Arts & Fnterta

•

ment

THE BEST OF EVER THING

Clever Taste Twists

"Out of this world" concoctions dreamt up by Berkley Bistro chef.

H

e calls the food prepared by him
owned unique restaurants.
"Twisted New American" ...
Another of his creations is the
And it has stuck with big results
JR's Flying Saucer, named after
as Executive Chef Tom Keshishian takes
Berkley Bistro General Manager
classical dishes and morphs them into
Jeff Rose, who answers to "JR"
higher levels of taste, design and creative
and is also a flight instructor...
presentation.
Tom takes a 6-inch potato lake,
This is the reputation being garnered
tops it with Swiss cheese, then
by Chef Tom at Berkley Bistro and Cafe,
smothers it in grilled sauer-
Coolidge north of 11 Mile, Berkley, where
kraut, onions and corned beef
he presents examples that make this res-
and a couple of over-easy eggs.
taurant somewhat different and unique ...
Going over big, too, is the tila-
High among things that many people look
pia encrusted with sour cream
for when seeking destination dining.
and onion potato chips before being oven-
Numerous dishes prepared by Chef
roasted ($15.95) ... Also Tom's big-selling
Tom have their own characteristics in the
slow-roasted pot roast, $14.95 ... and the
blending of flavors that is so well-received
Bistro Steak not seen at other restaurants,
at this restaurant ... Many of the names
$15.95 ... All dinner items, by the way,
on Berkley Bistro's menu
also include salad, potato
are familiar and found at
and vegetable.
other eateries ... But cer-
The kitchen is almost
tainly not the taste, which
as large as the restau-
Tom derives from his varied
rant itself and kept in
combining and mixing.
sanitary goodness to go
An example of his cre-
along with the clean din-
ative presentations is Tom's
ing areas.
interpretation of the Big
Seating is for about 63
Cheese, baked penne pasta
in the dining room and
with Alfredo sauce, cut into
another 30 on the weath-
large wedges and served in
er-permitting patio ...
a pool of his own tomato
Berkley Bistro and Cafe's
Berkley Bistro 7-day-a-
bisque ... Or Tom's Oak
top chef Tom Keshishian
week hours are Monday-
Park Spring Roll made with
Friday, 7-10; Saturday,
Vietnamese wrappers and
9-10; Sunday, 8-3.
filled with sauteed Sy Ginsberg corned
Among the seven salads is an original
beef, onions, potatoes and sauerkraut plus rendition of J.L. Hudson's noted Maurice
his own Asian dipping sauce ... No other
Salad it featured in the glory days ... And
restaurant has these dishes, and the Big
among the breakfasts, is one that pianist
Cheese was recently made by Chef Tom on David Syme might be eating in Ireland, the
TV Channel 2 ... He is also host of cable
Irish Bene with roasted redskin potatoes
TV's Dining In the D that features locally-
O'Brien topped with cheddar cheese, two

• •

customers, so diners were almost duped
out of some bucks when the fake said he
was chairing a mythical charity ... Until
owner Jack Goldberg, Steve's late father,
came over and introduced him to a friend
of Jack's ... the real Chill Wills.
WITH OAKLAND HILLS Country Club
again the site of the 2011 Hank Greenberg
Memorial Golf Invitational, June 6, Elliot
Chassin tells how it played a role in nam-
ing the restaurant where he is an eight-
year veteran server ... Back in 1976, says
Elliot, when Richard and Joan Bochenek
bought a former Howard Johnson's, they
named their dining spot after one of it's
great champions, Ben Hogan because of
Oakland Hills being across the street ...
Hogan's restaurant, Telegraph and Maple,
Bloomfield Township, is now owned by
Rick Bochenek, the late couple's son ... The
only claim to links knowledge by Elliot,
grandson of the late Jewish News courier
Burt Chassin, is playing on miniature golf
courses, he says.
REUNION DEPT. ... 50th by Mumford
High 1961 class, is Saturday, Aug. 27, at
Somerset Inn, Troy ... For more info, call
Carol Ross Plotnik, (248) 355-4875, or to
register, e-mail her at calliep24@gmail.com .
DATE OF THE 2011 Walk of Ages at
West Bloomfield's Jewish Community
Center has been set for Grandparents Day,
Sept. 11.
CONGRATS ... To Fred Swartz on his
85th birthday ... To Tamara Friedman on
her birthday ... (Birthday congrats recipients
must be 13 years or older and just like anni-
versaries, cannot be taken by phone).

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet

HAPPY HOUR

AN EVENING OF COMEDY

MONDAY-FRIDAY 3-7 P.M.
$5 SIGNATURE MARTINIS
$5 SIGNATURE WINES
$5 SIGNATURE APPETIZERS

COMEDIM,

BAR ONLY

,

16Diamo

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP

34

fried eggs and Tom's sausage
gravy ... Even Ron Forman's
notable sandwich, the 171/2
Ron used to serve when he
had Oak Park Bread Basket,
stacked high with corned
beef, Swiss cheese, Russian
dressing, coleslaw and rye.
Berkley Bistro and Cafe
is the small, up-style kind
of restaurant that so many
people have been searching
for ... Items with intonations
of upscale dining but at affordable prices
... This plus the presence of a top-drawer
executive chef like Tom Keshishian with
his amazing cooking innovations makes
for a winning destination restaurant of
distinction.
MAIL DEPT.... "Although I thoroughly
enjoy dining out gourmet-style, I cannot
tell you how much I hate my own cook-
ing. My mother used to make a beautiful
Shabbos dinner, put it on the table for my
father and husband, then she and I would
go to Stouffer's for dinner. After the kids
were born, we joined the Standard Club
for all of us to have our own choices. My
mother and I didn't eat our own cooking.
My father would not eat cheese or mush-
rooms. My husband does not eat cheese,
mushrooms or peppers. My son eats steak
and my daughter is a vegetarian. You try
cooking for that crowd!" ... Dr. Susan
Harold.
I REMEMBER DEPT.... When a cus-
tomer came into Stage Deli on Nine Mile
in Oak Park and was a dead ringer for
character actor Chill Wills (Giant, etc.) ...
Stage Deli was then noted for its promi-
nence in having showbiz entertainers as

February 17 • 2011

"FAT RAT BASTARD"

JEFF PIRRAMI

FEATURED ON: HBO ! SHOWTIME
COMEDY CENTRAL LAS VEGAS

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6676 TELEGRAPH RD
BLOOMFIELD TWP., MI
248-865-9300

FOR TICKETS OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
CALL 248-865-9300
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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011

DOORS OPEN: 7:30PM
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6676 TELEGRAPH RD
BLOOMFIELD TWP., MI
248-865-9300

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