Art, & Entertainment
E/ BEST OF EVERYT-IING
Devoted Diners
New York-style Pasta Fagioli has delighted its followers for over 13 years
wonderful kind of little restau-
rant that New Yorkers used to
love years back ... and are still
so very fond of along with visitors to the
Big Apple ... is among the favorite desti-
nation places among so many folks here.
Pasta Fagioli, celebrating its 13th anni-
versary on Square Lake Road, just east
of Telegraph in the Sugar Bush Plaza,
Bloomfield Township, was the preferred
little restaurant of the late Bill Davidson,
who loved the tasty bouillabaisse put
out by owner/chef Hamad Kouka, and is
still highly thought of among its regular
devotees like Sonja Friedman, Judge Barry
Grant, etc. ... Judy Liss loves the chicken
dish she has three times a week at Pasta
Fagioli ... Barbara Walters is a never-miss
regular when here.
About its excellent chicken dishes, two
of them will be featured until the end of
this year ... Gluten-free pasta with grilled
chicken in a garlic-olive oil sauce, $12.95,
and the Chicken Bayarda, grilled chicken
topped with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula
and artichoke herbs, $13.95 ... Both also
include salad, potato, vegetable and prem-
ises-made focaccia bread.
When Hamad, former chef at Ristorante
Di Modesta, Southfield, and his wife,
Janine, took over the former China Box
restaurant, they never dreamed that it
would one day attain such popularity ...
But 13 years later, from that first day to the
present, Pasta Fagioli has made an excel-
lent mark of dining destination attain-
ment as one of this region's better little
popular-priced restaurants.
THE SLOWDOWN of dinner business
could possibly have had something to do
with it, but the main reason that Yossi's,
1!•;‘..37
Orchard Lake Road, north
etc. ... And, of course, there's
of 14 Mile, in the northeast
kosher hot dogs and a full page
section of Robins Nest Plaza,
of breakfast specials at any
West Bloomfield, is now open
hour.
for dinner only on Saturday
RECENT ARTICLE IN
evenings, 5-9, and lunch only
the Jewish Journal of Greater
Monday-Friday, 11-4, could
Los Angeles sent by Sam
no doubt be the sudden need
Essick, former Detroiter now
for more time in his new busi-
a Californian, quotes an item
ness ... Yossi and wife Lizette
in the Save the Deli book by
Danny Raskin
Benjamin's Yossi's Famous
David Sax, in which he says
Senior Columnist
Food has taken off much faster
that L.A. has become America's
than they had thought, with
premier deli city ... That is
the growing supply of Mediterranean
arguable by many ... Sax later writes
products for the seven local Hiller Markets that "Today, L.A. Jewish delicatessens are
... and a future look that is expected
largely inseparable from the business of
to take them into Michigan's five Whole
Hollywood, which is one of the key rea-
Foods Markets, six Trader Joe stores and
sons the deli thrives in L.A."
12 Busch Markets.
In reality, though, being the best Jewish
ALL DAYS ARE special for Tom and
deli city and having the best Jewish delis
Margarita Drosis ... But Fridays and
are two very distinctively different things.
Saturdays a little more ... That's when
Interviewing Sax, Rob Eshman of the
their clean little Spangas Restaurant on
L.A. Jewish Journal, asks, "Tell me why
Woodward, south of 14 Mile, Royal Oak,
you think Los Angeles is the best," and
stays open all night to feed the wants of
Sax answers, "One major factor was obvi-
people from all walks of life ... It's celeb-
ously the predominance of the entertain-
rity time, too, when big show biz names
ment industry and how that factors into
appearing in this locale are out playing
delicatessens. It provided a tremendous
after the evenings last performance ...
backbone to the business culturally and
Same with sports folks, local personali-
financially, and you can't replicate that
ties, etc., much like the Bagel of yester-
anywhere else.
years owned by Martin and Elizabeth
"The deli owners are also on much more
Eichelbaum on Woodward in Detroit ...
friendly terms in Los Angeles than they
Spangas has gotten to be somewhat of
are in other cities. They tend to talk to one
a dining after-hours restaurant for the
another, to help each other in certain situ-
autograph givers as folks come to Spangas
ations, and that really has an impact in the
all seven days for Margarita's wonderful
way the industry works — they're sort of
rice pudding topped with cinnamon and
united in a way. The fact that the majority
chopped walnuts, baklava and spinach
of the delis are family owned, sometimes
pie among other goodies she makes on
two or three or even four generations also
the spot, along with Tom's soups, entrees,
has a tremendous impact on the quality of
Chanukah
Homemade
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ChanukahGelt-
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76
December 10 * 2009
the food that's being served, the way that
customers are treated, the outlook that
you're really taking care of something. It's
not just an investment — it's a legacy."
Still can't figure out what is meant
by the book's title Save the Deli ...
Delicatessens came in the early 1800s and
are certainly here to stay.
Any suggestion that Jewish delicatessen
openings are stagnant today is answered
with the recent two new delicatessen
welcome mats in the northwest section of
Greater Detroit ... Deli Unique Novi in the
Crowne Plaza Hotel joins Deli Unique West
Bloomfield and Deli Unique Bloomfield Hills
as the third Unique Deli in the Bingham
Farms-based Matt Prentice Restaurant
Group ... It is managed by Matt and Lisa
Prentice's son, Michael Prentice, former man-
ager at the West Bloomfield location.
A fourth Gateway Deli (no connection
with the Gateway Delicatessen on 11 Mile
and Lahser, Southfield), has been opened
by Peter Berishaj on Long Lake Road
and Livernois, Troy, to go with Big Beaver
and Livernois, Troy, Fort and Washington
Blvd., Detroit, and Ford Field, Detroit, on
Mondays through Fridays and Sundays for
concerts, football games, etc.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Volare,
Pontiac Trail, Wixom, for ravioli stuffed
with veal ... To Steve & Rocky's, Grand
River, Novi, for baked rainbow trout
stuffed with crab.
CONGRATS ... To Mureen Levine
on her 60th birthday ... To Bart and
Cookie "Hope" Chimoff on their 22nd
anniversary. Li
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobai.net .
Blooms homemade
Potato Latkes
With any Deli
or Dairy tray
or complete
dinner order
thru 12/30/09
248-855-9463
to om.
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