raskin 75

th

an

the best of everything

niversary

A Cozy Gem

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Moro’s Dining is

worth the drive

to Allen Park.

Tom Moro

From selling produce off the
back of a truck and cooking
rotisserie chickens, both as
a child, to making hamburg-
ers as a teenager … to Mario’s
on Second as a parking valet,
dishwasher, making soups and
sauces, etc. … to opening his
own restaurant in 1981 … the
highly successful Moro’s Dining
on Allen Road, off Southfield
Road in Allen Park, is a culmi-
nation of Tom Moro’s dream-
come-true.
That dream included a vision
of waiters in tuxedos who
would graciously wait on tables
as well as prepare flaming dish-
es tableside.
Being a staunch Hungarian
soul, but sticking to his culi-
nary guns, he opted to have a
Northern Italian eatery with
slight smatterings of Hungarian,
Greek and French dishes, too.
Moro’s Dining may not be the
classy-looking restaurant Tom
might have enjoyed having,
but it does have the coziness
of maybe 75 people at most
who finish off their meals with
a time-honored (but rarely
presented elsewhere anymore)
no-charge basket of fruit … Plus
a wonderful salad freshly and
elegantly prepared … also at no
charge … at your table.
Tom Moro’s ultimate dream
of completely satisfying dining
… without price gouging … is
certainly his fine Moro’s Dining
where so many people defy any

distance to perhaps achieve
their ultimate dining aspiration
as well.
READER REMEMBERS …
From Russi Arden … “Among my
favorite restaurants was cer-
tainly Sammy Sofferin’s Wonder
Bar on Washington Boulevard.
I used to love its wonderful
Powatan Salad so chock full
of delicious weight-watching
goodness. And their delicious
meals … Among my memo-
rable evenings at the Wonder
Bar, I remember being asked
to join a group of gentlemen
for a drink. They turned out to
be members of the New York
Yankees having dinner. Mickey
Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra
and other members of the team
were here to play the Detroit
Tigers. It was not unusual to
see famous people there. The
food was so excellent. And
there was so much going on at
the Downtown Detroit theaters
and other places where many
personalities were appearing. It
was like a ritual for those who
chose to remain Downtown or
stayed at one of the hotels to go
to the Wonder Bar.”
READER MINI REVIEW …
From Gary Cochran, former
owner of Beau Jack’s, who
enjoyed two more favorites
… “Mary Lou and I love the
bustling Ellen’s Bakery and
Coffee Shop on Orchard Lake
Road in Sylvan Lake for power
breakfast, lunch or just a loaf
of home-baked bread. It is

open daily at 7 a.m. and closes
by 4 p.m. (Sunday’s close is 2
p.m.). We also love running
into friends and old customers
there. The menu is fresh, deli-
cious breakfast classics, new
luncheon items and remarkable
soups! Leave time to check out
the counter display of warm
and fresh cookies, muffins,
croissants and other bakery
goodies. It is certainly worth
the stop even with its slightly
higher prices.
“Another of our great neigh-
borhood dining haunts is Lakes
Grill on Union Lake Road,
Commerce Township. This is
a refreshing place to eat in the
casual dining room or at the
friendly bar. It is known for its
burgers, seafood and a surpris-
ingly good wine list, all of which
Mary Lou and I had while there.
The vibe is casual, menu is
clever and well-planned, but,
most of all, affordable! My tur-
key burger has to rank among
the best around!”
REARVIEW MIRROR …
Back in 1936, while driving
here from Akron, Ohio, former
Detroiter Sam Boris picked up
a youngster who needed a ride
… and a job … Sam took him to
see Herman “Turk” Prujansky,
who put the boy to work at his
Turk’s Show Bar in Downtown
Detroit, playing the piano
and singing … The young boy
went on to national fame as a
singer and movie performer …
His name was Johnny Ray …

and the youth’s “Cry” became
the No. 1-selling record in the
nation.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
A plane leaves Los Angeles
airport under the control of
a Jewish captain. His co-pilot
is Chinese. It is the first time
they’ve flown together, and an
awkward silence between the
two seems to indicate a mutual
dislike. Once they reach cruis-
ing altitude, the captain acti-
vates the auto-pilot, leans back
in his seat and mutters, “I don’t
like the Chinese.”
“No like Chinese?” asks the
co-pilot. “Why not?”
“You people bombed Pearl
Harbor. That’s why.”
“No, no,” the co-pilot protests.
“The Chinese did not bomb
Pearl Harbor! That was the
Japanese, not Chinese.”
“Japanese, Chinese,
Vietnamese, doesn’t matter.
You’re all alike!”
There’s a moment of silence.
“I don’t like Jews!” the co-pilot
suddenly announces.
“Why not?” asks the captain.
“Jews sink Titanic,” he said.
“The Jews didn’t sink the
Titanic!” exclaims the captain.
“It was an iceberg!”
“Iceberg, Goldberg,
Greenberg, Rosenberg, no mat-
ter … all the same!”
CONGRATS … To Jon
Isenberg on his birthday. •

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

Kathelene’s Adult Day Care

We care for seniors and individuals 18 years and older
suff ering from chronic conditions:
Dementiat1BSLJOTPOTt4FJ[VSF%JTPSEFSt%FWFMPQNFOUBM%JTBCJMJUJFT
5SBVNBUJD#SBJO*OKVSZt$POHFTUJWF)FBSU'BJMVSFt"M[IFJNFST
$01%t4USPLFt%JBCFUFTt.VMUJQMF4DMFSPTJTt$BUBTUSPQIJD*OKVSJFT

Our goal is to prevent social isolation, promote independence
and to improve their quality of life.

Activities/Services We Provide:
'JUOFTT1SPHSBNTt"FSPCJDT:PHBt1FU5IFSBQZ
(BNFTBOE'JFME5SJQTt5SBOTQPSUBUJPO4FSWJDFT

Vetera
ns
Are

FREE

Private Pay, Long Term Care Insurance, Auto Injury

We Can Help! 248-313-2274

25820 Orchard Lake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48336

jn

May 4 • 2017

65