40 January 14 2016
Soup For You
A
s far as I
m concerned, no sit-
com is more quintessentially
Jewish than Seinfeld (short
of co-creator Larry David
s Curb Your
Enthusiasm). Now the inspiration
for one of the show
s most infamous
characters is bringing his product
to a Kroger
s shelf near you, thus I
d
contend it
s worth a mention on these
pages.
Ali
Al Yeganeh
s Soup Kitchen
International (which closed
in 2004, only to later reopen
in the same location on West
55th Street in Midtown) made
him famous in Manhattan
long before the Soup Nazi
was a household name. His
dictatorial demeanor gave
him a reputation one
that ultimately inspired the
Emmy-nominated character
played by actor Larry Thomas
in the NBC hit
s seventh season a
performance he based not on Yeganeh,
who is of Iranian decent, but rather on
Egyptian actor Omar Sharif
s role in
Lawrence of Arabia.
Yeganeh wasn
t thrilled with the por-
trayal. As the story goes, and just weeks
after his eponymous episode aired, he
threw Seinfeld and several other writers
out of his restaurant when they came
in for lunch, borrowing a phrase from
his TV counterpart, and declaring, No
soup for you!
As frustrated as he may have been,
Yeganeh spun that fame into a success-
ful, publicly traded company The
Original SoupMan. He
s franchised his
name and recipes for use in restaurants
(where no mention of Seinfeld or the
word Nazi is permitted) and a retail
line of packaged soups made by SoBe
Beverages, produced under Yeganeh
s
fastidious supervision.
Those 15-ounce heat-and-serve
packages will now be available across
the state and country at Kroger and its
affiliate stores, more than 2,100 loca-
tions all told. A number of his recipes
are now available, including Yeganeh
s
lobster bisque, chicken noodle, chicken
gumbo, and crab and corn chowder.
Will Newman
s beloved jambalaya be
forthcoming? Only time will tell.
ITEMS OF NOTE
The highly anticipated La Rondinella
in Eastern Market (2453 Russell St.),
featuring Italian recipes from Supino
Pizzeria owner Dave Mancini, is now
officially open to the public. A number
of early cost overruns delayed a series
of soft openings planned for last
month. Per its Facebook page,
the restaurant will be open
Tuesdays through Saturdays,
5-10 p.m.
Speaking of delayed open-
ings, Granite City Food &
Brewery plans to open its 35th
location in the Renaissance
Center next month after a
number of engineering issues
popped up last fall in the mas-
sive, 16,000-square-foot space.
Pushed from October to November,
ultimately the company decided to
wait until after the holidays and North
American International Auto Show to
debut Downtown. The location will
feature a new menu for the chain when
it opens on Feb. 10, per the company
s
Facebook page.
The city of Detroit
s burgeoning
foodie scene got some national atten-
tion to kick off the new year, with the
Washington Post proclaiming the city a
food mecca in a Jan. 5 article. Among
the restaurants lucky enough to snag
a mention were Antietam, Central
Kitchen + Bar, Gold Cash Gold, Grey
Ghost Detroit (set to open in Midtown
this spring), Parks and Rec Diner,
Rose
s Fine Food, Selden Standard,
Two James Spirits and Wright &
Company. For a deeper look at some
of the most exciting culinary develop-
ments south of Eight Mile, head to
www.washingtonpost.com to read the
full article.
MAZEL TOV TO:
David Wolkinson a wonderful friend
and community leader and his
beautiful fiancee, Amy Pappas, on their
engagement.
Shoshana Gruber and Ari Esterson
on their marriage.
Florine Mark on her forthcoming
honorary doctoral degree from Oakland
University Department of Health.
Happy birthday to Bill Graham,
Bryce Sandler, Charles Russman,
Allie Sherman, Judi Schram, Andrea
Bernstein, Adam Blanck and Alex
Howard. *
fressing
with fishman
Ryan
Fishman
arts & life
Mediterranean Persian Cuisine
Hours:
Mon-Thur
11am-10pm
Fri & Sat
11am-11pm
Sunday
11am-9pm
30005 Orchard Lake Road
Farmington Hills
(North of 13 Mile)
www.pars1resturant.com
248.851.8200
Pars Mediterranean Restaurant
20% Off
Total Food Bill
Exp. 12.19.16
Pars Mediterranean Restaurant
Buy One Entre
Get 2nd Entre
1/2 Off
Exp. 12.19.16
2053780
DON,T JUST SERVE ANY SANDWICH
248.356.2310
Plaza-Deli.com
PlazaDeliMichigan
PLAZA DELI
29145 Northwestern
Southfield, MI 48034
ORDER AHEAD - 24 HOUR NOTICE IS APPRECIATED!
2 pounds of your choice of meat
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!
SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS TIL SUPERBOWL
TREAT YOUR TEAM TO A
$39 serves 6-8
2038010
2060100
3
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