arts & entertainment >> the best of everything A Birmingham Jewel For a quarter century, Townsend Hotel's Rugby Grille has set the standard. A lways a "class act:' it continues to generate a very respected rat- ing as one of the premier dining operations in this area. Recently reaching the highly-regarded milestone of its 25th anniversary, Rugby Grille in the Townsend Hotel, Birmingham, brings a new look to an already striking ambience ... together with lighter foods available during the warm weather that blend with the usual fine core menu items. The bar area is separated now from the dining sector ... and the entire back bar and equipment have been replaced ... along with new furniture, artwork, carpet- ing and lighting ... A new patio, too, is directly off the gallery dining area adjacent to the windows fronting Townsend Street. Popular menu items like the Hydro Bibb Salad (peach berry vinaigrette, ched- dar cheese, dried cherries, toasted pine nuts) and the much-requested classic Dover sole, deboned tableside, are now also accompanied with dishes like citrus arctic char, Wagyu Carpaccio, duck breast, Scottish salmon, etc. Newcomers to the Rugby Grille include Jared Chorney, food and beverage direc- tor; David Brown, Rugby Grille's manager (also a certified wine sommelier); Andrew Alcid, chef de cuisine; and Executive Chef Drew Sayes, who joined the team this year. David Brown, manager, Rugby Grille; Steven Kalczynski, managing director, Townsend Hotel; and Jared Chorney, food and beverage director, Townsend Hotel. Seating in the well-appointed Rugby Grille dining room is for 80 persons along with another 22 in the patio sector ... The millions of guys and gals who have passed through the Rugby doors to dine on its sumptuous food offerings that also include items not on the menu like tableside-prepared steak tartare, Caesar salad tossed tableside (in classic wooden bowls) in artis- tic presentation and Bananas Foster, are not disappointed ... plus they enjoy selections from a fine wine list. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. and lunch, 11-3; dinner, 3-midnight ... seven days a week ... Tea service by reservation only is also seven days. Rugby Grille celebrates its 25th anni- versary with the same absolute refinement that it has carried since the Townsend Hotel opened in all its elegance back in 1988 ... From that time, the Townsend has become a nationally known stay-at place for celebrities from the worlds of showbiz, sports, etc., as well as regular John and Jane Does, who also greatly appreciate the fine amenities of its excellent many-times award-winning Rugby Grille. Both Rugby Grille and Townsend Hotel are held in the high regards that makes Metropolitan Detroit and Michigan proud of their outstanding 25-year silver existences. FIRST CAME the present from Wine Spectator Magazine with a 2013 Award of Excellence for its wide variety of red and white wines and their paring with various menu items ... Then Prime 29 steak and seafood restaurant, 15 Mile and Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, gave itself a gift to share with folks who came to help celebrate its first birthday. Wine, champagne and soft drinks flowed like water, and folks joyously gulped the bevy of delicious passed hors d'oeuvres that included a sumptuous array prepared by Executive Chef Hai Ying Bushey ... filet steak, lamb chops, skewered chicken, duck breast, stuffed quail, short ribs, seared ahi tuna, seared shrimp, oysters Rockefeller, etc. ... capping off a successful one-year cel- ebration for Prime 29. QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. ... "Can you please ask those at the Stage Deli, why they are probably the only big-time Jewish deli in the country not to serve onion bagels? It's disheartening, considering there is a New York Bagel store in the same shopping cen- ter" ... Mike "Stoney" Stone. [Steve Goldberg, owner of Stage Deli, says, "We always do the best we can to sat- isfy special requests. With bagels, we often get requests for special varieties: pumper- nickel, everything, sesame, poppy seed, cinnamon raisin and, yes, onion. While I would like to say yes to everyone, it would be a challenge to serve such a large variety and maintain the freshness we demand and our guests expect. For that reason, we stick to the basics: plain, egg & salt. We do, however, carry fresh onion rolls and onion rye for our onion-loving friends:'] A LARGE ASSET in restaurants that have daily specials of items not listed on the menu has proven to be otherwise valuable in another way ... Those specialty dishes that people enjoy at Mon Jin Lau, 15 Mile and Stephenson, Troy, can be ordered at any time if the ingredients are in house, which they usually are at the Asian dining favorite. MAIL DEPT.... "Thanks to the Reader Mini Review by Jim Lemire in a recent col- umn, we went to Magdaleno's in Lincoln Park for dinner. My husband and I both started with the minestrone soup. He also indulged in the basket of bread with its toasted bread brushed with garlic butter. I had the chicken piccata, and he had the penne all'arrabbiata. Our tab before the tip was just under $30. The service was both personal and professional. We'll certainly be back:' ... Pauline Averbach and Chuck Peacock. GOOD WAITRESS DEPT. ... The experience of Wai "Catherine" U at Shangri-La West Bloomfield, Orchard Mall, 15 Mile and Orchard Lake Road, since it opened 19 years ago, clearly shows ... Always smiling and pleasant, with efficiency that brings dining satisfaction to all those she serves. REMINDER DEPT. ... Walk Of Ages this Sunday at the JCC at Maple and Drake in West Bloomfield ... registration 9 a.m., warm-up 9:30, walk at 10. OLDIE BUT GOODIE DEPT. ... Three men arrive in New York from Europe and decide to meet again in 20 years to see how they all made out in America. After 20 years, the first says, "When I came to this country I didn't know how to make a living and looked at my last name, Goldstein, so I went into the gold business and made a fortune. He turns and asks the next man, "Well, how about you?" "I looked at my last name, Silverberg. So I went into silver and made a fortune, too:' They both turned to the third man and asked what happened to him. "I had no idea either how to make living, so I looked at my last name, Taylor, and said that's no good. I will never make money as a tailor. "So I went to the synagogue and prayed. `God, if you make me a wealthy man, I promise to make you my partner." The first man asked, "So what happened?" "What's the matter? You never heard of Lord & Taylor?" CONGRATS ... To Dee Shapiro on her birthday ... To Gary Tringale on his birthday ... To Lisa Hallett on her birth- day ... To Jerry and Carol Israel on their 50th anniversary ... To Larry and Michele Maloff on their 25th anniversary. ❑ Danny's email is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net. PRIME29 Groth Wine Tasting Dinner STEAKS • SEAFOOD • COCKTAILS Thursday I September 19, 2013 I From 7pm - 9pm $125 per person (plus tax & gratuity) 5 Course Wine Tasting Dinne paired with 6 wine labels. Limited Seating. Call For Reservations. FOR REASRVATIONS 1248.73.PRIME (77463) I prime29steakhouse.com , 4545 Orchard Lake Rd. West Bloomfield, MI 48322 ,• 56 August 15 • 2013 JN G roth