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Hit The Road To Jack's

Beau Jack's has thrived 36 years on its outstanding food and service.

I

t sits quietly with free-standing grace
chicken wings and the large
and is seldom forgotten by regular and
amount of daily specials ...
first-time visitors.
An onion loaf is made on the
This is the 36th anniversary of casual
premises and oozes good taste
and comfortable Beau Jack's on West
as do the clam chowder bisque
Maple, west of Telegraph, in Bloomfield
and honey mustard chicken,
Township, where a strong menu of wanted
fajitas, pastas, steaks, etc.
dishes have constantly been met with
The clean Beau Jack's kitchen
steady raves.
... always a very important
Owned by Gary Cochran, Beau Jack's is
asset in any restaurant, has the
named for Gary's late dad, Jack Cochran,
capability of presenting cooking
whose keen knowledge of the food and res-
preparations that include grill-
taurant business has been a prominent rub-
ing, broiling, sauteing, frying
off (and then some) onto his son ... Their
and even blackening in Cajun style ... At
present site at one time was the Westerner
lunchtime, gourmet sliders are served "by
Beef Buffet cafeteria owned by them.
the ton" every day.
Since opening in 1976, Beau Jack's goes
It is a fine testament to his sharpness
through about 150 half-pound ground
as a restaurant owner that Gary refuses
round hamburgers a day, amounting to a
to use bottled Caesar dressing found in
whopping 2 million since opening... And
stores for the Caesar Salads served at
around 150,000 gallons of soup in the sev-
Beau Jack's ... And it is not tossed table-
en-day-a-week operation open from 11:30
side only because of the lack of space for
a.m.-midnight ... The clean, spacious
carts to wheel around the dining rooms
dining areas seat 175 plus another 14 in a
... Instead, the Caesar dressing is pre-
lounge sector and 14 stools at the bar.
pared in the kitchen with ingredients
About 500 customers a day come
originally used by chef/restaurant owner
through Beau Jack's front
Cesare (Caesar) Cardini at
doors, totaling more than 6 1/2
his restaurant in Tijuana,
million pairs of feet over 36
Mexico, for pouring over
years.
romaine lettuce ... Beau
Beau Jack's has been laud-
Jack's also makes its own
ed for its excellent Canadian
croutons for the salad ...
baby-back ribs, done
Featured, too, is an exact
Charlevoix-style on a siz-
replica of the fine Maurice
zling platter surrounded by
salad and dressing that was
homemade duchess potatoes
a popular favorite at the for-
that people who have been
mer J.L. Hudson dining room
Gary Cochr an
to Northern Michigan easily
on Woodward, Detroit.
recognize for its wonderful
Few restaurants can boast
taste ... Also Canadian lake perch, etc.
of the excellent service provided by smiling
Its highly noted Vargo's white chili, con-
waitpersons, bartenders and front-door
cocted by Bob Vargo, Beau Jack's former
hostesses whose congeniality, grace and
executive chef, now the general manager,
efficiency are extreme complements to
cannot be found anywhere else ... And the
their professional abilities.
menu is complemented by Grecian-style
Piano bar entertainment is softly enjoyed

in the dining lounge on
Thursday night, 6:30-11; and
Friday-Saturday nights, 7-11.
That Beau Jack's has con-
tinued to be a well-respected
and regarded dining establish-
ment is not only a tribute to
Gary's dad, Jack, but, in no
small measure, to himself and
his employees who have made
this culinary favorite a choice
selection in its wide popularity
as an upscale neighborhood

restaurant.
GOOD NEWS comes that the former
closed Spagna's Coney Island located
on Woodward in Royal Oak, may soon
reopen at another location ... Telegraph
and Long Lake Roads, around the corner
from Kroger, in Bloomfield Hills ... The
new site will be even smaller than Tom and
Margarita Drosis' previous restaurant that
sat only 48 ... Coney Islands with all-beef
kosher and non-kosher hot dogs, among
other delicious favorites, is expected to
again headline the menu.
SITTING OUT THERE on Springwells
in Detroit might be one of those old-time
Italian dining spots so many folks have
been looking for ... Vince's, opened back in
1960 as a little four-table pizza operation,
is today a full-service Italian restaurant
noted for its home-cooked preparations ...
The dishes at Vince's from veal to chicken
to pasta, some not seen on many Italian
menus, pizza, etc., comprise a "sleeper"
dining venture enjoyed by many.
GOOD SERVER DEPT. ... His last name
is what you would want to say after being
served by him ... Jorge Bravo is a
waitperson at Steve & Rocky's on Grand
River, Novi, where customers are impressed
with his politeness, smile and efficiency ...
Jorge's attributes go together with gracious
personality and proficient ways.

MEMORY DEPT. ... From Jerry
Solomon ... "Greenfield's Cafeteria in the
late '50s, just down the road on Woodward
from the old Vernor's bottling plant, had
the most fantastic whipped cream pie, and
they put them first in the line. You could
not refuse to pick up a few, they looked
so good. The chicken a la king, delicious
mashed potatoes and more; and if you
were elderly and/or a large family with
kids, the Greenfield's staff would come
out from behind the serving line and help
carry your tray to the table.
"Hedges Wigwam had an amazing
Steamship Round of Beef and if you asked
the chef nicely and gave him a big smile, he
would cut from near the edge if you liked
it well done and a center cut if you liked it
rare. We loved going there just to be inside
the wigwam and soak up the atmosphere,
which was the next best thing to dining
in outrageously-designed restaurants in
Hollywood, Calif.
"And speaking of which, if you really want
to eat like the Hollywood stars of old, and I
mean like the commissary at MGM Studios
when Louis Mayer ran the place as his per-
sonal desire, inside Joan Nathan's cookbook
Jewish Cooking in America is the recipe for
Louis B. Mayer's chicken soup with crispy
matzah balls, reputedly from his mother's
own recipe. And it is delicious!"
MAIL DEPT.... "For your readers long-
ing for good cheesecake, send them to
Peteet's on West Nine Mile in Oak Park for
a free sample. They won't be disappointed."
Roz Stone
CONGRATS ... To Sarah Wolk on her
68th birthday ... To Daryl Sklar on his
60th birthday ... To Betsy Reich on her
birthday ... To Harvey Kahn on his 70th
birthday ... To Brad Smith on his 19th
birthday.

❑

Danny's email is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

Fabulous Mediterranean Cuisine

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Favorites: Chicken lemonato

Fresh Fish
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Open daily for lunch & Dinner

Full bar I Catering I Carry out...
Private dining room ,,R, v4q!ws-~a..(,
,I.s0140 tolvrottitA

19333 Victor Parkway • Livonia, MI

(between 7 & 8 Mile next to Embassy Suites)

44

August 23 2012

734-744.5555

1 911 19410