arts & entertainment >> the best of everything
Decisions! Decisions!
Large new menu at RJ's American Grille boasts a bevy of affordable choices.
T
hose who said it would never
ner entrees like chicken marsala,
make it as a sports bar were right
$13.99; blackened tilapia, $15.99;
... Because it wasn't one in the
smoked and grilled baby back
first place.
ribs; grilled, broiled or blackened
What opened wrongly referred to as
fresh center-cut salmon; sea-
"just another sports bar" is now celebrat-
food, salads, soups, etc. ... Also
ing its first anniversary after turning
parmesan-encrusted chicken,
around that wrong thought.
$12.99; pasta choices; prime-cut
RJ's American Grille on Northwestern,
sirloin marsala, $22.99; choice
south of 14 Mile, Farmington Hills, makes
ribeye, $21.99; etc.
big impressions with its reasonable prices,
And folks won't find too many
high quality food (salmon is always fresh,
better blue mussels in a luscious,
never frozen, no preservatives or chemicals)
lemon garlic butter chardonnay
and lager-than-normal portions in becom-
broth, served with ciabatta toast for dunk-
ing better known as a fine family restaurant. ing ... Or delicious items like the excellent
RJ's highly diversified selections include
Panco Parmesan encrusted jumbo shrimp
numerous food features seldom seen, plus a appetizer in a delicious, lemon chardon-
children's menu ... Drinks, too, like Brown
nay sauce, $10.99; complete entree (7 huge
Cow (root beer and ice
shrimp), $17.99; Vienna
cream), Boston Cooler
hot dogs (7 styles) with
(Vernor's ginger ale and ice
great-tasting fries, $4.99 and
cream), malted milks, milk
$5.99, etc., in an impressive
shakes, Coke float (Coca
new menu that features a
Cola and ice cream) etc.
bevy of good things to eat at
Named after co-owner
affordable prices.
Vince Asmar's 3-year-old
Hamburgers take a
son Robert Joseph, RJ's
prominent role with more
even has its own certi-
than 20 variations, includ-
fied executive pastry chef, Vince Asmar and his
ing low calorie Piedmontese
Jamie Asmar, daughter of
3-year-old son Robert
beef, moist turkeyburger, etc.
developer Robert Asmar,
Joseph — or "RJ"
... The all-around family
and sister of Vince.
dining operation presents
A much-improved kitchen, headed by
one of the best burger selections available
diligent, hard-working and innovative
anywhere, plus 12 gourmet and make-your-
Executive Chef Will Jacobs, includes cook-
own pizzas.
ing stylist Will Ballard, Pizza Manager
RJ's interior walls are filled with framed
and Assistant Manager Chris Andish
pictures of sports and show business
making and supervising preparation of
figures plus artifacts and HD television
the round or square, regular or wheat or
screens.
thin-crust gourmet pies, toque-wearing
A slow start of only about 700 custom-
do-everything Chef Giuseppe Barilla, etc.
ers the first seven days has, a year later,
... Assistant Manager Gus Bernhard is a
grown to more than 5,500 a week ... and
customer-satisfying dining room favorite.
over 285,000 in the year, serving more
A co-owner like Vince in the open
than 25,000 lbs. of hamburgers, around
kitchen wearing rubber gloves and cook-
75,000 lbs. of regular fries, about 50,000
ing with his rubber-gloved help make for
lbs. of sweet potato fries, over 3,500 gal-
another story.
lons of soup, almost 45,000 pounds of
RJ's draws raves on large-portion din-
fish and seafood, over 45,000 lbs. of beef,
V, PICNICS GRADUATION PARTIES,
almost 4,000 pounds of pep-
peroni ... plus 1,000 lbs. of
cheese and 50 pounds of sau-
sage monthly.
Dishes not on the menu
made by Chef Will and his
kitchen staff include slivered
almond tilapia, Mongolian
Zip (Mongolian beef sau-
teed with scallions and red
peppers), Curried Broiled
Whitefish over sauteed spin-
ach and artichokes, excellent
broiled lake trout, etc. ... No other restau-
rant serves blackened tilapia or sweet chili
shrimp.
Also not on the menu is the 14-ounce
excellent Prime Rib, made from U.S.D.A.
Choice Angus meat, $18.95 ... and Prime
Rib Burger, bits chopped from the same
Angus prime rib, $8.95 with fries.
Seven-day hours of R.J.'s American Grille,
are Sunday-Thursday, 11-11; Friday and
Saturday, 11-12 midnight
Seating is 220 in three areas, plus a
lounge with 12 stools at an oak bar serv-
ing choice and rare liquors, fine wines and
world-class beers at this and 18 round
tops and four booths ... Also a beauti-
ful outdoor patio with 40 seats under red
umbrellas.
Success in the restaurant business doesn't
arrive easily ... RJ's made sure that the
usual new restaurant problems were com-
pletely eliminated and greatly improved ...
Certainly most important in the success of
any dining venture.
RJ's American Grille has come a long way
in a short time ... Its very good new menu
of oversized food portions, fair prices and
efficient waitpersons are esteemed assets
... What started out a year ago as just
another eating place, has become one of the
area's better informal neighborhood family
destination restaurants ... All-important
dollar values received for delicious quality
meals is most prevalent at a true "sleeper"
operation that is very much awake.
liBQ's1
THINGS PEOPLE TALK About
... The salmon croquettes and sweet
potato muffins at Beans & Cornbread
on Northwestern, Southfield ... Chick 'n
Ribs open again by original owner Miles
Mitick, formerly on Woodward, Royal Oak,
and now in the Orchard-12 Center on 12
Mile and Orchard Lake Road, Farmington
Hills.
IT WAS AN EVENING of fun at the
former London Chop House, Detroit, that
turned her life around.
She and a date had gone to the world-
noted restaurant and watering hole, not
knowing that fate would also be there.
Her date had gotten a bit inebriated
and couldn't drive her home, so destiny
decided to have some fun too, knowing
that when Marty Blanck stepped in and
offered to drive them, stopping for a nosh
at Boesky's Delicatessen on 12th and
Hazelwood, it would be the beginning of
his and Lorraine Denenberg eventually
becoming Mr. and Mrs. Martin Blanck.
Marty passed on about 10 years ago
and Lorraine Blanck recently celebrated
her 90th birthday at a party given by their
sons, Stanford, Fred and Stuart, at Capital
Grille in Troy, knowing that she and Marty
had lived a wonderful life together, thanks
to the gracious hand of fate.
About 70 people attended the warm and
entertaining cocktail and dinner shin-
dig wishing pert and gracious Lorraine
the very best of health ... with guest
Judy Koploy grabbing the microphone
and saying it best to her good friend,
"Congratulations on your first 90 years."
CONGRATS ... To David Wiener on
his 60th birthday ... To Leon Weiss on
his birthday ... To Sandra Levison on
her 60th birthday ... To Clara Silber on
her 97th birthday ... To Mark Kopitz on
his 70th birthday ... (Correction: To Iris
Rosen on her 60th birthday, not 70).
Danny's email address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.
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