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the best of everything

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Ethnic Tableside Too

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Mon Jin Lau
offers 10 different
ethnic cuisines.

ABOVE: Zoran Smolcic

When he came to America
from Croatia 30 years ago,
Zoran Smolcic’s first job was as
a waiter at the original Lelli’s
Inn on Woodward, Detroit …
Today, as general manager
at Mon Jin Lau, 15 Mile and
Stevenson Highway, Troy, he
will sometimes be asked to
again prepare a dish tableside
… This was not his chore in
Croatia but one of his major
stints in learning this age-old
favorite of many … which he
applied also at Rugby Grill in
the Birmingham’s Townsend
Hotel, etc.
Zoran has since become one
of this region’s finest general
manager hosts … and in July
will celebrate his first year at
Mon Jin Lau, which owns a fine
reputation as one of the state’s
few restaurants that serve
about 10 or more varied ethnic
styles of food … Japanese sushi,
Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese,
Hawaiian, Malaysian,
American, etc. … (Seeing lamb
chops and sushi at another
table was in itself strange but
a chop in the diner’s one hand
and a sushi roll in the other at
the same time was shocking!)
Waitperson smiling beauty
Mia Fawks is a Mon Jin Lau
stalwart who began as a wait-
ress many years ago … 24 to be

exact … the first two as a smil-
ing hostess and 22 more in her
gracious serving capacity.
It was another crowded
Saturday evening with Zoran
and owner Marshall Chin also
busy going around the room
greeting people.
MEMORY RECALL …
Going across the street with
London Chop House owners,
Les and Sam Gruber, to their
Caucus Club to hear a youth-
ful 18-year-old singer in the
back room, warbling on her
first job in Detroit … Les man-
aged to get her on the Jack Parr
TV show … and Bernie Moray,
owner of Gorman Furniture,
came up with a dress for her
… Years later, as a mega-huge
star, Barbra Streisand appeared
at the Palace of Auburn Hills,
threw a kiss and said “hello” to
Bernie from the Palace stage.
MAIL DEPT. … From Joel
Hearshen … “Recently visiting
Tampa, Fla., my wife, Nancy,
and I had a wonderful din-
ner at Bern’s Steak House, S.
Howard Blvd., said to be one
of the best steakhouses in the
country. It is in a white build-
ing with no windows, like a
small factory. But the little
parking lot was filled with
luxury cars. A tuxedo-clad per-
son greeted us and, although

we had no reservation, we were
shown to a table in two min-
utes. Our medium-rare steaks
were to perfection and includ-
ed a small bowl of delicious
French onion soup and a beau-
tiful salad plus sides of car-
rots and squash. The sampler
dessert of five different choices
included our Macadamia nut
ice cream and house-roasted
coffee. It was easily one of the
best meals we have ever had.”
REARVIEW MIRROR …
Most of his friends knew
Milton Berle’s often reluctance
to spend his own money …
But he was a spendthrift in
comparison with his brother
Phil Berle … I had just gotten
my white convertible when
five of us decided to break it in
with a trip to Las Vegas … Phil,
comedian Morey Amsterdam,
who had finished an engage-
ment at the Elmwood Casino
in Windsor, Herman “Turk”
Prujan (Prujansky), celeb-
rity to the stars and owner of
Downtown Detroit’s Turk’s
Show Bar, another gent and
myself. Phil loved his cigars
and was rarely without one
in his mouth … He asked us
for one and was told that we
didn’t have any … So he calmly
reached into his vest and
pulled out a stogie!”

Reason they called him Turk
Prujan (he hated his name
of Herman) was said to be
because of his so many times
being seen with a girl on each
arm … and guys saying, “There
goes Turk and his harem!” …
Besides his singing, dancing,
emceeing, etc., Turk’s claim to
fame was also songwriting …
He is reputed to have reaped
a few big bucks helping Sam
Cooke with his best-seller
“Don’t Cry On My Shoulder” hit.
DO YOU HAVE A favorite
restaurant of yesteryears? …
This being the Detroit Jewish
News and my 75th anniversary,
please tell us about it … About
100 to 150 words, more or less.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The
headwaiter of an ultra-elegant
restaurant recoiled in disgust
as a man in ragged boots,
torn jeans and a leather jacket
that had seen better days
approached him. “Hey, man,”
he asked, “where’s the toilet?”
“Go down the hall and turn
left,” replied the headwaiter.
“When you see the sign marked
‘Gentlemen,’ pay no attention
to it and go right on in.”
CONGRATS … To Bob Noble
on his 89th birthday. •

Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com

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May 18 • 2017

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