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Down-To-Earth Pleasure

Savor the well-grounded goodness at the Root Restaurant & Bar.

T

here is much to be said about
their utter cleanliness ... Also
on the right foot ... It is easy
the kind of restaurant so many
within the front-to-back open
to see that whatever may need
people have been hoping to find
kitchen is a truly elegant array
attending to will be given
... Where they can enjoy the amenities of
of gleaming stainless steel
immediate attention ... The
upscale dining styles with casual diversi-
amenities.
top quality of this restaurant
fications and service of elegantly prepared
From this kitchen comes
shows mightily.
food ... But without the out-of-sight high
made-from-scratch bread,
INTERESTING THAT while
prices that too many undeserving places
Idaho potatoes sliced into fresh
so many restaurants discour-
think should go with this classification.
fries, all desserts including
age splitting of meals by tack-
More and more people are hearing
gelato and pastries, French
ing on an addition price, Lelli's
Danny Raskin
about the new Root Restaurant & Bar that
onion soup made with chicken
of Auburn Hills on Opdyke
Senior Columnist
opened on the corner of Elizabeth Lake
stock, not beef, large farm-
Road, seems to encourage it
Road and Highland Road (M-59) in the
raised shrimp from Okemos,
... A Splitter Platter menu is
Village Lake Plaza, White Lake.
Mich., premises-made bacon,
featured with dinner entrees
Together, with the major use of regional etc.
that include an additional soup, salad and
products, is the huge dedication by
Even the lunch and dinner menus are
pasta without additional charge ... The
Executive Chef James Rigato to his untold
fresh ... changed and printed on premises menu has 16 pasta dishes, eight steaks
amounts of premises-made dining selec-
every week.
and chops, four veals, six chickens, three
tions by a kitchen staff headed by him.
Seating at the Root Restaurant is about
variety entrees and four seafood choices
Numerous folks have enjoyed Chef
80, plus four two-tops, a floating counter
... at the regular restaurant menu prices.
Rigato's preparations at the Townsend
for four and an outdoor patio with 28
ANOTHER AWARD goes to Beans
Hotel's Rugby Grille and
additional seats ... Six-day
& Cornbread, Northwestern Highway,
Matt Prentice's Shiraz
lunch and dinner hours are
Southfield, as it takes first prize in the
and Morel restaurants ...
Monday-Thursday, 11-10;
Gumbo & Blues Cook Off in Pontiac ...
Being a 2005 graduate of
Friday and Saturday, 11-11.
It follows B&C's being regularly named
the fine culinary program
A magnificent touch to the
Best Soul Food in the Detroit area, and
at Schoolcraft College in
elegant decor are the won-
recently a close second in the 2011 nation-
Livonia, working under
derful enlarged color photos
al competition for America's Best Soul
numerous master chefs,
by Ed's photographer sister,
Food Place ... Owner Patrick Coleman's
is no slouchy credential
Regina Mamou, notably dis-
Louisiana-style gumbo is a bestseller
Owner Ed Mamou and
either.
played on the walls in strik-
at the popular restaurant by the cup or
Executive Chef James
Chef Rigato and Root
ing frameless Plexiglas.
bowl... and is also great on top of B&C's
Rigato
restaurant owner Ed
The black tables and
Cajun-grilled signature dish, Louisiana
Mamou are close friends,
chairs are accented by black
Gumbo Salmon.
and their togetherness in this venture
linen napkins at both lunch and dinner
MAIL DEPT. ... "Restaurants out here
could be classified as the achievement of
... And another important aspect of good
do not compare to your area. Many are
a long-standing ambition ... Ed and wife,
dining has been attended to ... special
large chains, but some of my favorites
Juliana, both love good food and travel to
acoustic-attention styled ceilings that
(family owned) are on Lido Island in
countries where dining is a choice avoca-
muffle sound and make conversation a
Newport Beach, Calif. Like the Regatta
tion, and Chef Rigato sometimes goes with welcomed addition.
Cafe where the Italian food is above aver-
them to also enjoy the world offerings of
Michigan is very much represented,
age and most of the waiters want to be
fine cuisine.
with almost all products being from this
singers of all venues, opera, Broadway,
Extremely impressive is a full-scale
state along with Michigan beers and wines pop. They have all been working there for
open kitchen where diners may see, from
in the well stocked, tiled-back bar and
many years and make it a fun atmosphere
the front to the back white wall, the com-
cement front-bar counter.
besides the good food.
plete preparation and cooking areas with
Root Restaurant & Bar has gotten off
"Another of my favorites is French

MY SON
THE WAITER:'

Bistro 75 in Laguna Beach, kind of an Old
World steakhouse with a neat piano bar
and great food. Stella's in Laguna Niguel,
another favorite, is small, intimate and
overlooking the water. Savannah's Chop
House, also in Laguna Niguel, is great and
reminds me a bit of the old London Chop
House.
"Some of the higher-end restaurants
have been doing special menus that offer
$10 meals from their regular menu cui-
sine ... Gail Shapiro, former Detroiter
ERRATA, TYPO, ETC. DEPT. ... Item
in recent column about Club Alamo needed
correcting, says Glenn Sikora, whose uncle,
co-owner Stu Siegel's name was spelled
wrong, he says ... ("Stewie' was incorrect.
It was `Stuie.' Stewie sounds like a dinner
dish."
WHILE OFFICIATING at a wedding at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Rabbi
Harold Loss said that he always looked
forward to seeing the bride, but this time
he couldn't wait to see the groom.
Steve Pardo was on a story for the
Detroit News at Fairlane Town Center
when he met Leslie Kollin, there for her
client at Marx Layne public relations
and marketing ... While having coffee
together, being an Irish Jew with a wee bit
of Scot, he talked about someday wanting
to get married wearing a kilt.
Little did he know that he was sitting
with the girl he would someday marry
while wearing that kilt ... And 10 years
ago, also have on a yarmulke made by her
mother, Sharyanne Kolin (Arnold) from
the same tartan cloth.
CONGRATS ... To Blanche Duke on her
birthday ... To Larry Dictor on his 75th
birthday ... To Harold "Hutch" Bobroff on
his 89th birthday ...To Dino Mitropoulos
on his birthday. I 1

Danny's email address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy

October13-October30

Tickets: $35 Dinner/Show for Two: $89.95

NOVI THEATRE

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Written and performed by Brad Zimmerman. In "My Son The Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy." Zimmerman weaves an intricate
and bittersweet tale of one man's lengthy struggle to make it as an actor in New York. Part theatre, part stand-up, his
homey send-ups on his childhood. family. career and misbegotten love life are as warm and poignant as they are hilarious.

"I've had 3 great opening acts in my lifetime: Billy Crystal, Garry Shandling. and Brad Zimmerman." — Joan Rivers

248-348-3838 42705 Grand River Ave. Novi, MI 48375

56

October 13 • 2011

For additional shows, visit andiamonovitheatre,0

