>> Out To Eat
Fressin•with Fishman
Eddie's
G
Unlikely Gourmet
OURMET
RESTAURANT
lmost everything
about Eddie's
Gourmet is fairly
unassuming. On Greenfield,
between 10 and 11 Mile roads,
it seems to blend into the
familiar scenery of my grand-
parents' neighborhood in Oak
Park.
From the street you'd expect
it to be just another diner: a
casual place to stop if you're hard pressed
for a meal and in the area, but nothing
more. Only a handful of high-top tables
and booths surround a bar that wraps
around the restaurant from end to end in
a scene reminiscent of a lunch counter in
a five and dime. But the location, the exte-
rior and the simple decor all allow owner
Eddie Hanna's seriously gourmet eats to
live up to their name and speak for them-
selves — and boy, do they have something
to say.
After trying Eddie's, I couldn't help but
find myself remembering a scene in the
Devil's Advocate. Al Pacino's John Milton is
walking through Chinatown, lecturing his
protege — a young, handsome, ambitious
lawyer played by Keanu Reeves. Pacino
advises, "No matter how good you are,
don't ever let them see you coming:'
I, for one, never saw Eddie's coming. In
fact, my first visit started with a fight. A
pair of friends, attorneys Wade Fink and
Jack Kramer, had been meeting there after
work for months and one Monday night
finally convinced me to join them.
Fink, an attorney at Dickinson Wright
in Detroit, arrived first and waited for me
Jolly Pumpkin
Wicked Table
in his parked car as he usually does.
Staring in through the front win-
dows, I protested sitting at a counter
in a suit trying to eat a decent meal.
Frankly, I protested sitting at a
counter at all; it's something I really
hate to do, but he assured me I
wouldn't regret walking in and giv-
ing Eddie's a shot. I had to concede
then, as I do now, he wasn't wrong.
After we settled in and I calmed
down, Wade signaled over Hanna who
greeted him like an old friend. It should
come as no surprise that Hanna was as
unassuming as the restaurant itself. He
didn't have much to say, nor the time to, as
he hurried from saucer to saucer, involving
himself in seemingly every detail of every
meal prepared that night.
Hanna has worked the same corner just
north of 696 for 30 years, first opening a
restaurant with his uncle in 1984. Before it
was Eddie's, it was Giorgio's; and while they
have their similarities, Hanna has certainly
lent the place his own unique touch.
Eddie started us off with his tomato
bisque. Had I walked out after the soup,
I'd still have a reason to become a regular.
Light and creamy, it was the perfect way to
tease the bevy of flavors about to cross that
counter.
From there, Eddie sent out "appetizers:'
Either his chicken tenders tossed in a palo-
mino vodka sauce or Hawaiian fries could
have easily been a meal for one. The palo-
mino vodka sauce, favorite of our waitress
Alexis, had a perfect kick, and the chicken
was moist and tender. The Hawaiian fries,
however, took this dinner to another level.
C OUNTERSIDE
& CARRYOUT
There was almost something magical
about the blend of Eddie's secret recipe
zip sauce, hot sauce, Parmesan cheese and
fresh cracked pepper. Simple as that may
sound, I have to agree with Wade, who
dubbed them — no hyperbole intended —
"one the top five things I have ever tasted:'
To top it all off (and totally undermine
my diet) was Eddie's Roma Pasta with Filet.
One of some 15 pasta specials, Hanna fills
a bowl the size of your head with half-inch
ziti noodles, steak, mushrooms and car-
rots, then dresses the ensemble in his zip
sauce and cream. If you love zip sauce half
as much as I do, you'll be in heaven, not
just at dinner or lunch, but the for the next
three days as you try to finish the leftovers
from the single oversized portion.
I was overstuffed and overwhelmed by
this unassuming little diner I never saw
coming and certainly won't forget.
By coincidence or someone's design,
over the course of the meal the early stages
of Robert Durst's latest arrest were play-
ing out on national television. The irony
certainly wasn't lost on three lawyers that
Eddie's would be a fitting choice for any
man's last meal.
Midtown Openings
Wickedly Good
Jolly Pumpkin Brewery and Pizzeria,
441 W Canfield St. will debut in Midtown
on April 11, according to a company
release. The restaurant has 30 taps with
Jolly Pumpkin and North Peak brand
beers as well as wine. The menu will fea-
ture breads and pizza dough developed by
Avalon International Breads.
Also preparing for an end-of-April
launch is Chartreuse Kitchen &
Cocktails, 15 E. Kirby, one block north
of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Owners
Sandy Levine and Doug Hewitt Jr. told
Crain's Detroit Business that the restaurant
will offer a variety of its namesake French
liqueur and feature "farm-to-table" fresh-
ness and an open kitchen where guests can
interact with the chef.
In late March, the Breakfast Club's Penny
White opened the Wicked Table, 38503 W.
10 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, offer-
ing a menu of items made entirely from
scratch. The restaurant got great reviews
on Yelp. Its menu choices include paella,
Kona scallops or fresh sea bass with grilled
pineapple salsa and ancient grains. Check
them out on Facebook.
20th Anniversary
Streetside Seafood, on Pierce Street in
downtown Birmingham, known for its
creative seafood selections, award-winning
wine list and friendly neighborhood bar, is
celebrating its 20th anniversary. The menu
is fresh and innovative, and the veteran
staff has a knack for remembering regu-
lars' names and favorite dishes. Dinner is
Mazel Toys And Condolences
Congrats
— To Alix and Steve Craig on the birth of
baby boy, Hudson Jacob
— To Mark and Leora Tapper on the birth
of baby girl, Adi Maya
— To Jonathan Schwartz of Seyburn
Kahn and the aforementioned Wade Fink,
who have joined the board of directors
for Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica
Cooper's Foundation for Kids
— To Friendship Circle on the launch of its
Farber Soul Center pilot program (I can't
wait to see the new building when it opens
later this year)
— To Harvey Bronstein, the incredibly
deserving recipient of this year's Federation
Lifetime Achievement Award.
And my condolences to the Surnow fam-
ily on the passing of Jeffrey Surnow. May
his memory be a blessing and his generos-
ity, compassion and kind heart an inspira-
tion to all of us each and every day.
❑
If you have a tip or a maze) tov, email Ryan at
ryan@thefishmangroup.com .
served daily and lunch is served on week-
days. For the last five years, Streetside has
been recognized by Wine Spectator with an
Award of Excellence for its wine list.
Award-Winning
Mac and Cheese
Sweet Lorraine's Fabulous Mac n' Cheez!
was awarded the title of Most Unique
and Most Flavorful Mac n' Cheese for its
Mean Green Pesto Mac at the 2015 Mac
N' Brew held in Royal Oak. The award-
winning Mean Green Pesto Mac is a blend
of homemade spinach-walnut pesto, gooey
Swiss cheese, spinach and toasted walnuts.
Mac n' Cheez! locations can be found in
the Somerset Collection (Troy) and Great
Lakes Crossing Outlets Mall (Auburn
Hills) and Detroit's Renaissance Center.
April 2 • 2015
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