Arts & Entertai ment
THE BE ST OF EVERY
Signature Sauces
Creative chef at the Lakes Bar & Grille in Commerce stirs up his own innovations.
C
ooking passion is an expression
sauteed in a lemon butter that
smile of dining satisfaction on
used by numerous youthful chefs, has become one of the Lakes'
faces of their customers.
but not many hold it with efforts
bestsellers, etc.
READER MINI CRITIQUE
that extend into their kitchen presenta-
About Chef Michael's sauces,
... "For my sister Ruby's ninth
tions.
he favors creating his own for
birthday, my family went to the
When one appears on the dining scene,
their freshness and taste that
Melting Pot in Troy, where a
especially at a neighborhood restaurant,
Michael feels make so much
welcoming, outside atmosphere
the striking revelation of his or her being
difference in the goodness
is created by year-round twin-
there is with high welcome.
of his kitchen presentations
kling lights in the bushes. The
This is what so many people are finding
... One of the dinner entrees,
inside is very modern and chic
Danny Raskin
out after visiting the Lakes Bar & Grille
Blackberry Chicken, chicken
and you are able to see inside
Senior Columnist the wine room with its fun-
on Union Lake Road, north of Commerce
sauteed with blackberry sauce,
Road, Commerce Township.
saturated with blackberry
looking three-feet tall bottles of
Yet, if you asked Chef Michael Mason
brandy and flamed ($13.95),
champagne.
what he likes to make, he might tell you
has met with great response.
"We were promptly seated and quickly
hamburgers — with the present usual
The bevy of first-rate food from a small
given drinks and menus. The first course
burger craze being like a challenge to
kitchen only about 500 square feet is more was cheese fondue for which we ordered
him ... One of his burger specialties for
proof that a good chef doesn't necessarily
a rich original Swiss cheese fondue and
example (not on the menu), is stuffed with need added elbow room in which to zest-
a strong, spicy 'fiesta" fondue with a tasty
cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions
fully ply his trade.
blend of Mexican cheeses and fresh jala-
and his own steak sauce.
Seating at the Lakes is around 92 at
penos. I loved dipping fresh green apples
But the former Cordon Bleu student at
seven-day-a-week hours ... Monday, 4-11; in the cheese.
Western University Culinary Institute in
Tuesday, 11:30-10; Wednesday through
"Next came a perfectly dressed salad
Portland, Ore., and
Sunday, 11:30-11
course, and I must say that the Melting
onetime student of
... Dining specials
Pot's Caesar dressing is among the better
Certified Master Chef
include at least two
dressings that I have tasted.
Kevin Gronkowski at
daily, wood-grilled
"Next came the main course, scallops
Schoolcraft College
swordfish in a lemon
and shrimp with vegetables and six sauces
has an even greater
ginger marinade,
in a tangy, citrus mojo bouillon fondue.
passion for mak-
numerous crusted
My favorite part of this course was putting
ing items that have
tilapia dishes, etc.
Green Goddess dressing in mushroom
become huge favor-
An ever-growing
caps, then leaving them in the pot for sev-
ites of the Lakes'
respect has been
eral minutes to make stuffed mushrooms.
Lakes Bar & Grille's chef Michael
customers.
quickly
garnered
by
"Saving the best for last, we indulged
Mason and owner Henry "Hank" Locks
As examples, din-
the Lakes Bar & Grille, in chocolate fondue. Of course, we had to
ner entrees like the
whose chef and own-
order two. We had a white chocolate creme
lamb chops special stuffed with roasted
ers take much pride in their operation ...
brulee fondue and a turtle fondue. Each
garlic and tomato with his own sauce,
This accompanied by good taste, good ser-
dish comes with a heaping plate of cheese-
which he prefers using ($22.95), or his
vice and reasonable prices make for a res-
cake, brownies, strawberries, bananas,
version of Surf and Turf not found at
taurant's total package of joyful acceptance. pound cake and Rice Krispies treats. I left
other restaurants, steak bits and macaroni
The former Commerce Grille was taken
the restaurant too full to move, yet still
topped with a 2-ounce lobster tail ($14.95) over this past August by Henry "Hank"
savoring the last taste" ... Emma Kellman
... Accolades are huge for Michael's perch
and Irene Lock, whose own passion is the
[Emma is 12 years old, in the seventh
ANDIAMO NOVI THEATRE
JANUARY 26-30
"It's far and away the best
mentalist show I've ever seen."
°Ross Wetzsteon, Village Voice
''42705 Grand River Ave.
Novi, MI 48375 1 248.348.4448
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114
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,
NOVI THEATRE
January 20 2011
andiamo
Iheatre.com
"NOT TO BE MISSED"
-ABC News
grade at Orchard Lake Middle School in
West Bloomfield ... She and Ruby are the
daughters of Beth and Edward Kellman]
IN RECESSION YEARS, the wafer-
thin profit margins that nourished many
Detroit area restaurants during good
times is squeezed even thinner ... What
has saved restaurateurs in previous poor
periods is that dining out has come a long
way from being a luxury ... Since the days
when only one-third of the consumer's
food dollar was spent on meals away from
home, restaurants have claimed a good
share of these expenditures ... Dining out
has become a way of life ... Bear with the
restaurants of today who are making every
attempt to hold their own ... Better times
will surely come ... They always do.
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. ...
"I am told that another Darbys is think-
ing of opening again? How many Darbys
restaurants were there? ... Shirlee Klavens
Pomerantz
[I don't know of another opening. Only
other one that I can think of opened back
in 1978 on Pontiac Trail in Walled Lake but
wasn't the same kind of Darbys that burned
down in 1968. Also it had an apostrophe
between the y and s, such as Darby's.]
CONGRATS ... To Goldie Pritz
Fogelman on her 90th birthday ... To
Fonda Schwartz on her birthday ... To
Seymour Rosen on his 81st birthday ...
To Daniel "Danny" and Yetta Weintraub
on their 57th anniversary ... To Edward
"Eddie" and Susan "Suzie" Radner on their
52nd anniversary ... To Marvin and Hilda
Shlain on their 66th anniversary ...To
Avery and Marilyn Warnick on their 54th
anniversary.
Danny's e-mail address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.