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Matzah Run Amok

Passover creativity can challenge a chef's credulity.

P

OTPOURRI ...
For years, restaurant chefs,
owners and managers have tin-
kered with Passover foods to serve their
customers ... They have constantly tried to
concoct dishes to satisfy the holiday palates
... Many of the dishes were at suggestions
of customers, some jokes on unsuspecting
chefs who thought it was the real thing.
One of them was Chef Pancho Valez
being told by a guest at the London Chop
House about a "traditional" dish the gent
had never seen in another Detroit restau-
rant ... Pancho asked Chop House co-
owner Les Gruber how to make gefilte fish
smothered with diced strawberries and
sour cream ... Les just rolled his eyes and
said, "Leave out the gefilte fish!"
Jim Constand, owner of Jim's Garage
in Detroit, had a customer who asked
for hot honey-based horseradish to have
with fried matzah and slivered almonds
... Another request, said Jim, was for
tsimmes with carrots and walnuts.
When Remy Berdy was executive chef at
Pike Street in Pontiac, his large pieces of
salty gefilte fish, "the Russian way:' he said,
became so well known that Remy had to
put it on Pike Street's menu.
At Anderson's Gardens, Harry and Ruth
Levenberg used to put chili made by her
on broken pieces of matzah.
Executive Chef Keith Supien at the very
elegant Van Dyke Place in Indian Village in
Detroit honored all Passover requests ...
Even those he had never heard of before
... Keith's L'Chaim section of the menu
was highly acclaimed ... The former Beth
Achim Hebrew School student was noted
for his shmaltz herring croquettes (her-
ring with wine sauce ground with onions,
eggs, salt and pepper, parsley and dill, veg-

etable oil and matzah meal).
LOOKING BACK ... When
Zero Mostel appeared here, he
climbed on a table while din-
ing at the London Chop House
in Detroit and cried out, "Mr.
Gruber [Les Gruber], your
chopped herring is a beautiful
poem!"
DANDY DINING DEAL ...
Through the month of April,
Chicken Hor Fun, with those
delicious wide rice noodles,
chicken, carrots, bean sprouts, green
onions and sauteed white onions ... plus
soup, egg roll and ice cream dessert ...
is $11.95 at Golden Phoenix, Sugar Tree
Plaza, Orchard Lake Road, north of 15
Mile, West Bloomfield.
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. ...
"Will the Mykonos Greek restaurant open-
ing on Northwestern Highway be like the
one that was in Detroit years ago?" ...
Lillyan Paster
[No, Lillyan, the one you might remem-
ber was a supper club with entertainment,
stage and sound system ... The Mykonos
opening on the former location of Macaroni
Grill in Farmington Hills is slated as an
elegant Greek Taverna, which I understand
will be upscale but low-priced.]
AFTER EIGHT months away from the
delicatessen, Lisa Prentice, Matt's frau, is
back as general manager at Deli Unique of
West Bloomfield, West Bloomfield Plaza,
Orchard Lake Road, south of 15 Mile ...
Lisa is at the delicatessen daily again
doing her "recuperating chores:' as she
puts it, after a hospital and home stay for a
closed head injury.
GOOD SERVER DEPT. ... Sam Elders
at 7 Restaurant-Lounge, Orchard Lake

Road east of 15 Mile, West
"We lived at Fenkell and Meyers, two
Bloomfield ... You can readily
miles away from the Royal and decided to
see that Sam is one of those
walk in the summer heat. The temperature
good waitpersons with com-
had to be above 90 degrees. We were dying
mon sense ... Like bringing a
by the time we got there but made it in time
fresh cup without being asked, to see Jerry Lewis take to the stage. It was
instead of pouring hot coffee
an incredible day topped off by a trip across
into cold java without even
the street to Karp's Drugs for a soda. Zukin's
asking ... Also, his cordial effi- Ice Cream wasn't open yet and Rocky's
ciency is most welcomed.
Pizzeria hadn't opened for the day.
MAIL DEPT. ... "Matzahs
"Happily, we took the bus home. To this
may be considered just to have day, I don't know why we didn't take the
for Passover, but my family
bus there." ... Mort Meisner.
loves it all year. Especially my husband,
KORN KORNER ... From Lindy's menu
Sam, who likes his matzahs covered with
... "Waiter, this soup tastes funny" ... "So
a chocolate-flavored Kool Whip that I mix
why don't you laugh?"
up for him and also matzah brei with cin-
REUNION DEPT. ... 1980 Oak Park
namon, apple and raisins." ... Sue Glendlis High's 30th shindig is Friday, July 2, at
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Mosaic,
Bakers of Milford Banquet Hall ... For
Monroe Street, Detroit, for Kasu Chilean
more info, contact Nancy Levine, (248)
sea Bass ... To Moe's On 10, 10 Mile, Novi, 321-4176 (nancylevine@comcast.net )
for Italian Fish Chowder.
or Phylis (Blackman) Moehlman, (248)
REMEMBERING WHEN DEPT. ...
719-9253 (ppm100@sbcglobal.net)
"The year was either
Summer Weekend fun by
1961 or 1962 and the
Southfield High class of
movie The Nutty Professor
1975, with the 1974 class
starring Jerry Lewis
also invited, is Aug. 6-8,
was being released. The
at the Townsend Hotel,
Royal Theatre on Seven
Birmingham ... Call
Mile Road and Meyers
Claire Epstein, (248) 722-
in Detroit was hosting a
1438 (clairlyn@aol.com )
premier at an afternoon
or Karen Blum, (248)
Stella Stevens and Jerry Lewis
show. Unbelievably,
540-3562 (addisonl59@
in The Nutty Professor
Jerry Lewis himself was
aol.com).
there to host the movie.
CONGRATS ... To
After my mom, Ella, caught wind of it, she
Maurice "Bud" Sherbow on his 85th birth-
decided to take me. I was 8 or 9 years old at
day ... To Manny Kalef on his 80th birth-
the time. Mom didn't drive because my dad, day ... To Jason and Denise Dunn on their
Morris, threatened to turn in his driver's
12th anniversary. ❑
license if mom ever started driving. Dad
couldn't take us because he was too busy
Danny's e-mail address is
driving his Radio Cab.
dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.

LET VINE RDS DO THE CATERING...PICNICS, GRADUATION PARTIES, AND BIM s:0!**0

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