Arts & Entertainment

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Mesquite Mystique

Andiamo's Clarkston steakhouse is a dining star.

T

here have been numerous lead-
ing stars of show business who
have ventured into the restaurant
world as owners, but many of them with
ultra-huge egos would never think of being
their own general manager ... Heaven for-
bid that people should look upon them as a
general manager and not owner.
The general manager of Mesquite Creek
on Ortonville Road, Clarkston, Tony Vitale,
may not be its owner, but along with the
restaurant game, show business is among
his loves and self-ego has no place in.
his vocabulary ... He was a tap dancer,
singer and actor in Hollywood movies and
appeared with Whoopi Goldberg in the
feature film
Sister Act 2.
Another
Mesquite Creek
personage is
in a different
kind of show
business ...
Executive
Chef Heinz
Menguser is
one of this
region's finest
culinary artists
Andiamo's Joe Vicari
... Certainly
an excellent
entertainer in his own rights, bringing
much enjoyment to many ... As executive
chef of Mesquite Creek, legendary Chef
Heinz Menguser brings a world of exper-
tise in an excellent, almost 50-year chef-
ing career ... Trader Vic's, Detroit; Bijou,
Southfield; Money Tree, Detroit; Lark, West
Bloomfield; Jacques, Bingham Farms, etc.
... Truly a wonderful and successful gas-
tronomic track record.
Between Tony and Chef Heinz, it is little

wonder why Mesquite Creek is
being ranked high up there in
destination discoveries.
From the outside one would
never know it, but once inside,
you almost immediately squint
and say to yourself, "This sure
looks like an Andiamo restau-
rant" ... And by Joe it is ...
As the "new" Mesquite Creek,
it was purchased by Andiamo
Restaurant Group president
and CEO Joe Vicari in 2007,
opening with Tony as general
manager ... To get the true hang of things,
Tony had spent one year in the kitchen at
Andiamo West on Telegraph and 15 Mile,
Bloomfield Township, and Andiamo Italia
in Warren learning the kitchen ins and
outs, graduating as general manager at
Andiamo Rochester.
The former bland-looking Mesquite
Creek of yesteryears is today a strikingly
beautiful Southwest-style steakhouse with
the Andiamo quality and upscale look that
seems to set Joe's places apart from others
... Prices have been lowered in accordance
with his customer-conscious reasoning,
and total renovation was done, including
elegant stone ledge walls in both dining
rooms of 200 seating ... A bar-lounge
holds another 50 and 75 seats are on an
outdoor patio.
A musical combo is at Mesquite Creek
on Thursday through Saturday, with Tony
vocalizing with the group on Friday and
Saturday ... His dad, Jerry Vitale, and
Uncle Tom Vitale, are partners with Joe in
Mesquite Creek, open seven days, Monday-
Thursday, 11-10; Friday and Saturday, 11-
11: Sunday, noon-9.
Plus his noted high-dining winner
favorites, of which there are many, Chef

Heinz Menguser's Eggplant
Parmigiano is well known,
made with his own special
spices that seems to give it a
distinctively different taste
... On the menu is a favorite
at Mesquite Creek, fajitas of
beef, chicken or mushroom,
and his combination of
two, at $15.95 is No. lseller
at Mesquite Creek ... Also
on the heavily wanted list
are Chef Heinz's steaks and
chops, always raved about
with the precise preparations of top qual-
ity meats, the latter a noted trademark
of his, served by excellent waitpersons
like Karen Kim, whose 14 years at the
locale includes Mesquite Creek restau-
rants before and after being bought by
Andiamo Restaurant Group.
Going big, too, are the early dinner
promotion selections of smaller por-
tions Monday-Thursday, 3-5:30 p.m. (no
coupons or discounts) ... Like the eight-
ounce slow-roasted prime rib au jus with
mashed potatoes and vegetable, $12.95.
On the regular menu, full size prime
rib is $24.95; Petite sirloin, $16.95; sirloin,
$20.95, all served with salad, vegetable
and potato ... Marinated mushroom steak
is grilled and topped with sauteed onions,
mushrooms and melted Monterrey Jack
cheese, $17.95.
Add Mesquite Creek to Joe Vicari's list of
winning Andiamo restaurants.
IT KEEPS WITH his crusade for better
health as Ron Asmar donates all the need-
ed space and food for the four-session
Cancer Project classes at his Vineyards,
Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills
... Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24 and 31,10
a.m.-noon ... The four-time program for

$80 will be conducted by localite cancer
survivor Judy Nolich, Cancer Project Food
For Life nutrition and cooking instructor
... Judy's classes at Vineyards will show
how certain foods and nutrients work to
promote or discourage cancer growth ...
14 simple and healthy recipes will be dem-
onstrated and sampled for easy creation
at home ... The Cancer Project, based in
Washington, D.C. (www.cancerproject.
org ), advances cancer prevention and
survival through nutrition education and
research ... For more info and to sign up
for the class, contact Ron at (248) 855-
9463, or Judy at (248) 541 1911.
IT'S NOT STRANGE that so many
times when customers order the secret
recipe house-made Russian strudel at
Siegel's Deli, 15 Mile, west of Haggerty
Commerce Township, they don't get the
excellent delight ... The strudel sells out
almost every evening ... Now many are
calling and asking Siegel's owner Boris
Israilov to save them a piece of the won-
derful blueberry, apple or cherry strudel
made by his wife, Angela ... Some even
drive over to tell Boris and Angela that
they are coming that evening and to put
away one or two or three, etc. pieces for
them ... Before ordering dinner there„
tell your server to save some strudel... It's
that good.
MAKING ROUNDS ... To Sea Grille,
Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, for
stuffed whitefish.
CONGRATS ... To Harland "Sonny"
Fine on his 80th birthday ... To Nathan
and Ethel Fine on their 55th anniversary
... To Dr. Abe and Sylvia Pearlman on
thier 70th anniversary. ❑

-

Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.

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