Arts & Entertainment

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Talent Abounds

New Quattro Cucina Italiano has hidden dining abilities.

T

here is enough experienced talent tableside dining spots within
of a too long-lost dining specialty its small area, the other being
that would certainly qualify a
Rugby Grille in the Townsend
recently opened restaurant to someday
Hotel.
utilize those abilities to much customer
Familiar faces, too, like Pastry
satisfaction.
Chef Eric Voight, and Server
The new Quattro Cucina Italiano, that
Captain Rick Jewel, sommelier
took over a short time ago at the site for-
for Takashi Yagahashi, all for-
merly occupied by City Cellar on Hamilton
merly at Tribute.
Row, Birmingham, has at least four staff
Zoran's assistant manager
persons with practical knowledge in
is someone about who many
elegant tableside dining.
can say, "I knew his grand-
Zoran Smolcic, the favorite general man- mother and grandfather! ...
ager/maitre d' of so many people (Lelli's,
Sandy Levine was formerly at McCormick
Rugby Grille, Zinc, etc.) whose authentic
and Schmick in Troy and Atlas Global
Caesar salads, tossed in garlic-rubbed
Bistro, Detroit, but got his true experi-
wooden bowls and deftly deboned Dover
ence as a busboy for grandparents Harriet
sole, etc., is remembered from the former
and the late Jack Goldberg at their Stage
Zinc, West Bloomfield, but best from his
& Company on the Boardwalk, West
eight years tossing and mixing at the for-
Bloomfield ... remembering when as just
mer Lelli's on Woodward, Detroit, and the
a little guy busboy, he brought a glass of
current Rugby Grille, Birmingham.
water to the West Bloomfield-based Lark
Few can forget the efficiency and
r
restaurant's
super-owner Jim Lark.
smiles of waitperson Violetta Lambert
The new Quattro Cucina Italiano seats
whose skillful tableside adeptness was a
1 60 for dining with 11 bar stools in a
standout at Mario's, Detroit, before her
1 argely renovated restaurant that would
stint at Bacco in Southfield; waitperson
c ertainly gain much prominence as a des-
Benny Bezhi and his flying fingers at the
t ination restaurant if it should combine
former Midtown Cafe, Birmingham, prior
those talents into lower cost tableside din-
to Andiamo West, Bloomfield Township;
ing with its present presentations.
waitperson Louis Halatsis, with gracious
SUPER FLUTIST Alexander Zonjic has
slinging at Lelli's on Woodward.
n ever missed a year as co-chairman, and
Then there's also Benjamin Meger, who
al so being the events main performer ...
has the very rare distinction of being execu-
Ninth Annual Flutes, Friends and Fa-La-La
tive chef at two restaurants ... Quattro and b y Variety FAR Conservatory of Therapeutic
its Birmingham sister, Chin Chow ... Chef and Performing Arts, with co-chairing of
Benjamin is also corporate chef for both fine B arbara Fleischer and Linda Golden, is
dining spots and can probably show folks a T hursday, Nov. 19, at Seligman Performing
few tableside cooking turns himself.
Arts Center, 13 Mile, Beverly Hills.
If tableside dining comes about at
Most of the items sold at the FAR Bazaar
Quattro, Birmingham would become one
th at opens at 5:30 p.m. are made by the
of the nation's few little cities to have two
s chool's special needs students who receive

art, music, dance and recreation
therapy ... The show with
Zonjic, flutist Barb Ogar and
her student flute choir, two flut-
ist staffers at FAR, Fred Astaire
Dancers, etc. is 7 p.m.
FAR, whose major sup-
porter is Variety, the Children's
Charity, has been in existence
since 1951 but seems to have
picked up considerably since
Arlene Kass became execu-
tive director in 2001, and with
Zonjic, who co-produces the program that
is attended by numerous local personalities.
DANDY DINING DEAL ... by Big Rock
Chophouse, Eton Street, Birmingham, that
continues Monday through Thursday in
November is getting big attention ... It
includes entree choice (filet mignon, sauteed
shrimp, grilled salmon or pecan chicken and
lobster ragout), and appetizer, side dish, des-
sert and coffee, $25.
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. ...
"My dad, Seymour Proctor, says that the
Flamingo was the first casino in Las Vegas
to bring in name acts. My husband, Andy
Stoner, says they were there before Bugsy
Siegel opened. Who is right? The best show
I ever saw in Las Vegas was on our honey-
moon, "Hallelujah Hollywood:" Did you see
it? Was it your favorite too?" ... Salli Stoner
[Before the Flamingo, there were some
shows at the El Rancho, owned by Beldon
Katelman, but for the Flamingo's opening
in 1946, Ben Siegel brought in top-notchers
Jimmy Durante and Xavier Cugat, which
seemed to force the others to also bring in
big names. Yes, I saw "Hallelujah Hollywood"
when it opened in 1974 at the original MGM
Grand, now Bally's. It sure was among my
production performance favorites.]

GOOD SERVER DEPT. ... Smiling
efficiency ... That's what folks get in a wait-
person like Florinda Kamgeris, whose first
name without the "n" spells a very sunny
climate, the warmth of which her customers
get at George's Honey Tree, Northwestern,
West Bloomfield, along with gracious
competence and friendly personality.
MAIL DEPT. ... "About those old jokes
on the menu at Lindy's Delicatessen-
Restaurant in New York, what about the
Lindy's waiter being asked to bring the
customer a turkey sandwich and the
waiter saying they were out of turkey. The
man then asked him to bring a chicken
sandwich. `Sir,' said the waiter, "if we had
chicken I would have brought you a turkey
sandwich." Or 'Waiter, my plate is wet.
That's not wet, sir, that's the soup." ...
Sam Essick, California.
[How about "Waiter, there's a twig in my
sour "Yes, sir:' says the Lindy's waiter, we
have branches everywhere.]
RESTAURANTS AND food suppliers
who commit to having sampling displays at
charitable events and then, without expla-
nation, do not show up, should be ashamed
of themselves ... The charity suffers greatly
in prestigious public relations when there
are unexplained empty booths.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Mesquite
Creek, Ortonville Road, Clarkston, for
Salmon Granturco with oyster mushrooms
... To Big Rock Chophouse, Eton Street,
Birmingham, for Buffalo chopped sirloin
burger.
CONGRATS ... To Lora Weingarden on
her birthday ... To Susan Fellows on her
birthday.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.

Order now, Bloom's Traditional 'Thanksgiving dinner w/ Empire
turkey and all the trinunings!

FREE

Blooms' Apple Strudel
and a Pumpkin pie

Complete ala carte Thanksgiving menu available sir

•nal,

54

November 12 • 2009

ii

vvww.Vineyar eli.com
NibblesAndNuts.com

with order of 10 or more complete dinners

248.855-9463

ala carte menu available

32418 Northwestern Hwy.

between Middlebelt & 14 Mile