COMMU-N ITY

PANDORA'"

UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS

FOODIE

Soup's On, Let's Eat!

By Adam Helfman

iven my food addiction, I never thought
soup could be a meal. Yet, now that it's
cold outside, why couldn't it be? So,
where can you get a good bowl of soup
around town?
If hardy is on your palate's to-do list, then
a drive to The Lodge in Keego Harbor is
required. They have this amazing Turkey
Chili that's heavenly, with fixings-a-plenty
to load it up; I go for the onions, cheese and
sour cream trifecta! Treat yourself right and
request they bake the cheese over the chili.
Also, kids eat free on Sundays!
I recently visited the simply named
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup in
Farmington Hills and enjoyed its signature
items. I'm now convinced that tomato soup
is made for dipping; the mark of a well-
made grilled cheese sandwich is when your
fingertips get that little greasy shine.
As my soup adventure thickens, let's
enter the realm of a tried-and-true standard:
chicken dumpling soup. It's a staple of mine
but not so easy to find made well — until I
mined a vein of creamy gold at Hellenic Co-
ney Island. (And their new location on Ever-
green Road at 1-696 in Southfield makes the
enjoyment of eating in-house finally match
the quality of the food.) Side note: Don't for-
get to order their homemade French fries,
well done, to dip into your soup!
Question: Can chain restaurants have
good soup? While I tend to shy away from
most chains, I make exceptions in the next
two cases because each is a Michigan-origi-
nated company.
The first place, with which I was rather
impressed, was Zoup! Because I was hungry,

G

and it was pretty cold out, I decided on
something hearty and ordered the Mexican
chicken soup. It's a tomato- and chicken
stock-base with jalapenos, green peppers,
whole kernel corn, rice, black beans, green
chilies, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, lime
zest, cumin and fresh cilantro. Mmmmm
mmmmm good! (Sorry, Campbell's!)
Another local chain that gets a waiver
from me is Olga's Kitchen. Their Peasant
Soup of mixed vegetables, ground beef and
lamb in a thick tomato broth is a certified
rib-sticking meal. Of course, you can't eat it
without a basket of Snackers!
Follow my food adventures on Facebook
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Stay warm, Detroit. RT

t.teze‘-;

HELFY'S RECAP:

The Lodge Grill & Bar, 2812 Orchard
Lake Road, Keego Harbor; (248) 683-
5458.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup,
32407 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington
Hills; (248) 626-6767.
Hellenic Coney Island, 27150 Evergreen
Road, Lathrup Village; (248) 352-2546.
Zoup!, various locations; zoup.com .
Olga's Kitchen, many locations; olgas.
com .

FIVE THINGS YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE THIS MONTH

EMERY'S

Creative Jewelers

30975 ORCHARD LAKE RD
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334

U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,507 •

• All rights reserved • PANDORA NET

Indoor Swimming, Outdoor Ice Sculptures
Going to the Dogs and More •••

INDOOR WATERPARK

With 6,500 square feet of watery thrills, Livonia's Parks and Rec Leisure Pool is perfect
for an after-school or weekend treat (it's open until 9:30 p.m. on weeknights, 7:30 p.m. on
Saturdays and 4:30 p.m. on Sundays). Plunge down a 250-foot water slide (the third largest
in Michigan), meander around the lazy river in an inner tube and delight the little kinders in
the zero-depth entrance water playground with sprays and geysers. Call before heading out
since times are subject to change. Non-Residents' Day Pass: $8 for children under age 12;
$11 for ages 13-18; $14 for ages 19 and up.
15100 Hubbard, Livonia. (734) 466-2900; ci.livonia.mi.us .

PLYMOUTH ICE FESTIVAL

Pony rides, a petting farm, a scavenger hunt, yummy winter treats (think hot chocolate,
elephant ears and caramel cider), a warming tent and, of course, world-class live ice carving
— all for free! The Plymouth Ice Festival, the oldest and largest ice-carving event in North
America, is celebrating 28 years of frozen, family-friendly fun Friday, Jan. 21-Sunday, Jan.
23. Stroll through downtown Plymouth to view more than 100 breathtaking ice sculptures
scattered throughout Kellogg Park.
Kellogg Park, across from the Penn Theatre, 760 Penniman Avenue. (248) 960-0700;
plymouthicefestival.org.

MICHIGAN WINTER DOG CLASSIC

More than 6,000 dogs and 160 breeds of man's best friend will be strutting their doggy
stuff 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 20-23, for "Best in Show"at the Michigan Winter
Dog Classic at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. Must-sees include the Rock-n-Roll Dog
Shows, Police K9 Demonstrations, the Border Collie Duck Herding Demos and an all-new
puppy competition. Tickets prices: family plan, $35 (includes 2 adults and 3 kids); adults,
$10; kids (7-12)/seniors, $8; 6 and under, free.
Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River, Novi. themichiganwinterdogclassic.com.

PUPPET ART
Since the premiere of its 1994 Purim Shpiel at the Oak Park JCC, PuppetART has not only
changed its name from American Russian Theater to Detroit Puppet Theater (which we
think was a good choice) but has received accolades and awards aplenty. Now appropri-
ately located in Detroit's Theater District, this group of puppeteers and artists feature hand,
rod, shadow, floor, tabletop and string or marionette puppets, as well as studio workshops.
This month, the puppeteers present Firebird, a Russian folktale of love, heroism, drag-
ons and Baba Yaga, the Russian witch. The lush, elaborate production, set to Stravinksy's
Firebird, is sure to enchant. 2 p.m. Saturdays: Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29. Performances are $5 for
children; $10 for adults. Workshops are $8 per project.
25 East Grand River, one-half block east of Woodward. (313) 961-7777; puppetart.org .

SUNOAYS THE

CENTtiti
She's crafty! So get her to the BBAC, where she (and, of course, her brothers) can create a
special age-appropriate work of art — plus view exhibits, demonstrations and enter-
tainment — on Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center's Sundays @ the
Center. All workshops are "drop-in" to accommodate busy schedules; just show up any time
between 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. for plenty of time to finish before the BBAC closes at 4 p.m. $5
per person; free for children under 4.
1516 S. Cranbrook Road, Birmingham. (248) 644-0866; bbarcenter.org .

*Percentages off original prices.
Indicated floor samples only. No adjustments to prior purchases.

By Appointment • 248.723.4300
708/722 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI • romasposa.com

— By Lynne Konstantin

www.redthreadmagazine.com

RED THREAD I January 2011 11