigan. I still joke with my Detroit
friends that when the weather is good it's
the most wonderful place to live. During
my stay, I did all the things that ex-
Detroiters talk about in California. I went
to the Franklin Cider Mill and the Labor
Day Parade. I had a Maurice Salad at
Macy's, a Mark Beltaire at Stage, a Coney
Island and a Sanders Hot Fudge Sundae.
I still maintain that you have many more
quality restaurants than we have out

here and that Detroiters don't appreciate
them." ... Donna Bassin, Westlake Village,
California.
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. ...
"I see General Tso's Chicken on so many
Chinese restaurant menus. Who was he?"
... Diane Slovic.
[One of the most popular dishes on
the menu might have been named after
General Tso (Sow) Sungtang, a warrior
in the Qing Dynasty ... If so, possibly
because he was born in Hunan, known
for its hot, peppery dishes, or maybe it's
just a name pulled out of the air.]
ALTHOUGH IT WILL be held at
the Jewish Community Center, West
Bloomfield, instead of his catering home
grounds of Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in Southfield, Paul Kohn and his Quality
Kosher Catering will again supply the
food for Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of
Fame's gala 25th Anniversary Induction
Dinner, 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 ... this
includes the usual huge bevy of glatt
kosher hors d'oeuvres, sit-down chicken
dinner, etc. ... For tickets and general
info, folks can call David Blatt, executive
director, at (248) 592-9323, or click on
wvvw.michiganjewishsports.org .
REUNION DEPT. ... 30th by Oak Park
High's 1979 class is Saturday, Nov. 28, at
Peking House, Royal Oak ... For more
info, call Heidi Dworin, (248) 497-1229, or
e-mail her, secondchance1223@aol.com .
CONGRATS ... To Eric Bronstein on
his 40th birthday ... To Cindy Gersten
on her birthday ... To Bernie Litt on his
85th birthday ... To Neil Wolfson on his
70th birthday.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.