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Savor The Joys Of Pepino's!
Patio opening, new Happy Hour, etc., bring taste of spring and summer.
O
ne of the most popular and highly
touted restaurants in Michigan,
Pepino's, corner of Walled Lake
Drive and Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, will
celebrate a wonderful 31st anniversary with
its usual plentiful ways of making customers
happy.
Pepino's annual opening of the front patio
seating 35 happened this week ... A happy
hour from 4-6 p.m. has also been inaugu-
rated and will include discounted cocktails
along with selections from a small plates
menu available on both the patio and inside
the restaurant ... Small plates will be offered
during Happy Hour and every Friday and
Saturday evening between 9 p.m. and clos-
ing for late-night customers who do not feel
like having a full dinner.
The kitchen staff at Pepino's has perfected
a menu that will also include mini-"Henry
Burgers," made famous from the book
of former Ford and Chrysler head, Lee
Ioccoca ... The late Joe Bernardi was father
of Kathy Kwiecinski and Carol Carson,
current Pepino's owners with Kathy's son-
in-law Dr. Chris Hutchinson ... Joe, who
founded Pepino's with wife, Helma, was
executive chef at the Ford Penthouse World
Headquarters ... On weekends, he worked
at the Ford House, cooking for Henry II and
Carol Carson, Dr. Chris Hutchinson,
Kathy Kwiecinski
Cristina Ford, and Lee and Mary
Iacocca.
Joe was responsible for the
excellent best-selling rainbow
trout at Pepino's ... It was his
favorite recipe, along with the
excellent black bean soup.
Also, now available during
Happy Hour as part of the small
plate selection is an antipasto
platter with top-grade cheese,
salami, Italian meats, marinated
olives, veggies and hand-cut
garlic cheese bread ... And every Thursday
evening, Pepino's features Tony Jefferson on
guitar with his smooth jazz for easy listening
... Many have seen Tony at Dirty Dog Jazz
Cafe, Cliff Bell's, Baker's Keyboard Lounge
and numerous jazz clubs around town.
Every three weeks there will be a top-
notch duo or trio along with dancing.
Yes, Pepino's never stops being the place
where people love to go ... and be seated
among the 112 seats in three cozy rooms
where dining is always a superb happening
that begins with a delightfully pleasant and
personable server bringing those delicious
marinated white beans and a basket of garlic
toast, brown soda bread with raisins, white
bread and sticks.
Then, perhaps, its wide choices of entrees
... rainbow trout, pan-fried or charbroiled
... (most order it pan-fried) ... along with
meuniere sauce for mouthwatering good-
ness ... Or, perhaps, the juicy and succulent
lamb chops with the fat seared off on an
open flame ... Or the whitefish cooked any
desired way, broiled, pan-fried or baked
... or Norwegian salmon poached or char-
broiled ... or petite frog legs, pasta, veal,
steaks, homemade chicken pot pie, pickerel,
prime rib, short ribs, baby back ribs, sword-
fish, charbroiled chicken breast, butterfly
shrimp, etc. ... an ongoing list of superb
dinners in an endless stream of goodness.
A new delicious appetizer, rock shrimp
scampi with fresh spinach over rice pilaf,
has been added to the fine
menu ... As has the entree of
sauteed fresh whitefish Siciliano
with seared tomatoes ... and
two new dinner salads, Salade
Nicoise with grilled Scottish
salmon and a filet mignon
special salad with fresh aspara-
gus, shredded cheese, sliced
egg, bacon and tomatoes ...
Added on as an extra side dish
is jumbo grilled asparagus with
shaved Parmesan cheese ...
And baked sweet potatoes are now included
in dinner offerings.
Pepino's summer hours are ... Tuesday-
Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday,
4-11 p.m.; Sunday, 4-9 p.m. ... Closed
Mondays.
Since the day that Joe and Helma
Bernardi opened the former Town Pump of
Walled Lake, back in 1984, Pepino's has been
a truly excellent restaurant with features that
are hard to beat ... good food, good prices,
good service ... in a casual and cozy atmo-
sphere that definitely spells a most wonder-
ful dining experience.
BRUNCH AT THE Whitney, Woodward,
Detroit, has become a "don't miss" adventure
with its warm dining experiences at this
time-honored restaurant ... Recent ratings
have the Whitney brunch easily among the
tops in this area.
ONE OF THE many requests to Nerio
and Irene Lelli, owners of the original Lelli's
Inn on Woodward, Detroit, was to serve
authentic Jewish chicken soup ... Mark
Zarkin, owner of Steven Lelli's On the Green,
12 Mile, between Halsted and Haggerty,
Farmington Hills, may come out with his
authentic version as a special ... A Jewish
chicken soup with dill, little salt and long,
narrow noodles.
IF HE LISTENED to customers through-
out the years who have asked why he
didn't have sandwiches or dishes named
after his former and present customers,
Stefan Becharas, owner of the Gallery on
Telegraph, south of 15 Mile, Bloomfield
Plaza, wouldn't have much room to list
anything else on the menu ... He would
have a local Hall of Fame mass selection
from David Hermelin, Doreen Hermelen,
William Davidson, Mickey Nemer, Eugene
Applebaum, Mike Hitch, Judge Avern Cohn,
Gov. Jim Blanchard, Chuck Daly, Nate
Forbes, etc., etc., etc.
His eatery, with Stefan's greetings and
goodbyes in Yiddish, is a popular sleeper
dining spot noted for its plain menu, and
ultra-stickler-like cleanliness, is simply
good ... Nothing fancy except the beautiful
framed artwork and artifacts around its
four walls.
FOLKS WHO ASK WHERE they can
get those fluffy omelets like they enjoyed at
Sunrise Cafe on Orchard Lake Road need
look no further ... Sunrise Cafe is still at
the same location on Orchard Lake Road
between 13 and 14 Mile roads, Farmington
Hills, and Rendezvous Cafe, Orchard Lake
Road, in the Robins Nest, off 14 Mile, West
Bloomfield, serve both fluffy and flat omelets.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE ... A man has six
children and is proud of his achievement.
So proud of himself that he starts calling his
wife "Mother of Six" in spite of her objections.
One night they go to a party. The man
decides that it's time to go home and wants
to find out if his wife is ready to leave. He
shouts at the top of his voice, "Shall we go
home, Mother of Six?'
His wife, irritated by her husband's lack
of discretion, shouts right back, "Anytime
you're ready, Father of Four!"
CONGRATS ... To David "Dave" Sachs
on his 64th birthday ... To Arthur "Art"
Dubin on his birthday ... To Jon Isenberg
on his 59th birthday ... (Correction, To
Seymour and Dr. Janet Rosen on their 60th,
not 50th, anniversary.) ❑
Danny's email address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net .
4'
S JAY BRUNCH RETURNS THIS SUMMER!
Join us on May 10th for Mother's Day,
with our regular brunch series
officially starting on May 31st.
View the menu at www.bistro82.com
For reservations, call 248.542.0082
401 S. Lafayette Ave. Royal Oak, MI • 248.542.0082 • Bistro82.com
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