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Smokin'!

Come to C.A.Y.A. Smokehouse Grill for wood-smoked wonderment.

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OTPOURRI ...
Newest entry onto the local
restaurant scene, C.A.Y.A.
Smokehouse Grill (Come As You Are) on
South Commerce Road at Pontiac Trail,
Wolverine Lake, presents an interesting
concept of deliciousness.
It is being brought out by co-owner/
Executive Chef Jeff Rose whose excellent
track record of good things to eat is well
noted ... Executive chef at Roast in Detroit
and Toast and Big Rock Chophouse in
Birmingham ... Plus chef de cuisine at
Iridescence in Motor City Casino and Sous
Chef at the former Tribute in Farmington
Hills.
Rachel Mandell, co-owner, did much in
assisting with C.A.Y.A.'s decor.
Smoked food favorites are fresh steaks,
chops and other entree preferences ...
The smoked items are cooked for 10 to 14
hours in hickory, oak, maple, apple and
cherry woods ... The lumber assortment
brings out a dark outer layer that caramel-
izes the meats outside.
C.A.Y.A. is open for dinner, Tuesday-
Thursday, 4:30-10; Friday and Saturday,
4:30-11; Sunday, 4:30-9 ... Brunch is on
both Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, as evidenced
by the number of people who don't mind
the wait at Pepino's on Walled Lake Drive
and Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake ... Its repu-
tation as one of the top neighborhood eat-
ing places around is coupled with excellent
dollar-for-dollar yummy deals ... So many
best-seller items, topped by a wonderful
rainbow trout and goodie menu of lus-
cious things to eat ... Plus a crackerjack
waitperson crew ... Not a bad idea to call
ahead for reservations ... Especially on the
weekends.
THERE'S A RARITY in the restau-
rant business sitting out there in the
Auburn Hills sector ... O'Brien's Maryland
Crabhouse, in the Auburn Hills Plaza on

Opdyke Road between South
together in preparing both the
Boulevard and Auburn, is not
Mexican and Italian food with
a very large place, seating just
much accepted satisfaction ...
95 at booths and tables, but its
This is a rare combination of
seafarin' goodies are rarely, if
dining togetherness.
ever, found hereabouts.
IN THE LIST OF non-
Dine on items like
Mexican restaurants serv-
Dungeness crab, Alaskan king
ing Mexican breakfast
crab legs, etc., that are in-sea-
dishes comes Breakfast Club,
son all year ... plus Maryland
Haggerty, north of Maple,
blue crabs that are in-season
Commerce Township ...
only from April until October
Breakfast quesadillas with
or soft-shell crabs from the
Mexican sausages, eggs and
middle of May to the end of June.
roasted red peppers, breakfast enchiladas
Plenty of fresh fish, too ... in a place
of corn tortillas stuffed with eggs, onions
owned by Dan Dunsky since 1990, that
and peppers topped with ranchero sauce
sometimes bills itself as "Michigan's
and avocado sour cream.
Crustacean Headquarters" that is probably
READER MINI REVIEW ... From
the only place I know of that has more
Sandy Hermanoff ... "Michael and
than 10 varieties of crab preparation ...
I recently attended the Worldcom
Even what very few seafood places serve,
Conference in Cancun, Mexico, and were
especially Maryland blue crabs that come
amazed to learn that Le Basilic, one of the
directly from Chesapeake Bay.
two five-star restaurants in Mexico, was in
Dress casual ... You might want to dig
the hotel in which we stayed.
into the mixed bucket of clams and mus-
"Our dinners of two appetizers, entree
sels.
and dessert were wonderful. I chose foie
WITH CHANGES IN diets and just
gras truffle and morel mushroom ravioli
plain love of the selections, gaining in
with duck jus emulsion, organic chicken
much popularity is dim sum or bite-size
morel mushroom cream sauce with pump-
kin blinis and Black Forest lingo.
cuisine ... Biggest exponent of dim sum
in this area is Shangri-La in Orchard Mall,
"Michael had escargots volovan with
Orchard Lake Road and Maple ... Its
parsley butter and a garlic cream sauce,
choices are huge ... Contrary to those who
roasted Angus beef with black pepper
obviously have never had it, dim sum is
sauce and Boulangere potato and a pista-
chio and pear mille with lime
not expensive.
SLEEPER EATERY
sherbet.
out there on Junction, off
"The service was impec-
Michigan in Detroit, is El
cable, the presentations
Barzon Ristorante ... An
were beautiful and the food
interesting combination of
scrumptious!"
Mexican and/or Italian food
MAKING ROUNDS ... To
... Owner/chef Norberto
Sposita's Italian Ristorante,
West Bloomfield, for crispy
Garita was sous chef eight
years at the former Il Posta,
cottage-fried potatoes ... To
Shangri-La, West Bloomfield,
Southfield, and knows quite
Silvia and Norberto
for dim sum ... To French
a bit about Italian dining ...
Both he and wife, Silvia, work Garita
Gourmet, Ferndale, for bay

i

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58

December 5 • 2013

scallops poached in vermouth ... To Hong
Hua, Farmington Hills, for Peking duck.
MANY BASEBALL FOLLOWERS easi-
ly remember the wonderful exploits by the
person getting the 2014 Hank Greenberg
Memorial Award.
Sparky Anderson, his former manager
with the Cincinnati Reds, once said that
Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, recipient
of the honor at the June 9, 2014, Hank
Greenberg Memorial Golf Invitational
at Franklin Hills Country Club, West
Bloomfield, was the best second baseman
he had ever seen.
The Detroit Tigers don't have too bad
a former infielder now coaching at first
base ... Omar Visquel is regarded by many
as one of baseball's all-time best fielding
shortstops.
Morgan's reputation as a baseball sports-
caster is also a prominent one.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE DEPT. ... A
drunken man walked into a bar and after
staring for some time at the only woman
seated at the bar, walked over to her and
kissed her. She jumped up and slapped
him.
He immediately apologized and
explained, "I'm sorry. I thought you were
my wife. You look exactly like her."
"Why you worthless, rotten, wretched,
no-good drunk!" she screamed.
"Funny:' he muttered, "you even sound
exactly like her"
CONGRATS ... To Russi Arden on
her birthday ... To Marsha Baker on her
birthday ... To Dr. Abe Pearlman on his
birthday ... To Rita Geiringer on her
birthday ...To David Barr on his birthday
... To Debra Winkler on her birthday ...
To Dr. Fred Bernstein on his 85th birthday
... To Selma Silverman on her birthday ...
To James "Jimmy" and Susie Gottfurcht on
their 51st anniversary.

❑

Danny's email address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .

