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Viva Italia!
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Roma Cafe still
wowing diners
since 1934.
When the Detroit Jewish News
published its first edition in
1942, a restaurant still in exis-
tence today had been open since
1934 … It was the brainchild
of Morris, Paul and Otto Sossi
in a building on Erskine and
Riopelle, near Detroit’s Eastern
Market, that had been there
since the late 1880s … and was
known as a good combination
restaurant, grocery store and
somebody’s home.
Lovers of Italian food still
acclaim Roma Cafe among
the finest servers of authentic
Italian specialties in this region
… with a large emphasis on
home-cooking … Its veal dishes
are constant winners, as are the
spaghetti selections with made-
on-the-premises noodles … Also,
huge kudos continually gotten
for Roma Cafe’s award-winning
meat sauce … And vegetarian
dishes including its delightfully
delicious fried eggplant and egg-
plant parmigiana … Being by the
Eastern Market, where so many
other restaurateurs and chefs
go, you can certainly count on
freshness.
When Hector Sossi took over
ownership, it was a crowning
point in his life … with remem-
brances of when he once served
as a Roma Cafe busboy many
years ago.
Roma Cafe has always been
an authentic Italian restaurant
dream visitation by those who
know this ethnic dining best
… It is today operated by Janet
Belcoure, daughter of the late
Hector Sossi, who was the neph-
ew of co-founder Morris Sossi.
PROVIDING YOUNGSTERS
WITH special needs camp
scholarships and JCC youth pro-
gramming was reason enough
… And so, another guys and
gals outpouring added to the
festivities for a great 11th annual
JCC Michigan-Florida Reunion
Dinner, Golf Classic and Games
at Boynton Beach’s Indian Creek
Country Club.
Bruce Gursky, Larry Miller,
Dennis Chaiken and Jerry
Minkin made up the men’s win-
ning foursome … Beth Gursky,
Julie Chaiken, Ellen Minkin and
Carol Miller were winners of the
ladies group … Awards were also
captured by Danny Weiss, Mike
Kalt, Leo and Libby Sklar, Sandy
Levison and Eleanor Bluestone.
HERE IS ANOTHER super
special that diners will love …
It’s an 8- to 10-ounce cold water
lobster tail … including soup or
salad and accompaniments …
$22.95 at all Andiamo restau-
rants … good any day through
April 30 (except Easter Sunday).
REARVIEW MIRROR …
My forgettable experience as
escort for Zsa Zsa Gabor, guest
speaker at the City of Hope
Cancer Fighters annual dinner
years ago … On the way back
from the airport, where her little
dog stopped on the runway to
deposit its wee wee as Zsa Zsa
joyously exclaimed, “Isn’t that
cute!” … Then in the limo en
route to Northwood Inn where
she was staying, “ordering”
me to take the pacifier cigar
out of my mouth … Staying at
Northwood Inn only if she had
separate rooms for putting on
her makeup, hanging up her
furs and sleeping that night
… And, of course, one for her
dog … Neither City of Hope
President Eleanor Riseman
or Dinner Chairperson Ida
Rosenberg warned me as to why
George Sanders probably left
her.
HE HAS the sort of name
that thrills children who hope
they will be taken to a circus …
Problem though is that West
Bloomfield and St Clair Shores
Dr. Scott Sircus doesn’t have
youngster patients … The highly
esteemed and much-regarded
urologist plies his trade only
with adults …
MAIL DEPT … “We’ve decid-
ed not to rebuild or move back
to the old location of Pepino’s.
We miss it, but we are so very
happy here on Orchard Lake
Road in Sylvan Lake and will
always hold the 31-plus years in
Walled Lake close to our hearts.
The property has been put up
for sale. We’ve held steady with
our regular main menu plus
adding new fish specials as they
come in season and updating
our wine list” — Co-owner Kathy
Morley.
GOOD SERVER DEPT. …
Kathy Rodgers at Pickles & Rye
Delicatessen, West Bloomfield
Plaza, Orchard Lake Road,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays …
The kind of waitress that people
ask for … Very efficient service
with a great smile and much
know-how.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
Fellow takes a seat at the lunch
counter and orders a corned
beef sandwich. “Corned beef
sandwich is not on the menu,
but I can give you a sandwich
with corned beef in it, like our
Midnight Special,” the guy at the
deli says.
“What’s a Midnight Special?”
asks the man.
“A triple decker with corned
beef, tongue, bologna, tomato,
lettuce, onion, pickle and mayon-
naise on toasted raisin bread,”
says the deli gent.
“Couldn’t you just put some
corned beef between two pieces
of rye bread?” asked the cus-
tomer.
“Sure,” the deli guy says and
then turns to his sandwich man:
“One Midnight Special. Make it
one deck, hold the tongue, bolo-
gna, tomato, lettuce, onion, pick-
le and mayonnaise and make the
raisin bread rye, untoasted!”
CONGRATS … To Don Cohen
on his birthday … To Betty Ellias
on her birthday … To Elizabeth
Applebaum on her birthday. •
Email Danny at dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
Happy
Passover!
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April 6 • 2017
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