FOOD
Crave!
Sushi and sashimi star at this Pan-Asian hotspot in Dearborn.
By Esther Allweiss Ingber
ewish diners thinking outside
!! the box, or at least beyond
Oakland County, have discov-
ered some of the Metro area's
best sushi and sashimi are at a
Lebanese-owned dining and
nightlife hotspot in west Dear-
born.
What might seem an unlikely
combination doesn't faze the
growing Jewish clientele indulg-
ing their desires for food, drink
and fun at Crave Restaurant Bar
and Sushi Lounge on Michigan
Avenue.
Khalil Ramadan, a former
nightclub owner as well as a
model and actor, transformed
the former location of Stormy
Records and a Radio Shack into
his beautiful, contemporary
space.
"We've had
four bar or bat
mitzvah parties
here in the last
couple of years,"
Ramadan says.
"And we have
more lined up
this year, plus
all the inquiries
coming in."
And why
not? Sushi and
sashimi are very
popular today —
for anyone won-
dering, sushi is seasoned rice
balls combined most often with
raw fish and/or vegetables while
sashimi is a Japanese delicacy
made of thinly sliced raw fish.
Crave offers a Pan-Asian,
eclectic cuisine fused with
Mediterranean herbs and spices.
The fine-dining menu uses
high-quality meat, seafood and
produce. Ramadan says he and
his brother, general manager
Alex Ramadan, were exposed
to natural, good food like this
at a young age. Their restaurant
proudly uses some oil pressed
from their father's own olive
trees in Lebanon.
The talent of Crave's two
executive chefs helped it earn
"Best Sushi Bar" honors from two
local publications and the City of
Dearborn's "Best Restaurant" title
for four consecutive years.
Daniel Nguyen, of Japanese-
28 April 2012 I
RED READ
Vietnamese heritage, produces
noted 12-piece Chef's Choice or
20-piece Deluxe sashimi assort-
ments. Dennis Kennedy handles
the rest of the kitchen, turning
out a medley of unique tastes
and textures.
A great start is Watermelon
Napoleon — a thick slice of
seedless watermelon topped
with French feta cheese, plus
toasted walnuts, Michigan
tart cherries, organic Mediter-
ranean olive and micro herbs,
extra virgin olive oil and organic
vinaigrette. The juxtaposition
of sweet and salty tastes was
lovely.
Delicious ahi tuna salad is
among 10 salads listed. My fa-
vorite among the wide-ranging
sushi choices was
cilantro yellow-
tail tuna and the
Manhattan roll, a
Crave special that
includes a variety
of seafood. Crave
buys its fresh fish
from wholesale
distributor True
World Foods in
Livonia.
Additionally, the
small plates cat-
egories includes
three chicken
entrees. A memo-
rable dish was broiled Chilean
Sea Bass, whose honey-and-miso
glaze crust provided a satisfying
crunch.
A lychee martini with real fruit
is an amazing cocktail. Or, ac-
company Creme Brulee Trio, Lava
Cake and other desserts with
freshly brewed, non-alcoholic
beverages from Ferndale-based
Chazzano Coffee Roasters.
Chazzano owner/master
roaster Frank Lanzkron-Tamara-
zo, an ordained cantor, boasts
of carefully chosen coffee for
carefully chosen people!' His
fair-trade, organic coffee is certi-
fied kosher by the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis. Crave receives
its specially chosen Chazzano
varieties weekly.
The uber-stylish Crave decor
features black granite-topped
tables, custom wire-ball chan-
deliers and a striking tiled bar.
Segmented, classical nude
sculptures are mounted on a
turquoise wall in a separate
lounge area, which has sleek
leather couches and black
glass-topped coffee tables. A
DJ sometimes plays euro-
techno background music. At
Friday night Bash! parties, the
floor is cleared for dancing to
house and Top 40 music.
Worth noting is Happy Hour
Sushi at Crave — 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday through Saturday —
when sushi, appetizers and
cocktails are 25 percent off.-rd-
CRAVE RESTAURANT
& SUSHI LOUNGE
22075 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn 48124
(313) 277-7283
www.cravelounge.com
$$$ out of $$$$$
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