Arts & Entertainment
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Rock
Roll
Birmingham's Big Rock Chop House is on a 25-year roll.
s
ome guys love to go golfing or
fishing or flip the cubes in Las
Vegas, but other than traveling
and spending time with wife, Bonnie,
Norman LePage does have another favor-
ite among the many things he likes to do,
and he is one of the best at it ... Which is
what makes legendary Norm a standout
among restaurant giants.
He loves the challenge of creating and
developing new concepts for restaurants
owned by him and Bonnie ... And it
certainly was a tremendous dare when
they took over an old beat-up building
in Birmingham that had previously been
the aged Birmingham Grand Trunk and
Western Railway Depot.
For years, Norm and Bonnie had driven
by the site and dreamed of one day having
a restaurant there ... And when owners of
the property, Norm Pappas, Eric Lutz, Tony
Brown, Dick Sikorsky and Bill Meyer, con-
tacted Norm and Bonnie with a 50-per-
cent proposition, they jumped at the offer.
The former railroad station was a total
mess, falling apart from brick to brick
and stone to stone ... Friends, relatives
and strangers thought he was nuts going
through two-and-a-half feet of granite,
while swatting away bats and birds, etc. ...
Norm and Bonnie may have been consid-
ered a bit batty, but they were in heaven
... In 1984, 25 years ago, it finally opened
as Norman's Eton Street Station on South
Eton Street, Birmingham.
Norm and Bonnie were no strangers
to the restaurant business ... Since 1973
they had operated Squire's Table, Nifty
Norman's, Elephant and Banyan Tree,
Norm's Oyster Bar, Townsend Hotel and
its Rugby Grille, Great American Chop
House, Mac 'n Ray's, Norm's Diner, East
Side Mario's, Gravity, Salvatore
Scaloppinis, etc.
But nothing came even close
to the huge challenge that their
present restaurant presented,
and in 1984, Norman's Eton
Street Station became only the
third restaurant to receive a
liquor license in formerly dry
Birmingham, following Machus
Sly Fox and Midtown Cafe.
It originally opened with
10,000 square feet, and with the
name change to Big Rock Chop
House in 1997 two years after Norm and
partner Ray Nichols bought out their part-
ners, celebrates today its 25th anniversary
on a complex that also includes a large
beautiful Reserve Banquet Hall, condo-
miniums, Micro Brewery, etc.
Also sharing Big Rock Chop House's
25th anniversary are a couple of wonder-
ful gals who are as much a part of Norm
as his right arm ... Vera Day Rizer, general
manager with Norm since 1983, and Helen
McCasland, his office manager going back
to Norm's Oyster Bar 23 years ago.
People love the huge bone-in rib-eye
steak, 8- and 12-ounce filets, 24-ounce
porterhouse and N.Y. strip, and you won't
find a better buffalo burger at too many
other restaurants ... And the seafood
selections of whitefish, salmon, Dover sole,
sea bass, etc., are among huge favorites.
Its in-house Micro Brewery is widely
recognized ... as is its award-winning Red
Rock, Flanders Red Ale.
Big Rock Chop House is open six days
... Monday-Friday lunch, 11-4, Saturday,
noon-4; dinner Monday-Tuesday, 4-10,
Wednesday-Thursday, 4-11, Friday and
Saturday 4-12 ... Got Rocks Ultra Lounge
- • "
Recession
Matt
R rent ce
ESTAURANT
GROUP
on the restaurant's second
floor is open Tuesday-
Saturday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
This is the longest period
of time that Norm LePage
has ever spent owning a res-
taurant, certainly something
which in itself also makes
this 25th anniversary of Big
Rock Chop House, an auspi-
ciously special occasion.
SALE OF THE Matt
Prentice Restaurant Group,
about a month ago, may have
brought an end to Metro Detroit's distinc-
tion of having among its residents two of
the nation's top independent giant restau-
rant owners of local sit-down dining chains
... but little change other than ownership.
Matt continues as CEO and the com-
pany name has remained the same ... Joe
Vicari, owner of the Andiamo Restaurant
Group is presently the lone owner biggie.
Matt was only 20 when he left the
Culinary Institute of America and began
working here at Fox & Hounds, Belanger
House, etc., before being employed by Dick
Lichtman at Northgate Deli on Greenfield
and 10 Mile in the little Royal Oak
Township section now a part of Oak Park
... In 1980, he scraped up enough money
to buy Northgate and built it up again ...
Today, the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group,
formerly known as Unique Restaurant
Corporation, is still very strong with nine
sit-down restaurants, Henry's Cafe at
Henry Ford Hospital, West Bloomfield,
Sourdough Bread Factory, Pontiac, and
numerous catering operations.
Joe Vicari, too, has a name synonymous
with successful restaurants ... Following
the success of two Ram's Horn din-
ial
3 - 4 - $30.00 Plus One
Special Three Course Chef's
Menus Plus a wine selection by
Madeline Triffon, M.S
ONLY $3000
AT
1.011,1,C •
MISSVV.MATIPRENTICERG.COM
50
December 3 • 2009
SHIRAZ
ing spots, Joe opened his first Andiamo
restaurant on 14 Mile Road in Warren,
which today is one of the huge Andiamo
Restaurant Group that includes 11
Andiamo dining spots, Mesquite Creek in
Clarkston, and Rojo Mexican Bistro, Novi
... Joe also owns several County Inns,
Cheli's Chili Bar in Clinton Township and
Post Bar in Dearborn.
Both Matt and Joe are highly respected
and revered credits to the restaurant
industry as well as extremely honored and
charitable members of the Metropolitan
Detroit areas in which they live.
GOOD WAITPERSON DEPT. ... Carla
Robb at Pasta Fagioli, Square Lake Road
east of Telegraph, Bloomfield Township
... Efficiency shows from her experiences
at Restaurant Duglass and Ristorante De
Modesta ... Menu explanations and sug-
gestions are in highly professional ways.
MANY FOLKS get together regularly
for gab-festing and feasting, but not five
whose birthdays all fall within days of
each other ... and celebrate at the same
time, day and place ... The gents, 1947-
48 Detroit Central High graduates, have
been getting together weekly for about 20
years at Gateway Deli, 11 Mile and Lahser,
Southfield ... Congrats to Charles "Chuck"
Goldfarb, Louis Chernoff, Stewart Allen,
Bill Wolok and Harvey Goldberg on their
80th birthdays.
CONGRATS ... To David Roberts on
his 80th birthday ... To Sandy Conway on
her 51st birthday ... To Paul Milgrim on
his 80th birthday ... To Selma Silverman
on her birthday ... To Michael and Helene
Rose on their 20th anniversary. H
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.
as=91coot•Mt +
,, baftimbe&fttese...,,
,,, ,,,
Deli Unique of
Novi is Now Open
(248) 319-0222
Now taking Holiday
orders!
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