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Go Northwest, Young Man

The strip of restaurants on Northwestern Highway is flourishing.

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Stephenson, Troy, still is fondly
OTPOURRI
Near-future restaurant rejuve-
remembered for his onetime
tableside delights of authentic
nation and remodeling by Niko
Caesar salad, etc.
Gatsaros and the Ted and Maria Gatsaros
READER MINI REVIEW
family of Detroit developers will join a
flurry of new and spruced-up dining opera- ... By Dennis Silber ... "The
tions along the Northwestern Highway strip island feeling of being in Key
from 12 Mile to 14 Mile.
West is gotten in Deerfield
Beach, Fla., at Muddy Waters
Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Cafe, just
Restaurant & Raw Bar. The
north of 12 Mile, Southfield, that opened in
1997, is one of three Fishbone's restaurants
glider-like tables on the patio,
owned by the Gatsaros family, including
live parrots chirping and color-
ful tropical drinks all combine
the original Fishbone's, opened in 1989 on
in adding to the wonderful land and sea
Monroe in Detroit's Greektown, and the
dishes.
more recent one opened on East Jefferson
"We had appetizers of raw
in St. Clair Shores.
clams and oysters and sea
Niko and his parents
scallops, Bahamian conch
recently reopened London
fritters and loads of mussels.
Chop House downstairs in
Also the jumbo Perdue Wings
their Murphy-Telegraph
with eight different sauces,
Building on Congress, Detroit.
Nacho Mountain and skew-
The Northwestern strip
ered beef tenderloin rounded
also includes Duo, RJ's
out pre-dinner cocktail time,
American Grill, Morels (slat-
along with its great chowders,
ed to open for a Variety Club
bisques and chili.
charity event April 11 next to
"Also we felt that this Key
RJ's on the site that was to be
West dining experience was
a Greek restaurant), Bacco,
excellently rounded out with
Beans & Cornbread, Siam
our fabulous pretzel-crusted,
Spicy II, Buddy's, George's
tequila key lime pie, banana
Honey Tree, Little Daddy's,
cream pie and hot fudge
etc. ... The two-mile location
brownie sundae."
will no doubt jog memories
The musical -themed
MAIL DEPT. ... "Your
of those who remember
sign on Nor thwestern
article about the new London
Trio (Brown Bear, Oyster
Highway for Fishbone's
Bar and Buddy's Barbecue),
Chop House brought back
Rhythm Kit then Cafe
many memories.
Carmen's Fior d'Italia, the
Vineyards, Oscar's, Great
"In the late '50s, I applied
for a job as hat-check girl and was inter-
Dane, Mclnnerney's, Healthy Jones, Roman
Terrace, etc.
viewed by Les Gruber. He immediately told
HIS VAST experience follows him
me he wouldn't hire me 'because I was too
pretty, adding he didn't want to make his
with many remembrances as maitre d'
and general manager at the old Lelli's
female customers uncomfortable, particu-
on Woodward, Detroit; Rugby Grille,
larly the wives of regular customers. I now
Birmingham; Zinc, West Bloomfield; etc. ... realize what a good businessman he was.
But Zoran Smolic, new general manager at
"In 1964, while working at the Playboy
the excellent Mon Jin Lau, East Maple and
Club in Detroit, my manager asked if I

would be interested in going to
dinner with Jose Ferrer, appear-
ing here in Man of La Mancha,
and who wanted a dinner com-
panion who could carry on a
decent conversation.
"Mr. Ferrer was quite the
gourmet and traveled with his
own personal chef. The only res-
taurant he would eat at was the
London Chop House. I remem-
ber the chef [Pancho Valez]
coming out from the kitchen to
discuss his meal choice. We ate at the Chop
House several times and he always raved
about every meal." ... Russi Cherry Arden
CHOP SUEY AND Wonton Soup? ...
The heavily ordered hot liquid refresh-
ment is at Hong Hua Chinese restaurant
on Orchard Lake Road north of 12 Mile,
Farmington Hills ... The soup is actually
a very tasty Won Ton soup with shrimp,
chicken and Chinese vegetables.
QUESTION &ANSWER DEPT.... "Do
you know what those great caricatures that
Hy Vogel painted for the London Chop House
went for in auction?" ... Milton Kerman
[When Hy was at the Fleischman
Residence in West Bloomfield, he showed
me a book that was a cherished souvenir
of his telling what the pencil, charcoal and
watercolor caricatures signed and auto-
graphed by celebrities were sold for ... He
was there that day and as they went in auc-
tion and marked down the amounts.
My favorite, the double caricature of
Jimmy Durante and his elongated nose that
filled two frames went for $800 ... George
Jessel, Raymond Burr, Nancy Sinatra,
Roslyn Russell, Howard Cosell, Buddy
Ebsen, etc., were each sold for $425 ... Ed
Wynn brought $450; Edward G. Robinson,
$550; Hermione Gingold, $225, and some
others at like amounts.]
ATTENDEES TO THE first event by
Partners of Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute numbered just over 100 at the

then-called Somerset Mall ... The 17th
Annual Evening Gala by this wonderful
group, honoring Kenneth and Frances
Eisenberg, Tuesday, Sept. 11, is expected to
bring well over 500. ... Its great annual Golf
Classic, Thursday, Aug. 30, at Franklin Hills
Country Club in Farmington Hills is also on
tap for a large number.
THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE seen the
fifth game of the 1968 Detroit Tigers-St. Louis
Cardinals World Series won't forget one great
moment ... That's when Tiger left fielder
Willie Horton threw out fleet-footed Lou
Brock at the plate to preserve Detroit pitcher
Mickey Lolich's victory ... Brock is probably
best remembered for breaking Tiger legend
Ty Cobb's Major League base-stealing record.
Great Hall-of-Famer Brock will be given the
2012 lifetime achievement award at the ban-
quet that follows the Michigan Jewish Sports
Foundation's 22nd Annual Hank Greenberg
Memorial Golf Invitational, Wednesday,
June 6, at Franklin Hills Country Club.
Paul Carey, longtime Detroit Tiger radio
announcer and sidekick with Ernie Harwell
calling Tiger games, will be given the Dick
Shaap Award for media excellence.
DON'T KNOW IF last year's chili made
by Murt Sherbow scared everybody by
being so hot that the fire department
almost had to be sent for ... Every entry
in this year's recent Chili Cook-off by
Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park was mild
... First-place winner by the judges was
Brian Schindler, with second going to Steve
Grossmueller and third to Rae Mandel.
CONGRATS ... To Ellen Goldenberg
on her birthday ... To Marvin Slof on his
84th birthday ... To Jennifer Gussin on her
birthday ... To Darren Gussin on his birth-
day ... To Stuart Wish on his 60th birthday
... To Sidney Neuman on his birthday ...
To Dave Dombey on his 88th birthday ...
To Bob and Shirley Benyas on their 61st
anniversary.

❑

Danny's email is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .

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