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Golden Phoenix
Still Golden

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Arthur and Ava Fung

Three years ago, when
the youthful looking couple
took over a 43-year-old well-
established Chinese restaurant,
there were numerous skeptic
thoughts … Young folks as the
new owners instead of previ-
ous older owners with so much
proven experience of years in
the highly loved Asian dining
field brought some doubts …
That added touch of enthusias-
tic and new innovative think-
ing … along with older time-
honored dining suggestions and
high-quality cleanliness … have
proven to be an excellent com-
bination.
The name Golden Phoenix
has wisely never been changed
by Arthur and Ava Fung … Their
three-year ownership in Sugar
Tree Plaza, Orchard Lake Road,
West Bloomfield, is honored
with many dine-in and carry-
out suggestions from its fresh-
thinking offerings that include
more than 20 complete family
dinners from which to choose.
Like the addition of Asian
cuisine that includes Thai
dishes along with Cantonese,
Szechuan, Mandarin and
American … a separate wine
menu with choice offerings and
very reasonable prices by glass
or bottle … Such realization by
Arthur and Ava of larger variet-
ies of fresh food and utter spot-
lessness make for happier and
constantly returning customers.
It may seem odd, but the best
seller is an appetizer … And
one that is said to be as old as

N OT T I N G H I L L

of W EST B LOOMFIELD

Chinese dining … The egg rolls
made fresh and formed with
varied ingredients … The only
thing missing is pork, which is
not mixed at Golden Phoenix
with its ingredients of chicken,
shrimp and vegetables … People
with this and other restrictions
like no gluten will be happy to
know that the absence will be
honored as well as whatever
other dietary restraints may be
requested.
Golden Phoenix is closed
only on Thanksgiving … with
regular hours of Monday-
Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday
and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.;
Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
The much-time-honored
centuries of wonderful Chinese
and Thai dining is certainly not
forgotten as Art, Ava and their
fine staff of waitpersons do
away with some so-so offerings
in bringing to tables and booths
what seem like much better-
than-before traditional and non-
traditional presentations.
REARVIEW MIRROR … From
William “Bill” Ruskin, Las Vegas,
Nev. … “When I was a young-
ster, Dexter and Davison was
among other areas I would walk
to, and I remember going to a
deli near 12th Street and Blaine
whose name began with a ‘B’
for a corned beef sandwich for a
nickel or dime, and the Avalon
Theater when it was only a
dime then a quarter for admis-
sion, and the next door Avalon
Deli. To Sanders, Barton’s,
Dick’s Drug Store, going with

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my grandfather to the origi-
nal Detroit Bagel Factory on a
Saturday night for fresh bagels
right from the oven for Sunday
brunch and to have one on the
way home while it was still hot.”
BELIEVE IT OR NOT there
are still some places, thankfully
not many, that tack on a tax
charge after the bill has been
totaled … and the non-lobser-
vant customer unknowingly
pays it.
THEY MAY BE sister restau-
rants, but in name only … and
both are owned by Cholada
“Nancy” Chan … Midtown
Shangri-La on Cass is her small-
er location, open daily 11-10 and
closed Sundays, plus a reduced
menu … Shangri-La in the
Orchard Mall, West Bloomfield,
is open seven days, 11-2 …
Along with Cantonese favorites,
both also serve Dim Sum every
day … Midtown Shangri-La is
celebrating its ninth anniversary
… West Bloomfield’s Shangri-La
celebrated its 19th anniversary.
MEMORY DEPT … From
Jackie Kallen … “How I loved
the Excalibur on Northwestern
Highway where I used to take
many of the acts appearing at
Pine Knob after their perfor-
mances. They also loved the
ambience and particularly no
one bothering them, especially
while eating the wonderful food
that Excalibur served.”
WHAT PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT … Lamb and
chicken specialties at
Elie’s Mediterranean Grill,

Birmingham … Scottish Salmon
with toasted barley at Diamond
Jim Brady’s Bistro, Novi …
Sliced cauliflower at Due Venti,
Clawson … Wine steamed mus-
sels at Bella Piati, Birmingham
… Barbecued or fried shrimp
and Louisiana style gumbo and
those luscious muffins at Beans
& Cornbread, Southfield.
ERRATA DEPT … Uncle
Harry’s Deli is in St. Clair
Shores, not Detroit.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
At a party recently, a jokester,
stifling a laugh, said, “One day,
Moskowitz and Finkelstein were
going to —”
A guest at the party said,
“Moskowitz and Finkelstein,
Moskowitz and Finkelstein.
Always two Jews. Why do they
have to be Jewish? Can’t you tell
the joke with other nationalities
involved? Why don’t you make
them Chinese for a change?”
The jokester, sobered and
embarrassed, said, “I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean to offend. One day,
Hong-Lee Yang and Mao-Chen
Foo were going to the syna-
gogue to attend the bar mitzvah
of Hong-Lee Yang’s nephew …”
CONGRATS … To Ed Sosnick
on his birthday … To Norman
Wauldron on his 100th birthday
… To William Nosanchuk on his
93rd birthday … To Howard and
Linda Nudell on their 50th anni-
versary. •

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

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December 21 • 2017

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