4

s,

a

4,

B

great fall flavor to the meal. The oversized
grilled scallops over lentils are cooked per-
fectly. The farm egg also had the table rav-
ing, but I don't eat egg yolks (don't
get me started), so I'll leave it to
you to try it when you visit. You
could make a meal out of their
appetizers alone, just as you might
at Phoenicia (I do).
From there, the table conquered
a number of their entrees, and
each was a hit in its own right.
I opted for the duck breast,
seared perfectly and served with
a delicious apricot glaze. But the
definite winner for best meal in the house
was the short rib, served with spaghetti
squash. The meat was tender, juicy and
nearly fell apart without even using a knife.
It was absolutely to die for.
For fish lovers, there's a delicious
bronzino on the menu, which is also a
personal favorite at Phoenicia, but Forest
manages to make this dish its own, served
with quinoa, pine nuts and pomegranate.
As the perfect end to an incredible
meal, the desserts did not disappoint. The
olive oil cake is not only unique, but also
delicious. The combination of citrus and
olive oil with the crunch of the cake is
worth the trip alone. Also excellent was
the baked Alaska, a sort of intrepid dish,
frankly, whether on a menu or served in
someone's home — ifs not an easy one to
do right, but Forest knocked it out of the
park, which, by this point, should come as
no surprise.
Bottom line — if you loved Forest
Grill, or you love Phoenicia, or you just
like to eat well, then the latest addition to
Birmingham's fine dining scene will defi-
nitely find a place on your list of favorites.

MAZEL TOVS
Happy birthday to Linda Dresner, Carla
Schwartz, Mike Ran, Lisa Surnow, Brad
Kifferstein, Mataan Lis, Lisa Brody, Arthur
Gluzman, Daniel Baum and Samantha
Friedman. *

RESTAURANT

Mediterranean Persian Cuisine

Forest Is Fantastic

reathing new life into a restaurant
that's been around for its fair share
of years is no simple task When
you're not starting from scratch,
you have a difficult balance to
maintain — weighing what was
loved about the place against
what you plan to do differently.
You have old customers to please,
new customers to attract and a
laundry list of other competing
interests that simply make it a
Ryan
daunting venture.
Fishma
Having said that, when it's
done right, there's nothing like
bringing together some nostalgia, fresh
ideas and the personal touch of a caring,
involved owner known and loved by his
community. That's what you'll find at the
new Forest, formerly the Forest Grill in
Birmingham (735 Forest Ave).
If you've ever eaten at Phoenicia, you've
come to know and love the Eids as much
as the ribs and hashwi. Omar, his son Samy
and their team do an excellent job, always.
So when the announcement was made
that Samy had acquired the old Forest Grill
with plans for a complete makeover in July,
I know I wasn't the only person in town
excited to see its transformation.
A little patience certainly paid off, and
the new Forest does so well what many
have failed to do right — Samy has truly
reinvented a classic restaurant with a
more contemporary "world menu" and a
new ambiance that can and will attract a
younger crowd.
To truly appreciate the new menu from
Executive Chef Nick Janutol, I brought a
few friends to make sure we left no stone
unturned. The consensus, with every appe-
tizer, entree and dessert, was that Samy hit
a home run.
Even before the meal, it's worth noting
that Forest is baking its own miniature
baguettes served with a house-made butter
that is absolutely to die for.
We started with the butternut squash
risotto, which was creamy and brought a

PARS

30005 Orchard Lake Road
Farmington Hills

. . - _

1 14

-

.

-

111,1M

(North of 13 Mile)

www.pars1resturant.com

248.851.8200

Pars Mediterranean Restaurant

20% Off

Total Food Bill

Exp. 1.3.16

Hours:
Mon-Thur
llam-lOpm

Fri & Sat
11 am-11 pm

Sunday
11 am-9pm

Pars Mediterranean Restaurant

Buy One Entrée
Get 2nd Entrée

1 /2 Off

Exp. 1.3.16

2042180

DON'T JUST SERVE ANY SANDWICH

SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS TIL SUPERBOWL
TREAT YOUR TEAM TO A

x

rAJLGATE TACKLE

4

$39 serves 6-8

X 2 pounds of your choice of meat

X 1 loaf double baked hand sliced rye

1/2 pound sliced cheese

1 quart either potato salad or cole slaw

mustard, mayo & Russian dressing

and of course... PICKLES!

ORDER AHEAD - 24 HOUR NOTICE IS APPRECIATED!

PLAZA DELI

C. 248.356.2310

29145 Northwestern

iE Plaza-Deli.com

Southfield, MI 48034

PlazaDeliMichigan

2038010

December 31. 2015

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