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Pizza Praise

Awards earned for the palate-pleasing pies at Tomatoes Apizza.

I

he taste buds of a graduate from the
and Sam ... as their way of saying thanks to
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde
America after coming here from Syria years
Park, N.Y., may be cultivated in such
ago.
a way as to know the differences in palate-
SUSHI LOVERS ARE in for a huge treat
pleasing.
with recent opening of the new Feng Taste
This could be why Mike Weinstein's pizzas
on Orchard Lake Road, south of 13 Mile (east
at his Tomatoes Apizza ... 14 years on 14 Mile
side, across from and between Direct Optical
and Middlebelt, Broadway Plaza, Farmington
and ABC Warehouse), Farmington Hills ... It
Hills ... and 17 years on Halsted, north of
is the former New Sahara site.
Grand River, Concorde Plaza, Farmington Hills Danny Raskin
One of the many Feng Taste items,
Senior Columnist
... have received many accolades and awards.
Dynamite Roll, cannot be gotten anywhere
GQ magazine calls it "One of the 25 best
else except perhaps Joe Muer Seafood,
pizzas you'll ever eat" ... Food Network says they are one
Detroit, from where Feng Taste owner Yuefeng Cao came
of the top 50 in Michigan ... In Ed Levine's Serious Eats
after opening and making the menu as head sushi chef for
book, he writes that Mike's pizzas are among the best 20
four years ... He had gone there following seven years at
in the country ... and Penny Pollack raves about them in
Fishbone's in Greektown.
her book Everybody Loves Pizza.
Dynamite Roll is one of Yeufeng's pride of all the origi-
Much of the goodness from offerings by Tomatoes
nals he has come up with ... And it is making huge waves,
Apizza no doubt comes from one of the world's 17 coal-
thrilling sushi aficionados with its excellent taste-bud
fired pizza ovens at 14 Mile and his brick
delight ... The togetherness of spicy crab
oven fired with natural gas at Halsted ...
baked on shrimp, avocado and cucum-
together from Mike's extreme devotion to
ber, topped with a barbecue sauce is a
his unbelievable love of pizza.
very delicious delicacy ... along with so
Seating on 14 Mile is for 60 and Halsted,
many other goodies on the Feng Taste
operated by his wife, Colleen, holds 70 ...
menu.
Both locations are open Monday-Friday,
Guys and gals who may be allergic to
11-10; Saturday, 11-11; Sunday, noon-10.
fish have a selection of goody rolls from
IT'S SOON HERE AGAIN ... Free tur-
which to select that are also wonderful ...
key dinners ... No gimmicks ... Nothing
Plus a large number of Chinese dishes ...
to buy or sell ... At Moe Leon's Moe's on
Yuefeng had started out years back with
Ten, 10 Mile, just west of Haggerty, Novi ...
Musashi in Southfield's Town Center.
and brother Sam Leon, at his Leon's Family
People from almost everywhere seem
TOMATOES
Dining on Michigan Avenue, Dearborn ...
to be finding Feng Taste in heavy num-
No tipping ... Employee wages taken care
bers ... especially for the Dynamite Roll,
Mike Weinstein
of by Moe and Sam ... Free turkey dinners
it seems.
are 3-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day
There are few like a true sushi chef/
before Thanksgiving ... All ages welcome
owner of his own restaurant ... Most
... Includes chicken noodle soup, mashed
important are the assured freshness,
potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pumpkin pie and soft
cleanliness and made-to-order factors ... Not the least
drink.
being a smiling pride the sushi chef/owner gets when see-
In Novi, Moe also works with the city to help bring
ing folks enjoying his or her food.
senior citizens to his restaurant ... If given, any tips or
CLOSING OF the Lark restaurant, Dec. 23, brings to
donations during dinner are donated to Toys for Tots ...
her mind that Jim Lark, its owner and founder, was the
Free turkey dinners! ... What a wonderful gesture by Moe first customer at Cafe Cortina in Farmington Hills when

401 S. LAFAYETTE AVE. ROYAL OAK, MI 48067
WWW.BISTRO82.COM 248.542.0082

70

Rina Tonon and her late husband, Adriano Tonon, opened
it years ago ... Jim told Rina that he was thinking of open-
ing his own restaurant ... which he did years later ... She
recalls having Adriano's 40th surprise birthday at the Lark
the first two months that Jim opened, buying out the res-
taurant's entire 50 seats ... a surprise for Jim, too.
SHE WEARS MANY hats as general manager at
Georges Restaurant, Northwestern Highway, West
Bloomfield, bringing oodles of much experience in
numerous phases of dining operation ... Trina Genovic
was tops as a server at the many-starred prestigious
North Restaurant in Westchester County, N.Y., waitper-
son and bartender at the highly touted Purdy's Farmer
& the Fish in North Salem, N.Y., dining room manager
and catering director at 24 Grille in Detroit's Westin
Book Cadillac Hotel and bartender at Beau's, Bloomfield
Township.
Persons like this with such a much-acclaimed track
record in the dining game are well worth whatever com-
mendations he or she receives ... Trina is also hardly lazy,
not just standing by watching others work, pitching in to
help when needed ... And she knows how to smile, too!
OLDIE BUT GOODIE (revised for sports fans, a bit) ...
Joe was cleaning the attic and found a beautiful old lamp.
As he rubbed off the dust, a genie popped out.
"Thank you for releasing me from this prison;' said
the genie. "To show my gratitude I will grant you one
wish."
"Wonderful: said the surprised Joe. He reached for his
Atlas and pointed to a map of Israel. "The people there
have been fighting for as long as I can remember. My one
wish is to bring peace to this land:"
"Um ... that's a little difficult ..." stammered the genie.
"These people ... they've been ... it goes back ... Sorry,
I'm afraid you'll have to make another wish:"
"Too bad:' said Joe sadly. "Could you at least help the
Detroit Lions win a couple more football games this year?"
The genie thought a moment, then opened his hand.
"Hmmm, let me see that map again ..:"
CONGRATS ... To Kathie Anderson on her birthday ...
To Jeff Metzger on his birthday ... To Al and Joy Nettle on
their 60th anniversary. *

Danny's email address is dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.