essing With Fishman
IN
hen I was a kid, pizza was a
simple, sort of magical thing.
A big, greasy chunk of bread
covered in cheese and whatever else we
could imagine — be it pepperoni or pep-
peroncini.
It was an easy way to distract
and placate hungry, picky, whin-
ing kids whether served up by
mom, dad, grandparents, school
teachers, babysitters — you name
it. Pizza was sort of a cure-all, like
macaroni and cheese or fast food;
it was fast, simple, cheap and had
almost no nutritional value to
speak of.
But I've come to learn we were
never really eating pizza. By the standards
of today's gourmets, we were eating the
watered down, commercialized version of
an Italian masterpiece. For years, we were
fed the culinary equivalent of a cartoon
sketch of the Mona Lisa. Tony Soprano
would have labeled it strictly for the
Americano.
Today, however, even in America, you
can truly enjoy a pie as the Italians intend-
ed. Perhaps, one might contend we've
even improved the art of the slice. Short of
Little Caesar's, almost any self-respecting
pizza shop today offers everything from
whole wheat and gluten-free crust to vegan
cheese and toppings like shrimp
and chorizo.
In fact, it's that combination,
alongside cilantro pesto, roasted
red peppers, fontina, gruyere and
feta that proves an upscale pizze-
ria like Crispelli's is truly working
imagination into its menu, no
different than one might knead
flour into dough.
I didn't opt for their "kosher
special" (I really hope that title
catches on), but it's on a short list for my
next visit to their newly minted West
Bloomfield location in the old Brody's
space just south of Maple and Orchard
Lake roads. The spot carries more than
just the menu over from their Berkley loca-
tion on Woodward — it brings with it a
hip, modern ambiance typically reserved
for restaurants east of Telegraph. The next
time you're planning to meet your kids or
grandkids for lunch but have to
beg them to leave Birmingham,
it's certainly a better option than
Chinese or a deli.
The decor blends an
Old-World market feeling —
which lends itself to displaying
their many fresh and healthy
ingredients throughout the res-
taurant — with polished concrete floors,
industrial wood and the steel of their
kitchen equipment readily visible in their
open layout. Wine cellar racks line the
walls of their smaller dining room, and
in warmer weather you can enjoy their
floor-to-ceiling windows that open for an
almost-outdoor dining experience.
But let's get back to the pizza. Seriously
gourmet pizza, in fact, which they boast is
ready in just five minutes.
Crispelli's serves up either an Italian
thin crust for those of us, myself included,
who prefer the big New York-style slice or
their "Detroit-style" deep dish. Their red
pie is on point — with tomato sauce, moz-
zarella, sausage and caramelized onions,
but I'm also a softie for their white pie —
traditional mozzarella, olive oil, parmesan,
minced and roasted garlic, and artichoke
heart.
But there's more to Crispelli's than just
the pizza.
Their oversized deli sandwich offerings
range from tuna salad and corned beef to
cedar plank salmon and flank steak. Their
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paninis are grilled with parmesan butter
on their daily baked bread and provide
another opportunity to show off their
Italian bonafides. My personal favorite is
their caprese, the simple, yet elegant com-
bination of tomato, mozzarella and basil
on rustic Italian bread, but my fiancee was
drooling over their take on grilled cheese
— a combination of fontina, raw milk
cheddar, gruyere and fresh herbs on sour-
dough bread.
Classic pastas like spaghetti and meat-
balls or lasagna and an enticing selection
of half-pound burgers served on an onion
roll round out the menu, but I do have to
mention two other highlights.
Their Crispelli salad, a take on the clas-
sic Italian salad would — I hope — make
even Mark Zarkin proud. It's an oversized
portion of house blend lettuce, garbanzo
beans, cucumber, carrot, tomato, olive,
parmesan cheese, crostini and red wine
vinaigrette. Their salads are featured in
single portions, as an entree, or enough to
feed the whole family.
Then there are the Bosco sticks. Growing
up, my brother and I took packed lunches
to school, so this was a new concept for
me, but I'm told they truly live up to
the cafeteria-style cheese-stuffed bread
sticks once featured at Andover or West
Bloomfield High School.
Mazel Toy
And thank you to Laurenne Kaufman on
joining the IDF as an artillery instructor this
month.
To Alex Stuart and Ryan Mollen on their
marriage.
To Sara Spalter and Jeff Sonne on their
marriage.
To Mike Segal and Becky Klein on their
marriage.
To Adam Bleznak and Meryl Sklar on
their upcoming nuptials later this month.
❑
specials.
To show appreciation to the
loyal guests, a month-long
celebration will take place in
September, featuring retro pric-
ing, day and night happy hours
and contests.
On Saturday, Sept. 12, Hector
& Jimmy's will host the Aaron
Vaughn Band under the big top
in its first-ever tent party in the
parking lot.
"It's our way of giving back, of
saying thank you to our friends
for their continued support as
partners in our success," said
Eggl.
Make Your
There's a new pop-up dining
secret society called Detroit
Underground Omakase. Its
September event has been sold
out, but tickets are on sale for its
second event on Oct. 24 for $35.
Visit https://squareup.com/
market/detroitundergroundomakase
for more information and an address
for the dinner.
The second annual Detroit
Cocktail Classic will celebrate
the culture and craft of the
cocktail on Saturday, Oct. 3, at
The Garden Theater in Midtown
Detroit from 7-11 p.m. This gala
celebration will feature more than
a dozen of Detroit's most
celebrated drinking establish-
ments, spirits and brands serving
up signature craft cocktails.
Each establishment is paired
with a top-shelf spirit to concoct
a signature drink for the occasion
that will be served at their unique
"Libation Station" inside the
Garden Theater.
Attendees will taste their way
around the event, interacting and
engaging with representatives
from each establishment and
spirit purveyor.
DJ Bertram Cooper will spin
a combination of retro and new
lounge tracks between sets.
A limited amount of Earlybird
Tickets are available for $25. Advance
tickets can then be purchased for $40.
Each attendee will receive 15 bev-
erage samples with admission.
For more info, visit the website
detroitcocktail.com. ❑
DETROITCOCKTRILCOM
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September 3 • 2015
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