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Great Greek Food In St. Clair Shores
I

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Louie Gianopoulos

t was selected among the
best Greek restaurants in
Metro Detroit by Channel 4
News two years in a row, 2015
and 2016.
This is Athenium Shish
Kabob on the corner of Harper
and 9 Mile, St. Clair Shores,
owned by Louie Gianopoulos.
Best-sellers may be its Greek
salads with chicken, shish
kebob, chicken kebob, beef
kabob, gyros dinner, lamb
shank and lamb chops …
However, many kudos are for
Athenium’s pasta mixed with its
own style of marinated chicken
breast, garlic and feta cheese …
Numerous customers also opt
for the tender shank of lamb,
covered with a specialty style of
tomato pilaf sauce, served with
rice or potato, choice of soup or
salad and Greek bread … or the
trout filet and filet of sword fish.
The building housing
Athenium Shish Kabob was
formerly a Red Barn franchise,
reason for the barn shape of the
building where many residents
in that neck of the woods have
fond memories of eating and
enjoying.
Seating is only 70 with a
counter for four more … Hours
are Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-10
p.m. … Sunday from 9 a.m.
It is always a good sign when
a local neighborhood ethnic res-
taurant enjoys overly favorable
attention … Athenium Shish
Kabob deserves the accolades it
receives.

MAIL DEPT … “You prob-
ably don’t remember me, but I
once wrote telling you I found
out that Prince Mike Romanoff
created the Caesar salad at his
restaurant in Hollywood, Calif.
Then I read from you it was
created by a chef in Tijuana,
Mexico. Nobody I have talked to
since can tell me who did come
up with it. I love Caesar salads
and so does my wife, Dorothy.
We are shocked when it comes
differently so many times, and
we do not like it with anchovies
or are often asked if we want a
chicken Caesar salad.” … Martin
Gouldstein.
(Yes, Martin, I have found the
same things numerous times
when I order a Caesar salad. It
comes so often the wrong way.
And there is no such thing as a
chicken Caesar salad. It really
should be called Caesar salad
with chicken (or whatever).
Chef Caesar Cardini absolutely
and most definitely came up
with the Caesar salad at his
Caesar’s Palace restaurant in
Tijuana, Mexico. There positive-
ly are no anchovies in the origi-
nal one. Mike Romanoff (Harry
Gerguson) might have created a
Caesar salad with anchovies.
When you and your wife
order Caesar salad and it comes
with more than a slight taste
of anchovies, it could probably
have been made with too much
Worchestershire sauce. Best
places for a truly good Caesar
salad are at restaurants where it

is prepared tableside so you can
see for yourself. But unless you
like or don’t mind anchovies,
tell the server to be sure not to
have any put in. Many waitper-
sons do not know the difference
and think a Caesar salad is
properly made with anchovies.)
READER MINI-REVIEW …
From Dennis Silber … “We were
recently introduced to Prime
Catch on Woolbright Road in
Boynton Beach, Fla., by lifelong
Detroit friends Leslie and Denny
Rogers. The logo above the door
says, ‘The Freshest Fish. The
Freshest Ideas.’ Nestled aside
the intra-coastal waterway, this
charming restaurant has a great
menu, with interesting specials,
a wine bar of more than 3,000
bottles and a staff of helpful
personnel for both water-side or
indoor dining.
We were there on a Monday
night when live lobsters are at
savings and shared 1¼ lb. to
2-lb. lobsters that were perfectly
steamed and cracked for easy
eating, great lobster salad of
Maine lobster, bacon, heirloom
tomatoes, greens and cham-
pagne vinaigrette. Also, zuc-
chini, sweet potato fries and a
very special Key Lime pie with a
unique crust, so different with a
sweet taste instead of that tradi-
tional bitter lime taste.
Other weekday specials
offered year-round, are Prime
Rib Night on Wednesdays and
Oyster Night on Thursdays.
Early dinner specials include

lobster bake, pecan trout and
baked Florida lump crab in
rounding out an interesting
menu. Thanks to its intro-
duction by Leslie and Denny
Rogers, we will be back.”
GOOD SERVER DEPT …
You are awed at the smooth
know-how deftness with which
he debones your Dover Sole
tableside at Steven Lelli’s Inn on
the Green, 12 Mile, Farmington
Hills … Until discovering your
efficient server, Fawzy “Doc”
Mekhleel, is also a bona fide
medical doctor graduate of an
Egyptian university.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
A man called his mother in
Florida. “Mom, how are you?”
“Not too good,” says the
mother. “I’ve been very weak.”
The son asks, “Why are you
so weak?”
She answers “Because I
haven’t eaten in 38 days.”
“That’s terrible,” the sonsays.
“Why haven’t you eaten in 38
days?”
The mother answers,
“Because I didn’t want my
mouth to be filled with food if
you should call.”
CONGRATS … To David
Blatt on his birthday … To Herb
Saperstein on his 83rd birth-
day … To Ken Marcus on his
birthday … To Avi Kapen on his
birthday … To Ed and Fran Gold
on their 50th anniversary.•

Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

Celebratin
g
50 Years!

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January 12 • 2017

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