Arts & Entertainment THE BEST OF EVERYTHING A Gem Of A Restaurateur Diamond Jim Brady's chef/owner seeks to keep staff intact for new location. p OTPOURRI Restaurant owners who have great concern for their employees enjoy a wonderful trait that rubs off onto its customers as well ... The guests take it personally that the owner also looks out for their satisfaction, too. This is why someone like Mary Brady, a certified chef and the owner of Diamond Jim Brady's Bistro in Novi is so highly respected along with her excellent cook- ing ... When it closes on Sept. 30, a week after Mary and Diamond Jim's celebrate its 19th anniversary at the Novi Town Center site now slated to become a Super Walmart, all the food stock from its freezers, etc., will be donated to Oak Park-based Forgotten Harvest, a food-providing charity ... But the big thing for Mary will be to have her employees back with her ... She has been working on obtaining a new location to get up and ready by 2011 ... Chef/Owner Mary is very caring about her staff of employees and wants them with her as soon as possible when she open again. Thankfully, this is not the end of a fine tradition ... Good news is that the Diamond Jim Brady name will continue ... The first incarnation of it was back in 1954 when the late Jim Brady opened the original Diamond Jim Brady's on Seven Mile Road in Detroit ... Since then, loca- tions were at the Prudential Town Center in Southfield and Novi Town Center in 1991. WHEN AN ETHNIC restau- rant receives accolades from a leading publication of its own culture, the tributes are of much greater significance. Going unnoticed is that by the Chinese Restaurant News in its naming of the 100 Top Chinese restaurants in the United States. Shangri-La of West Bloomfield in the Orchard Mall, Orchard Lake Road and 15 Mile, was one of the prestigious 100 selected for 2009, and is nominated again for 2010. Quite an honor for Cholada Chan, owner of the Shangri-La Chinese restau- rant group. According to a survey by Nation's Restaurant News, "Chinese, Italian and Mexican food have become the three most popular Mary Brady ethnic foods that are con- sumed daily by mainstream America. VERY SLOW in coming but hopes are still high that new enterprises at the for- mer Ford Wixom plant across from Moe's on Wixom Family Dining will become a reality ... Moe Leon, owner of Moe's on Wixom and Moe's on Ten Family Dining, Novi, has his fingers crossed for Xtreme Primer of Austin, Texas (storage batteries) and Clairvoyant Energies of California (solar panels), who are slated to take it over. MAIL DEPT. ... "Many years ago when we lived on Woodingham in Detroit, our family returned weekly to a Chinese restaurant on Dexter near the car wash. They made the best breaded veal cutlet covered with tomato sauce. I followed my treasured veal cutlets for 40 years through Hoa Kow in Oak Park and West Bloomfield and Hoa Hoa in Novi, but they are all now gone. I turn to you and your readers. Can we find a true breaded veal cutlet with tomato sauce again?" ... Myron Bordman. [The Chinese restaurant referred to was on Dexter and Elmhurst, called King Fong's owned by Tung S. Woo and Eugene Foo, both of whom went on to each own his own Chinese restaurant. The veal cutlet with tomato sauce was served until recently at Golden Phoenix on Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, but, accord- ing to Shaw Ng, co-owner with wife, Helen, it was discontinued because of not enough demand."] IF ASKING FOR Alex Clayton to serve you at Deli Unique, West Bloomfield Plaza, Orchard Lake Road, don't look for a young man ... Alex is a girl, and that's her full name, not short for Alexandria, Alexis, etc. SINCE HOLLYWOOD began coming to Michigan on a regular basis around two years ago, Elliot "Cappuccino Man" Lewkow has been kept quite busy ... Elliot and employees worked on the sets of the movies Gifted Hands with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Whip It starring Drew Barrymore and others ... Elliot received a phone call from the producer of the Detroit 1-8-7 pilot slated for showing Sept. 21 on ABC-TV, 10 p.m. ... His cast and crew were working through the night and Producer Stephen Craig wanted to treat them to Cappuccino Man's espresso and fruit smoothie drinks ... His helpers, 23-year-old son Jacob Lewkow and Taylor Cranmer served 130 on the Highland Park set in the morning hours from 1-3 a.m. ... Detroit 1-8-7 will be filmed for quite a while since only three episodes have been shot. Elliot and his Cappuccino Man cart is on call 24 hours and 7 days a week to the film industry here ... While the produc- tion crew is filming, no one can make a sound until they hear the word "Cut!" ... Elliot can't even steam his milk until then ... In the past two years, Elliot has pro- vided service 25 times to the film folks. REMEMBERING WHEN ... 'As a pre- teen singer, I remember when it was my turn to sing for the guests at Jewish wed- dings and other simchahs with Sammy Woolf's all-Jewish band. Sammy would look at me, smile and announce into the mike, 'Now, direct from Durfee Junior High, we bring you Ms. Sherry Kaye." ... Sherry Kaye. [Sherry went on to sing with Sammy Kaye and other noted orchestras.] CONGRATS ... To Dr. Burt Fogelman on his 65th birthday ... To Hannah Raskin on her 21st birthday ... To Simon Tabachnik on his 90th birthday. 'LI Danny's e-mail address is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net. 20% OFF CATERING IF YOU BOOK BY OCTOBER 15TH AT: 54 COACH INSIGNIA CROWNE PLAZA JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER Samantha Sher (313) 567-2622 SHIRAZ Kathy Charnley (248) 348-5000 ext. 624 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 September 16 • 2010 jiN