raskin 75
th
an
the best of everything
niversary
High-Style, Low Prices
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Fifth Tavern has
both covered.
Anton and George Lukaj
He has taken a page from his
many successful restaurants in
continuance of a dream … When
George Lukaj opened his Grand
Tavern Rochester, George’s in
West Bloomfield, etc., they were
so successful he began to think
of a more upscale style of neigh-
borhood restaurant … the same
age-old and sometimes forgotten
type of eatery … with the impor-
tance of keeping prices low.
It seems to have happened
again with his Fifth Tavern on
Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills
… Of course, being across the
street from a high-volume Costco
helped … So he bought the
closed Mountain Jack location.
It took a while to catch on,
but people began coming back
in droves … As was shown
recently when visiting his Fifth
Tavern … It is George Lukaj’s
answer to another higher-end
style neighborhood restaurant …
with upscale food selections and
low prices … This success has
spurred him on to even greater
heights as George seeks a loca-
tion for his fifth restaurant …
with high stylings of food … and
low prices.
The present Fifth Tavern will
soon also upgrade its outdoor
seating from 40 to almost 100 …
There is now also enough free
parking to accommodate more
cars … I went on a Friday night
and the huge number of autos
in the lot told a big story … Fifth
Tavern has achieved everything
that George dreamed of … Friday
and Saturday evenings feature a
prime rib special that includes
soup or salad, potato, vegetable
and 12-ounce prime rib, $16, or
14-oz. $19.
It was the Friday before
Mother’s Day and preparations
were for the well over 1,200 res-
ervations that had been taken
by George Lukaj’s manager son,
Anton, and his two partners in
the kitchen, brothers Jerry and
Louis Sanchez … More than
1,200 and not the slightest hitch.
THE EXCITEMENT of Joe
Vicari soon opening a second
Joe Muer Seafood restaurant
in the former Kingsley Inn (to
be a Hilton DoubleTree Hotel)
on Woodward, Bloomfield
Hills, continues to gather much
momentum … Even among Joe’s
excited dinner and show guests
in the Andiamo Showroom for
performances of Aaron Caruso
doing Mario Lanza renditions
and Mark Randizi with his Frank
Sinatra impressions … including
Eugene Applebaum, Graham
and Sally Orley, Ken Eisenberg,
Dino Mitropoulos, Dr. Leonard
and Eleanor Aronovitz … Joe
Muer Seafood Bloomfield Hills,
opening Wednesday, June 5 (din-
ner only first week), will have
the same items as Downtown
Detroit’s Renaissance Center
location … The expectancy of
another Joe Muer Seafood res-
taurant opening in Bloomfield
Hills certainly ranks high among
Try Our New Boneyard
Beef Ribs!
Time at Sammy’s” from 3 to 5
p.m., with servings done from
pure bone China cups and China
tea pot … Harry Harris’ doing
his tune, “Put On A Smile” at the
24 Karat Club on Telegraph, and
when off stage, the first partner
that Jimmy Durante ever had
went around the room selling
greeting cards to customers.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The
young man on a bike sees an
elderly gent sitting on a park
bench and crying … The boy
asks him why he is crying and
the oldster with tears from his
eyes says, “I just got married.
And we moved into a big beauti-
ful house.”
“Hey mister, that’s terrific!” the
boy says.
“Yes,” says the elder fellow.
“And my new wife is only 22
years old.”
“Wow!” says the boy. “That’s
sure fantastic. So why are you
crying?”
“I forgot where I live!”
CONGRATS … To Sima
Parr on her birthday … To Gail
Goodstein on her birthday …
To Eran Reznick on his birthday
… To Yetta Weintraub on her
birthday … To Milton Dunn on
his 85th birthday … To William
“Bill” and Carolyn Nosanchuck
on their 64th anniversary … To
Norman and Belle Wauldron on
their 70th anniversary. •
the openings over the years of
other favorite second restau-
rants … This one may be higher.
DANDY DINING DEAL …
Beef short ribs … Complete
meal includes homemade soup
or salad, potato, vegetable and
bread basket … $6.95 … 10 days
only, Thursday, June 1, through
June 10 … No coupons … Siegel’s
Deli, West Maple, (15 Mile) just
west of Haggerty, Commerce
Township.
SOME RESTAURANTS never
die … Especially those with local
roots like Jim Brady’s Detroit,
dating back 63 years to 1954,
and still going strong … Rather
than sit on a family’s great
historic restaurant laurels, Jim
Brady’s Detroit keeps on going
with another couple of locations
opening soon … Downtown Ann
Arbor, Main Street, between
E. Washington and E. Liberty,
this October … And Cass at
Peterboro in Midtown Detroit in
late 2018 … by third-generation
restaurateur Tom Brady and
childhood friend Darin Dingman
… Including the present Royal
Oak location, this will make
three Jim Brady’s Detroit by Tom
and Darin.
REARVIEW MIRROR … It
was a big favorite of local per-
sonalities who made Sammy’s
Corned Beef and Rye on Nine
Mile Road, Ferndale, a pet
stomping ground for deli sand-
wiches and delights … Owner
Sam Sandler used to have “Tea
Email Danny at dannyraskin2132@
gmail.com.
(PMG1PJOUF#MWE 'BSNJOHUPO)JMMT .JMFKVTUXFTUPG)BMTUFE ttXXXMFMMJTJOODPN
Orchard Lake Rd. South of 14 Mile t Farmington Hills
248-851-7000
10 OFF
%
TOTAL BILL
&YDMVEJOHUBY UJQBOECFWFSBHFTt8JUIUIJTBEt$BSSZPVUPS%JOFJOt&YQJSFT+/
/PUWBMJEPO)PMJEBZT
$BUFSJOHGPSBMM0DDBTJPOTt$BSSZ0VUt0VS4QFDJBMJUZ-PX$BSC3JCT$IJDLFO-BNC3JCT
PERCH ON THE PORCH
Every Friday from 6pm to 9pm
A whole mess of perch sautéed
right in front of you!
ALL SIDE ITEMS ARE ALL YOU CAN EAT
SERVED BUFFET STYLE
**(side items only are all you can eat)
$
39.95
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2134290
2158320
jn
June 1 • 2017
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