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Weather Beater

Steven Lelli's Inn, Farmington Hills, brings all-climate indoor/outdoor comfort.

W

hat was to me a first-time
endeavor to celebrate New Year's
Eve both indoors and outdoors
... regardless of the weather ... at the same
restaurant ... at the same time ... was my
curious option rather than flip a coin on
where to spend New Year's Eve.
It was at Steven Lelli's Inn on the Green,
between Halsted and Haggerty, Farmington
Hills, for this rare, if-ever opportunity ...
Interest was without previous par for such an
occasion ... I certainly had to find out how
successful it could be ... After all, being at an
upscale restaurant that to my knowledge is
the first to have this happen, at least in this
area's ice cold weather, had to be seen and
experienced.
So when the clock struck 12, I was among
those indoors and "outdoors" blowing a horn
while the thermometer hovered in the low
20s ... Steven Lelli's had actually enclosed for
dining, drinking and dancing ... top to bot-
tom ... its huge 2,500-square-foot downstairs
patio with a mammoth luxurious canvas
... while alongside, its 1,500-square-foot
banquet area with full bar and kitchen was
decked out in more splendor.
Revelers ate, drank and danced to choice
DJ-whirled music as numerous hidden com-

New indoor/outdoor look downstairs at

Steven Lelli's

mercial heat machines warmed
partyers with much satisfying
efficiency.
Upstairs the lavish dining
room was its usual beautiful and
comfortable environment as the
downstairs ice cold outdoors patio
had turned very comfortably
warm and incredibly novel indeed
with celebrators dining, drinking,
dancing and enjoying the cozi-
ness of wind-resistant canvas and
industrial-type heat mechanisms.
I had seen it done outside many times
during the warm spring and summer
months at venues other than restaurants,
but never in the dead of winter ... with the
temperature hovering around a low mark
... And never imagined it to be realized at a
full-scale, top-class restaurant.
Steven Lelli's Inn on the Green had
accomplished what may have been thought
of before by others ... But here was a case
where partners Mark and Fran Zarkin threw
high cost to the windless winds to fulfill a
fervent desire for the New Year's celebration
... and possibly beyond.
By the way, the latest dining sensation now
on the menu at Steven Lelli's is its own inter-
pretation of the Italian favorite ... Chicken
Limone ... Chef Chris Merritt's excellent cre-
ation is with very thin slices of chicken breast
with capers, fresh seasonal vegetable, sauteed
sliced lemon wheels, Potatoes Lelli and a
delicious lemon and white wine sauce.
NEW COMBO SELECTION of 18 tra-
ditional Chinese entrees ... including egg
roll, soup, chicken fried or white rice and
tea... Dinner, $11.95 ... Lunch, $6.95 ... has
become an immediate popular favorite at
Golden Phoenix, Sugar Tree, Orchard Lake
Road, south of 15 Mile, West Bloomfield.
CONTROVERSY STILL lingers regard-
ing Georges Restaurant and the Honey Tree
restaurant chain ... Georges is not a Honey

Tree operation ... It is owned
by George Lucaj ... The Honey
Tree chain is owned by Tom
Gula ... Different menus ... No
affiliation between the two.
ORGANIZED CLASS
comes in many forms, but
none better than shown in the
recent party presentation by
the Detroit Jewish News and its
parent company, Renaissance
Media.
Those who forgot the date
could probably kick themselves for missing
the event at the Corner Bar of the Townsend
Hotel, Birmingham, to celebrate the IN's Best
Of magazine insert.
It also showed off the elegant style, effi-
ciency and quality ways of Townsend Hotel's
Managing Director Steve Kalcynski ... and
Food and Beverage Director Jared Chorny.
Oodles of delicious passed hors d'ouevres
by smiling servers and lots of goodies on sta-
tion tables ... Even kosher sushi from Chef
Cari Kosher Catering.
The crowd of more than 100 enjoyed
a lavish, most pleasant and well-planned
evening ... Robin Schwartz, TV Channel 2
news anchor and Jewish News contributing
writer, looking good as usual ... JN Sales
Director Keith Farber so pleased at the large
showing ... JN sales maven Melissa Litvin
thrilled at the results of her party-planning
efforts ... Love birds Lorraine Platman and
hubby Gary Sussman extolling the virtues
of their Sweet Lorraine's Cafes and Sweet
Lorraine's Fabulous Mac n Cheez! openings
... Carol Rosenberg, as always, of course,
touting the wonderful Jewish Senior Life of
which she is director of its foundation ...
Carla Schwartz and her smile ... Carolyn-
Krieger-Cohen always exuberant ... Hazel
Bender refusing to sing ... Ruth Daniels,
Emagine Theaters vice president of mar-
keting, telling of biggie movies presently

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48

January 16 • 2014

showing and coming to Paul Glantz's fine
Emagine show spots.
ETHIOPIA IS A small country, but there
are two good Ethiopian restaurants in the
northwest area alone ... Blue Nile on West
Nine Mile Road, Ferndale ... and Taste of
Ethiopia on Southfield Road, Southfield ...
Plus the tasty food of Ethiopia, both have
the traditional low-fat inerja bread used in
place of utensils to pick up food ... and time-
honored hand-woven wicker tables (messobs)
with wicker covers to keep food warm.
THOSE WHO STILL wonder which came
first, American Coney Island or Lafayette
Coney Island ... next door to each other
on Lafayette, Detroit, it was American by
Gus Keros ... He had brought his brother,
Bill, here from Greece to work with him at
American ... A few years later, Bill opened
his own place, Lafayette Coney Island on
Lafayette.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE DEPT. ... A man
walks into a bar and sits down beside a
woman. Suddenly her glass eye popped out
and he caught it. The woman thanked him
and asked if he would join her for breakfast
the next day. He agreed and got her address.
The next day he went to her house and
had a lovely breakfast. "Do you treat all men
like this?" he asked.
She smiled and said, "Just the ones who
catch my eye
CONGRATS ... To Diane Gussin on her
birthday ... To Josie Knapp on her birthday
... To Gary Schwartz on his birthday ... To
Ernest "Ernie" Solomon on his birthday ...
To Emily Rogow on her birthday ... To Louis
Damraur on his 85th birthday ... To Clara
Dubin on her 96th birthday ... To Daniel
"Danny" and Yetta Weintraub on their 60th
anniversary ... To Irving and Glorianne
Pearlman on their 25th anniversary

❑

Danny's email address is
dannyraskin@sboglobalmet.

I SAU6Hillii

PLANT BASED DOWN HOME COOKING!

Bring in this ad for 20% off
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Offer cannot be combined with any other coupon or promotion.
One coupon per person. Expires 2/13/14.

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