raskin 75

th

an

the best of everything

niversary

Authentic Northern
Lebanese Cuisine

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Mandaloun Bistro

delivers time and

time again.

Milake Bitar and
Melissa Bitar Aboukhal.

The former Al Mawal and Le
Chef … plus much more … lives
again under another name and
location … Honoring only its
second anniversary this past
November, now into its third
year as Mandaloun Bistro … on
Telegraph and 12½ Mile roads
in Bingham Farms ( former site
of Shiraz) … it carries on the
wonderful dining visits of true
Northern Lebanese authenticity.
So many people are again
thrilled with their consistent
Lebanese dining experiences
that still include the fantas-
tic cooking of co-owner/chef
Milake Bitar, whose Old-World
recipes from Northern Lebanon
are priceless presentations,
on-site butchering done by her
husband, Fernand Bitar … in
co-ownership with their general
manager and daughter, Melissa
(Bitar) Aboukhal.
Including best sellers that
you probably may not see else-
where … like stuffed zucchini
with ground beef cooked in
fresh tomato sauce, roasted
stuffed lamb served on a bed
of brown rice topped with
nuts and raisins, stuffed grape
leaves with ground meat, rice
served with lamb ribs and
yogurt, beef ribs grilled with
barbecue sauce … and so
much more, elegantly prepared
with authentic goodness …
Lamb shank with okra, baked
ribs, stuffed eggplant, stuffed
cabbage … Even specials of

wonderful Lebanese meatballs,
etc. … covering more than
150 years of handed-down
Northern Lebanese dining
authenticity … including exotic
dishes that folks may have
heard about but seldom if ever
found like Milake’s back-home
remembered Molokhia leaves
with Swiss chard cooked in
a chicken broth with lemon
and garlic … and the delicious
Ashta dessert, cream-based
pudding with honey, bananas,
pistachios and almonds …
Also, many excellent vegetar-
ian dishes that include over 24
entrees and 21 appetizers from
which customers may select.
There is now live entertain-
ment Fridays and Saturdays,
7 p.m.-10 p.m. … Current seat-
ing is about 125 plus eight
bar stools … And by the end
of 2017, seating for banquet
facilities only is expected to
expand to 300 … Daily hours
are Monday through Thursday,
11-10; Friday, 11-11; Saturday,
4-11; Sunday, 4-10.
Mandaloun Lebanese Bistro
house specialties include many
dishes that Melissa remembers
eating as a child … A truly
authentic Northern Lebanese
and more culinary dream res-
taurant … So very deliciously
delightful.
REARVIEW MIRROR …
While here doing a bit for
an occasion by the inmates
at a local prison for women,
Milton Berle got his biggest

laugh when he asked the girls
to laugh a lot … “If I do good,”
said Uncle Miltie, “I’ve been
promised 30 days in Jackson!”
(Jackson State Prison)
When a man came into
Stage Deli on Nine Mile in Oak
Park and was a dead ringer for
movie character actor Chill
Wills (Giant, etc.) … Stage
Deli was then noted for its
prominence in having show-biz
entertainers as customers so
diners had no qualms when he
said he was raising money for
a charity the gent told them
he was heading … Until owner
Jack Goldberg, Steve’s father,
came over and introduced him
to me and a few others … as
the real Chill Wills.
DANDY DINING DEAL
… Lamb chops … Complete
meal includes soup or salad,
potato, vegetable and bread
basket … $7.95 … 10 days
only … Thursday, May 11,
through Saturday, May 20 …
No coupons … Siegel’s Deli,
Maple (15 Mile Road) just
west of Haggerty, Commerce
Township.
QUESTION & ANSWER
DEPT. … From Bess Lachtman
… “Now I hear that actress
Scarlet Johannson is not
Jewish. Is this true?”
(Her husbands don’t have
to be Jewish, but her mother,
Melanie Sloan, does. She is
from an Ashkenazi Jewish
family.)
REMEMBERING WHEN

… In 1949, Frank and Maria
Mencotti opened Maria’s
Italian Restaurant on W.
McNichols, and a year later
were credited with making
the first frozen pizza … sell-
ing their initial order of 2,000
pies in 1950 to Nate Lurie and
his Wrigley Super Markets
… But Frank and Maria were
more interested in opening a
second restaurant next door,
Mencotti’s … and left the fro-
zen pizza “fad” to fade away …
which it never did!
When owner Sam Boesky’s
general manager stepson
Bernie Kerner liked to tell
of two burglars coming into
Darbys one night while he
and owner Sam were closing
… Soon after, Bernie related,
another two gents showed up
for the same purpose … “Sorry
fellows,” Sam said. “You guys
are too late!”
OLDIE BUT GOODIE
SHORTIES DEPT. … The bar-
tender telling the boss, “How
do you like that guy? Has a
couple of drinks, leaves a $50
tip and walks out without pay-
ing his bill! ... “Doctor, you have
to help me. Some days I wake
up thinking I’m Mickey Mouse
or Donald Duck.” The doctor
asks, “How long have you been
having these Disney spells?”
CONGRATS … To David
Sachs on his birthday. •

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

MOTHER’S DAY! WITH PICKLES AND RYE DELI
BRING MOM TO PICKLES AND RYE
FOR MOTHER’S DAY OR ORDER
DELICIOUS DELI OR DAIRY TRAYS!




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10 OFF

$

Deli Tray or
Super Nova Tray

One coupon per order. Exp. 6/30/17

Hours: M-F 10am to 9pm • Sat & Sun 9am to 9pm

Located @ 6724 Orchard Lk Rd

Just South of Maple

Call us at: 248.737.3890

VISIT WWW.PICKLESANDRYEDELI.COM FOR OUR COMPLETE CATERING MENU!
2176700




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 ([SLUHV -1 

31646 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills 248.855.4600

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May 11 • 2017

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