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


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