THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

A Toast To The Ghost

At Historic Holly Hotel, legend adds charm to culinary delights.

W

hen is a restaurant not called
a restaurant? ... When is it
labeled a hotel instead? ...
No, I haven't flipped my lid, just mention-
ing about Historic Holly Hotel having its
30th anniversary as a restaurant.
So don't plan on sleeping overnight at
the Historic Holly Hotel, on Battle Alley
in Holly, four minutes off 1-75 and less
than 15 minutes off US-23 ... There are
no beds and sleeping on tables is forbid-
den ... But if you still dream of ghosts,
you might see them at Holly Hotel
without sleeping ... After all, it is con-
sidered as the most historic building in
Michigan and where strange things have
been seen there by employees and guests
or those who just shake their heads as if
letting their imaginations get the better
of them.
But it was a hotel at one time, named
the Hirst Hotel back before its first fire
in 1913, and if you there on a Halloween
night and saw a man wearing a long
black coat and top hat, word is that it
could have been Mr. Hirst.
Holly Hotel was reconstructed follow-
ing the 1978 fire with as much authentic-
ity as possible and is today on the United
States Register of Historic Places, noted
nationally as an American restaurant ...
That fire, incidentally, happened on the
same day and same hour as the fire in
1913 ... Scary, huh? ... It's quaint beauti-
ful Queen Anne Victorian architecture
is elegantly priceless, with the original
stained wood that at one time led to the
upper floors and is now a railing on the
main floor bar, which back sector is from
materials that were in Detroit's original
Cunningham Drug Store owned by corn-

munity-ite Nate Shapero.
Holly Hotel's food is so fresh
that owners George and Chrissy
Kutlenios put out a new menu
every day ... Along with the
varied daily features, signature
dishes like the chicken strudel,
rack of lamb, Beef Wellington,
poached salmon, whitefish,
Victorian onion soup, the
"Chef's Selection" Eight Course
Degustation, etc., have, since
1979, been enjoyed by almost 2
million people ... Over 200,000 pounds
of fresh fish, more than 800,000 pounds
of meat, etc.
They have continually refused to have
a microwave oven or even a freezer ...
Along with the kitchen staff that has
been with him for over a decade, George
is many faceted ... planning, cooking,
promoting, etc. ... As a third generation
restaurateur, he is from the old school of
dining thought ... Both his father and
grandfather owned and operated restau-
rants back in Pittsburgh.
Getting there is easy ... Out 1-75 to the
Holly Exit ... It is about 40 minutes from
Square Lake and Telegraph in Bloomfield
Township and around the same time
from the Novi/Farmington Hills, West
Bloomfield areas.
From 1891 until the fire in 1978, Holly
Hotel was both a hotel and dining room
... When George purchased and rebuilt
the hotel in 1978, his initial plans we to
restore a limited number of rooms but
the marketplace called for banquet space
and private dining rooms.
It is still indeed a pleasurable and
interestingly fun adventure.

ANOTHER
RESTAURANT open-
ing will be number four
in the little chain being
accumulated by George
Lukaj (George's Honey Tree,
West Bloomfield; Grand
Tavern, Farmington Hills;
Village Palace, Orchard Lake
Village) ... It'll be a second
Grand Tavern, expected to
open in April at M-59 and
Adams in Rochester Hills ...
George's new spot, a former Chili's site,
will seat more than 200 the compara-
tively new 2-year-old building.
By the way, his new restaurant will not
be in competition with the Main Deli
owned by the daughters of George and
his wife, Risa ... The delicatessen bossed
over by sisters Linda Gjonaj and Alenora
Lukaj is on Main Street in downtown
Rochester.
MAIL DEPT. ... "Every second week
or so, I buy about a pound of one of Yossi
Benjamin's recipes, which name I don't
remember that begins with the letter M
[mujadara]. But it goes well with chicken,
which I make at home and then take to
work for lunch. Yossi's products are at the
Hiller's Market on Orchard Lake Road
north of Maple, around the corner from
the subdivision where I live." ... Alex
Kovnat.
"YOU WANT SALT in your food?" asks
owner Tom Drosis. "There's a shaker on
your table. We don't cook with salty' ...
And many folks are finding out that the
wonderful taste quality is no different at
Spanga's Coney Island, etc., on Woodward
south of 14 Mile, Royal Oak ... This is a

trademark at the popular little restaurant
with such good fresh flavor food made by
Tom and wife, Margarita ... spinach pie
lovers travel miles to have the one made
by Margarita.
AMONG THE PICTURES hanging
at Gallery Restaurant, Telegraph and 15
Mile, Bloomfield Township, is a bowl
of flowers painting by localite Irving
Handelman ... Many folks tell about
staring at it a few minutes and discover-
ing a 3-D look-see.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Uptown
Grill, West Maple, Commerce
Township, for 20-ounce rib-eye steak
... To Fishbones, Northwestern Hwy.,
Southfield, for bouillabaisse.
GIGI'S KORNER ... "It's about time
we pets got some recognition. No wonder
those good-looking wooden pets outside
on the lawn in front of the Greenfield
Animal Hospital on Lahser and 11 Mile
in Southfield, look so proud. My vet doc-
tor, Dr. Byron [Dr. Alexander Byron] has
been at Greenfield Animal Hospital 33
years and owns it with Dr. Michael Hood.
I almost didn't recognize the place. It is
three times bigger than the one I used to
go to in Oak Park before it mover
CONGRATS ... To Zanetta Moser on
her 60th birthday ... To Lary Goldman
on his 53rd birthday ... To Kelsey Smith
on her 19th birthday ... To Devin Smith
on his 21st birthday ... To Neil Tubben
on his 54th birthday ... To Orit Friedman
on his 30th birthday ... To Ed and Susan
(Suzie) Radner on their 51st anniver-
sary.

❑

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

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January 21 • 2010

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