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the best of everything

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A Sad Goodbye

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Sweet Lorraine’s

in Southfi eld to

close this month.

Lorraine Platman and Gary Sussman

A dining favorite of 33 years
will permanently close its
doors on Sunday evening, June
25, with Sweet Lorraine’s on
Greenfield in Southfield bring-
ing misty eyes to many whose
memories of those wonderful
days there will never be forgot-
ten.
It had opened its doors in
1984 … following the Raven
Gallery, Bar-B-Q House of
Southfield and Minnie’s Seafood
… All three also with nostalgic
recalling.
Owners Lorraine Platman
and Gary Sussman were mar-
ried in 1978, two years after his
return from six months living
on a kibbutz in Israel … and
soon following, they opened
their first Sweet Lorraine’s in
Madison Heights in 1982.
Lorraine had often been
asked why she never went
into the restaurant business
because of her natural cooking
ability … Banks that refused
to lend them money at the
beginning quickly tried for its
business when Sweet Lorraine’s
on Greenfield became one of
Metropolitan Detroit’s better
restaurants … Who can forget
Sweet Lorraine’s pecan chicken,
shrimp creole, New York strip
steak in hot Caribbean spices
or maple-cured fish?
The many men and women
who met each other or had
their first date at Sweet
Lorraine’s in Southfield con-
sistently returned to celebrate

their wedding anniversaries.
Although Sweet Lorraine’s in
Southfield will close its doors,
Lorraine and Gary’s other loca-
tions, plus their Mac ‘n/Brewz!
sites, will continue to be open.
THE PRE-OPENING of a
new restaurant is usually about
the food, attendees, ambi-
ence, etc. … Recent ones by
Joe Muer Seafood Bloomfield
Hills on two separate evenings
revealed much more … Passed
hors d’oeuvres were as usual
although one night’s fare by far
overmatched those of another
evening, and attendees laughed
and enjoyed conviviality among
each other on both nights.
For one of the very few times,
the servers of the evening
took top honors on both such
occasions … following short
training periods by Operating
Partner Dominic Vicari, son
of owner and wife, Joe and
Rosalie Vicari, at the second
Joe Muer Seafood, Kingsley Inn
site, Woodward at Long Lake
Road … Give huge kudos to the
many waitpersons whose warm
smiles made the evenings even
better … The former Kingsley
Inn interior dining and bar
areas are almost completely
redone into a striking ambience
of true elegance … This coupled
with a seldom-seen-again strict
dress code, present and future,
and the wonderful servers, so
eager to please, made for two
enjoyable occasions.
DINING ADVICE DEPT. …

If in a foreign-food restaurant,
don’t use the language of the
place unless you know what
you are talking about … One
gent prided himself on his
knowledge of French … While
in a Paris restaurant he insisted
on ordering their dinners and
got very angry when a friend
tried to help the waiter under-
stand everything that was being
said … “I am quite capable of
speaking French without assis-
tance,” he grumbled … “That
may be,” said his friend, “but I
just heard you distinctly place
an order for a flight of steps.”
REARVIEW MIRROR …
Hello Dolly, owned by Stewart
“Stewie” Siegel on Second
before he went to Las Vegas to
become a pit boss, was one of
Detroit’s top discotheque res-
taurants … Every table had a
telephone … Leon Smiler called
a girl at another table and pro-
posed to Marion Gastman from
his table’s phone … She accept-
ed and they became regulars …
as husband and wife.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … It’s
Erev Rosh Hashanah, and ser-
vices are about to begin. The
synagogue is packed. As the
congregants are milling around
shmoozing before services,
everyone seems to be distract-
ed by a man who has brought
with him his beloved dog.
“What chutzpah!” an elderly
woman whispers aloud.
Services begin, and everyone
is fascinated by how well the

dog behaves. The next morn-
ing, the man and his dog arrive
early and promptly begin dav-
ening. This time, the dog is
wearing its own little tallis and
yarmulke, and even appears
to be shuckling back and forth
as the chazzan intones the
prayers. The congregation is
amazed.
The week goes by and Kol
Nidre arrives. The solemn wor-
ship service begins. The man
and his dog are back, and this
time, just as the chazzan is
about to begin the prayers,
the dog stands up on its hind
legs and howls ‘Baroooooooch’
more melodiously than the best
hazzan. After the service, every-
one is clamoring to meet this
man and his remarkable dog.
Finally, the rabbi comes up
to him and says, “That’s one
talented pooch you have there.
You know, you should really
consider sending your dog to
rabbinical school.”
The man looks down, shakes
his head, throws up his hands
in disgust and says, “You talk to
him! He wants to be a doctor!”
CONGRATS … To Jerry
Naftaly on his birthday … To
Allison Riemer on her birth-
day … To Aaron Sharpin on
his 16th birthday … To Bonnie
Nosanchuk on her birthday …
To Sharon Green on her birth-
day … To Roz Gold on her 92nd
birthday. •

Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

FOR SALE

PRIME BUILDABLE SOUTHFIELD
RESIDENTIAL LOT

.43 Acres on Coventry Woods Lane – East of Bell Road
(Between 22875 and 22933)
Short walking distance to Young Israel and Shaary Zedek

$56,750 –Terms Negotiable
Brokers Protected

Contact Rick Mendelson
303.884.4400 – remendelson@mac.com

jn

June 22 • 2017

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