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T

here was a time years ago, when 
truly authentic ethnic dining res-
taurants in America were largely 
restricted to New York, Chicago and Los 
Angeles and a few scattered others.
However, thanks to the ever-growing 
presence of immigrants from overseas and 
the huge upsurges of many diverse cultural 
food presentations from these native coun-
tries, their traditional dishes became highly 
desired here and grew in large numbers.
There was no question about many of 
them, insofar as authenticity was concerned 
 But a problem existed when numerous 
chefs and cooks said I can do better and 
received kitchen jobs  However, authentic 
means just that  and nothing else  not 
even maybe or somewhat.
A chef who completely personifies true 
authentic heads the kitchen as a partner 
with her husband at the popular Indo 
Indonesian restaurant on Cass Lake Road, 
between Orchard Lake Road and Cass 
Elizabeth, Keego Harbor.
They don
t come any more authentic 
than Chef Melik Alonzo, owner with hus-
band, Nick  She is from Central Java, 
Indonesia, and prepares those wonderful 
traditional family recipes from which folks 
choose at Indo  Theirs is 
the only brick-and-mortar 
Indonesian restaurant in 
Michigan  That brick-and-
mortar reference is a tradi-
tional street-side business 
that deals with its customers 
face-to-face and is generally 
open to the public at least 
five days a week  So-called 
pop-ups in Indonesia gener-
ally do not have a set loca-
tion and present limited pre-
sentations at various venues.
Indo is closed on Mondays 

and Tuesdays  Open 
Wednesday, Thursday and 
Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.; 
Friday and Saturday, noon 
to 11 p.m.  Seating in the 
dining room is 80  A liquor 
license has been recently 
acquired.
Those folks seeking places 
that can present dishes no 
other restaurant has avail-
able can certainly look to 
Indo, where Chef Melik and 
Nick Alonzo, proudly serve truly delicious 
Indonesian food  Chicken coconut soup, 
crispy garlic tofu, stuffed tofu, Rendang 
(a slowly cooked spicy beef), Ayam Java 
spicy chicken, Peppercorn Beef, Indo 
crispy shrimp, Beef Delight, Javanese garlic 
shrimp, Curry Tofu, Sweet and Sour tofu, 
sambal eggs, etc.  Plus Jamu, Indonesia
s 
traditional tumeric and ginger herbal tea  
Add these dishes to the regular large selec-
tion and you certainly have a wonderful 
dining adventure.
Indo is noted by vegans for its unusually 
large dining choices, with special accom-
modations also made for plant-based 
vegans who do not eat oil or nuts  There 
may be small smat-
terings of Vietnamese 
dishes, too, like Banh 
Mi Pate Thit, the 
baguette sandwich 
with homemade pate 
and grilled beef or 
chicken  But mostly 
Melik
s colorful and 
marvelous tasting 
Indonesian favorites 
that are with very 
few ethnic culinary 
equals.
All dishes may be 

ordered mild, medium and hot 
with assurance of it being such 
 This is only the second anni-
versary of Indo, but already it has 
made a most indelible mark in 
the acclaimed realm of authentic 
ethnic dining.
The preparation and presenta-
tion of Indonesian cuisine at Indo 
is a truly enjoyable experience.
MAIL DEPT.  From Jim 
Hiller, former owner of Hiller
s 
Markets  When my buddy 
Mike Sucher comes to town, it
s always a 
trip in the way-back machine. Mike left for 
the brown pastures of Arizona to practice 
medicine in 1974, and we always need to 
revisit the places and foods of our child-
hood whenever he comes to visit. This time 
it was Duly
s Place on Vernor Highway in 
Southwest Detroit. A fixture in that spot 
since 1921 and, according to Anthony 
Bourdain, who ate there in 2014, it
s the 
only 
great
 coney dog you can get in a city 
that serves up lots of good ones. I have to 
agree! This hole-in-the-wall diner produces 
stellar Coney Island hot dogs, loose burgers 
and the best chili ever. A great breakfast is 
served 24 hours a day (yep, they
re open 
all night for us insomniacs), along with 
sandwiches and all the accouterments you
d 
expect from an all-night diner with about 
30 seats, including the counter, in a rough 
and tumble neighborhood. This is a place 
that memories are made of.
DINING DEAL DEPT.  10-ounce Sea 
Bass  Complete meal includes soup or 
salad, potato, vegetable and bread basket 
 $9.95  10 days only  Thursday, Oct. 
27, through Saturday, Nov. 5  No coupons 
 Siegel
s Deli, West Maple, just west of 
Haggerty, Commerce Township.
QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT.  My 
boyfriend, Syd Millman, and I had ham-

burgers at Mr. Joe
s, and they were great. 
But we had a heated argument. He says that 
the name 
hamburger
 is just something 
made up by somebody somewhere. I told 
him that someone once told me that the 
sandwich used to have ham in it and was 
never changed, so I
ve always gone with 
that. Who is right?  Shirley Shiffman.
(As far as I know, you might both be 
off base. The question has come up many 
times because it still has ham in the 
name. I think it traces back to Hamburg, 
Germany, where folks years ago used to eat 
a food called Hamburg steak. The Hamburg 
steak name made its way to the United 
States where it was shortened to hamburger. 
Now kiss and make up.) 
OLDIE BUT GOODIE DEPT.  Morris, 
owner of a small Jewish delicatessen, was 
being questioned by an Internal Revenue 
Service agent about his tax return. He had 
reported a net profit of $60,000 for the year. 
Why don
t you people leave me alone? 
Morris said. I work like a dog. Everyone 
in my family helps out. The place is only 
closed three days a year. And you want to 
know how I made $60,000? 
It
s not your income that bothers us, the 
agent said. It
s these business travel deduc-
tions of $125,000. You listed 10 trips to 
Israel for you and your wife. 
Oh, that? said Morris, smiling. We also 
deliver!
CONGRATS  To Scott Raskin on his 
birthday  To Kathy Kwiecinski on her 
birthday  To Hazel Bender on her birth-
day  To Melissa Litvin on her birthday 
 To Eileen Finck on her birthday  To 
Rose Light on her birthday  To Herb and 
Audrey Saperstein on their 60th anniver-
sary. *

Danny
s email address is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

Ethnic Dining Waves

Indo brings much-heralded truly authentic Indonesian cuisine. 

Melik and Nick Alonzo

58 October 27  2016

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

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