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Milton Berle 9 • Etc.
Remembering the comedian's troubled forays into Detroit.
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OTPOURRI
Best-selling author and former
local night club publicist William
"Bill" Garwood answers the question (and
then some) of many as to whether or not
comic Milton Berle played the Elmwood
Casino in Windsor.
"Yes," says Bill. "I handled him three
times at the Elmwood
Casino. Then Berle came to
Lofy's in Plymouth, owned
by Sam Hadous, and got into
a fuss with some cops from
Ann Arbor who were shoot-
ing cameras in his face. So
he quit, telling his audience
he'd be back when things
settled down. Norm Hadous,
Sam's brother who financed
Sam's club, told him to can-
Milton Berle
cel Berle because he was
costing too much. Berle left
and said he would never come back. I had
Berle on Bill Kennedy's show at CKLW-
TV when he got the call that he'd been
fired. Berle immediately got on the phone
to New York to talk to Penny Singleton,
who was in charge of AFTRA (American
Federation of Television and Radio
Artists) at that time, and she advised
him to hold firm; but Berle packed up
and returned to New York. Months later,
though, when Sam opened the Michigan
Palace, Berle came back for him and
packed the place."
THE FORMER Giorgio's, New Giorgio's
and D'Pauli's in Sugar Tree Plaza,
Orchard Lake Road, north of Maple, West
Bloomfield, has been sold again ... New
owners are Tony and Pat Grabanica
Same menu and staff, including executive
chef and kitchen manager Art Dubin ...
Previous owners, Paul and Dina Demaj,
are concentrating time at their Theo's
Family restaurant off 1-94, Exit 269, in
Port Huron.
WE
IIWII
LOCAL ACTIVE Variety
Club and community stalwart
Bob Golding has been elected
to head the Michigan chapter
of internationally known gas-
tronomic society Chaine des
Rotisseurs ... As the new Baffle
du Michigan, Bob heads one
of almost 150
Chaine groups
in the United
States. The
group, originally
founded in Paris
in 1248, revived in 1950 and
today is in more than 100
countries ... The profes-
sional and amateur mem-
bership awards scholarships
to young professionals plus
sponsoring competition
while promoting culinary
arts.
First event of 2012 by Bob and the
Chaine will be to enjoy food and paired
wine Sunday, Feb. 5, at Fiamma in
Plymouth.
MAIL DEPT. ... "In a recent column
you mentioned the Breakfast Club in such
glowing terms we went for brunch there.
It was fabulous. The food was fresh, cof-
fee great and service very cordial. Thank
you so much for the recommendation. It
has become a favorite restaurant" Tova
Gilbert
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT.
... "Maria's restaurant on Puritan near
Livernois was one of the best pizza res-
taurants in Detroit. The owner decided
to build an upscale Italian restaurant
next door to Maria's. Do you recall the
name of that restaurant? I thought it was
Manacotti. The building is still in the same
location, but there is no name that is read-
able." ... Arthur Kretchmer
The owner of Maria's Pizzeria was
WW
Frank Menicotti, and you are
close. He named his eatery
Menicotti's Italian Restaurant,
and it was wonderful ... The
building is still there, but too
bad that Frank's fine restau-
rant is not.
DANDY DINING DEAL
. . . 10- to 12-ounce fresh
whitefish, broiled or baked
... Also includes soup or
salad, potato, vegetable and
bread basket ... $7.95 ... One
week only, Thursday, Jan. 12,
through Thursday, Jan. 19 ... No coupons
... George's Honey Tree, Northwestern
Hwy., south of 14 Mile Road, West
Bloomfield.
READER MINI REVIEW ... By Jim
Berk ... "Like many of our favorite restau-
rants, my wife, Beth, and I know exactly
what we want to order when we patronize
Willson's Pub 'n' Grill on Union Lake in
Commerce Township. Owners Bill and
Glen Willson have created a wonderful
dining destination with a wide variety of
tasty items, including appetizers, salads,
pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.
"Our favorite meal there is the
Mediterranean Salad that can be gotten
half or full size. We get the latter and thor-
oughly enjoy the generous portion of very
healthy ingredients: fresh romaine lettuce,
black olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucum-
bers, roasted peppers, capers and almonds
served with a sherry vinaigrette dressing.
Customers may add grilled chicken or fish
on the top, which is especially appealing
because a good source of protein is pro-
vided. For Beth and me, it is a complete
meal. Nothing else is needed.
"The bar area at Willson's Pub 'n' Grill
is a cozy atmosphere with two large-
screen TVs tuned into the hot game of
the hour. And you can enjoy watching the
contests with excellent prices on bever-
ages. Draught beer is in the $2-$3 range
and house wines at $5-$6. And trust me,
Willson's does not skimp on the amount of
wine in the glass.
"In the dining area, there are several TVs
as well, and the wait staff seems to always
have smiles on their faces, happy to see you
come back and thrilled to serve you the
best they can. Dinner dining tip: Get there
early or you might have a small wait. But
even with that, the owners treat you like
kings and queens, occasionally serving free
Bosco sticks to hungry patrons"
NEW RESTAURANT OPENINGS
DEPT. ... Maple House on Middlebelt
and 11 Mile, Farmington Hills ... Open
seven days a week from 7 a.m., but just
two days for dinner, Friday and Saturday
until 9 p.m.... Breakfast and lunch are
Monday-Thursday until 4, and Sunday
until 3 ... Duo Restaurant & Lounge,
opened in La Mirage Mall, Northwestern
Hwy., north of 12 Mile, Southfield, is
upscale dining in an elegant atmosphere;
difficult to believe it formerly held Irving's
Deli and Shanghai Chinese eateries.
SHE RECEIVED many accolades as a
solo songstress with name orchestras like
Billy May among others and locally with
Sammy and Mickey Woolf, etc., but Sherry
Kaye is discovering even more truth about
"hidden talent" being among us .... She
is a voice teacher now, with breathing les-
sons, vocalizing range, coaching, etc....
and says she never realized that so many
had such highly promising vocal ability.
CONGRATS ... To Shirley Iden on her
birthday ... To Fonda Schwartz on her
birthday ... To Danny and Yetta Weintraub
on their 58th anniversary ... To Avery and
Marilyn Warnick on their 55th anniver-
sary.
❑
Danny's email is dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.
MI MIN
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