Arts & Entertainment
EVERY HI
A Mosaic Of Flavors
Greektown restaurant borrows tastes of many cultures.
F
ollowing in the footsteps of par-
ents who are, or have been, in the
restaurant business isn't easy ...
Especially when the parent is, or was, a
prominent success.
Many are the times offspring have
appealed to their parents for guidance
when the going gets rough, desperately
seeking their help.
Mosaic Restaurant on the corner of
Beaubian and Monroe in Greektown,
Detroit, is among those where a parent
is on hand to
assist, but is
never needed
... Jim Papas,
former co-
founder of
Greektown
Casino and
present owner
Twin-sister
of Pegasus
restaurateurs Athina
Taverna in
and Stella Papas
Greektown, is
lucky ... His
daughters, Athina and Stella, have proven
that pop isn't needed to help run the res-
taurant.
Many of the menu items prepared by
Chef Tim Voss and his staff are unlike
those that may be seen elsewhere ... As
example, the Mosaic Steak Gratinee is
the usual New York strip steak, but the
one at Mosaic is with Asiago cheese and
pesto crust on top ... The Kasu Chilean
sea bass, another favorite found on other
menus, is in a sake marinade over a
coconut rice cake topped with beurre
blanc ... Even the appetizers are unique
... Popular Saganaki (flaming cheese)
has a companion ... mushrooms stuffed
with crab meat and topped with melted
smoked gouda cheese ... A
briefly a furniture store, is not
favorite is Mosaic's Pistachio
recognizable because of being
Goat Cheese Salad with field
completely gutted and rebuilt
greens, Mandarin oranges,
from scratch.
dried cherries, red onions,
From the kitchen put togeth-
toasted almonds and cherry
er five years ago, service has
vinaigrette, topped with goat
been to almost 60,000 pounds
cheese encrusted in pistachios
of lamb chops, about 22,000
and flash-fried.
pounds of chicken, almost
Also from Chef Voss's
28,000 pounds of sea bass,
Danny Raskin
kitchen comes the big seller
more than 16,000 pounds of
Senior Columnist lobster, around 150,000 pounds
Chicken Paillard, breast with
fresh Mozzarella, artichoke,
of tenderloin (filet), about
baby arugula and onion salad,
55,000 pounds of New York
roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette strip steak, etc.
... The chicken is wrapped around the
Mosaic is open six days, Monday-
salad, creating a sort of cornucopia and
Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday, 11
then drizzled with reduced balsamic glaze. a.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. ...
Mosaic's bestseller is a tie between the
Entertainment is in the lounge every
lamb chops and its grilled 8-ounce filet
Saturday evening until 2 a.m., and a Greek
with Gorgonzola cheese, caramelized shal- Night is usually the last Saturday of each
lots and mushrooms.
month ... It is a fun night with Greek
You might call Mosaic a combination
music mixed in with the usual top 40 hits
of many countries with specialties that
and dance music ... Also, there are times
include Vietnamese, sushi, Lebanese, Greek when belly dancers are included in the
and Cuban, although the dining overtones
entertainment.
of Greek influence have a slight edge.
As Mosaic celebrates its fifth anniversary,
One of the servers, Robert Meltzer, has
Athina and Stella can look back and ahead
been at Mosaic since its opening six years
while pridefully saying that they did it on
ago, and is well known from Sweet Georgia
their own.
Brown, Larco's in West Bloomfield and
STRUDEL GOES SO fast at Siegel's
Larco's Carry Out in Southfield ... He is the
Deli, 15 Mile west of Haggerty, Commerce
son of Linda Shewath and Michael Meltzer,
Township, always selling out, that many
a prominent name in the dining field ...
folks are taking guesses which sells out first
His grandfather was Frank Meltzer, delica-
... Blueberry, apple or cherry ... Siegel's
tessen manager at Darbys.
owners, Boris and Angela Izrailov might
Chef Tim Voss formerly headed the
look into some sort of prize for folks guess-
kitchens at Tribute, Forte and Fiddleheads,
ing correctly.
and is considered among the finer chefs in
TRUE TO HIS word, health-conscious
this area.
Ron Asmar answers many request at
Mosaic's building, the former Music
his Vineyards, Northwestern between
Menu Bar and Simeon Bakery, which was
Middlebelt and 14 Mile, Farmington Hills,
with the menus asked for ... Separately
printed and listing vegan, gluten-free and
vegan salads, soups and entrees.
QUESTION &ANSWER DEPT.... "Do
you remember a restaurant that had song
sheets all over the restaurant walls? And
who was the entertainer that owned it?" ...
Jerry Genserg.
[I believe that it was the Old Mill on
Dixie Highway in Waterford, with six dining
areas each with Tin Pan Alley names ... Its
owner was John Laffrey, a very good restau-
rant man, but not in entertainer.]
MAKING ROUNDS ... NNN
IF YOU'RE IN New York on Saturday,
Aug. 7, don't miss seeing and hearing won-
derful Jo Thompson, who still calls Detroit
home along with New York, vocalizing and
tickling the piano keys backed by the J.C.
Heard orchestra led by Walter Szymanski
... She'll be appearing at 7 p.m. at the
Metropolitan Room on W. 22nd St. ...
Legendary Jo is fondly remembered here
from places like Scotch 'n Sirloin, Detroit,
Jakk's Lounge, Oak Park, etc., and will sing
a Lena Home salute, "Thank You Lena','
conceived by her manager son, journalist
Greg Dunmore, as a tribute to the late Lena,
who appeared with Jo years back at Jack
Goldman's Clover Club in Miami ... The
same date, Aug. 7, will be the release of her
latest CD, Jo Thompson, Forever Fabulous!!!"
CONGRATS ... To Marilyn Bruseloff
on her birthday ... To Suela Shkambi on
her 31st birthday ... To Dolores Block on
her 80th birthday ... To Estelle Seltzer
on her 80th birthday ... To Maury and
Dolores Block on their 60th anniversary ...
To Howard and Anita Triest on their 60th
anniversary
❑
Danny's e-mail is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .
20% OFF CATERING IF YOU BOOK BY AUGUST 31ST AT:
46
COACH INSIGNIA
CROWNE PLAZA
Samantha Sher
(313) 567-2622
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
Kathy Charnley
(248) 348-5000 ext. 624
SHIRAZ
RADISSON
Lizz Smith
(248) 646-0370 ext. 402
Samantha McCrossin
(248) 646-0370 ext. 218
Florina Boyle or Donna Rosen
(248) 644-1400 ext. 534
August 5 2010