raskin 75
th
an
the best of everything
niversary
Village Palace Delights
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Varied menu and
great service
make it a fi ne
family choice.
Robert Lukaj
It had been about seven
years since I was last at the
newly named Village Palace,
which at that time was only a
year old … Prior to that year,
it had been a Palace and then
Village Place noted as a fine
place to have breakfast.
When George Lukaj took
over the little free-standing
building … on Orchard Lake
Road, slightly south of Pontiac
Trail, Orchard Village … the
name was changed to Village
Palace with George’s son
Robert running the restaurant
… And it became much more of
a full-service and menu-selec-
tion family restaurant.
But my recent visit was still
a total revelation for me …
The outside is no longer just a
so-so wooden-like structure …
The new menu is a completely
updated one more attuned for
a breakfast, lunch and dinner
operation of much appeal …
Additional enjoyable features
are now to be had, including
homemade meat loaf, home-
made chicken noodle soup,
homemade chili, homemade
lasagna styling, etc., joined by
a huge bevy of dishes before
one might certainly not have
expected … Even a low-calorie
selection … And a dessert
lover’s dream with almost 30
luscious-sounding choices of
almost all styles of ice cream,
plus brownies, etc.
The huge menu is now a full
family fantasy for all ages with
Foot Pain?
so many favorite dishes from
which to choose … And food is
not sitting on an open kitchen
counter waiting much too long
to be picked up for serving …
The waitperson staff of veter-
ans know better … If some of
the servers look familiar, they
should … The stalwarts have
been around the restaurant
scene for a long time and sure
know their rights from wrong
in the dining game.
A five-page cuisine listing
of options for all ages is strik-
ing … Kids 10 and under are
not restricted to ordering only
sandwiches and fries … They,
too, have their own page with
items to select for breakfast,
lunch and dinner.
I found no more small opera-
tion … Seating is for 120, plus
an outdoor patio when weather
permits for 25 more … Hours
are the same all seven days a
week … from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
… with dining items served in
very clean surroundings from
floor to ceiling.
The transformation of the
Village Place site into a further
full-scale family restaurant with
oodles of dining selections to
be enjoyed by all ages was cer-
tainly a most pleasant surprise.
MAIL DEPT. … From Dr.
Alan Silverman … “People are
right when they say that neigh-
borhood restaurants serve a
major purpose. They provide
wide choices of wholesome
food at reasonable prices and
seldom go out of business. If
they do, it is felt immensely by
the community and many oth-
ers with whom they have made
friends.
“Most can be depended
upon,” says Dr. Silverman, a
noted local cardiac specialist …
“Special qualities wrapped up
into one bundle are favorites of
many.”
REARVIEW MIRROR …
When it was Stoney’s, owned
by Lou Stone, before becoming
Saksey’s Lounge on Woodward,
Lou knocked out a belligerent
customer with one punch and
silently walked away as if noth-
ing had happened … Lou may
not have gotten away with it so
quick today with all the law-
yers around who look for such
things.
EMPLOYEES AT HIS nine
Andiamo eateries and two Joe
Muer Seafood spots go through
extensive training and receive
instruction manuals … And
each server does 80 hours of
training before waiting on cus-
tomers.
By the way, in answer to
numerous questions, the fish
tank at Joe Vicari’s Joe Muer
Seafood Bloomfield holds
1,000 gallons of water … At
Renaissance Center, Detroit,
two smaller tanks hold 100 gal-
lons each … A third Joe Muer
Seafood Las Vegas to open may
hold 2,000 gallons, he says.
RUNNING THE Hunter
House location in Ann Arbor,
N OT T I N G H I L L
of W EST B LOOMFIELD
Relief Is As Little As 30 Minutes Away!
Get a personalized foot scan with our iStep
machine, find your exact pain points, and
get a custom-fit solution from our
huge inventory of name-brand
shoes and arch supports.
Get $ 15 OFF!
Kelly Cobb, owner Susan
Cobb’s son, is the same person
you may see co-hosting on TV
station WFDF channel 910
with Detroit News’ Nolan Finley,
weekday mornings, 7 to 9 …
Hunter House is looking for
a third location to go with its
Birmingham and Ann Arbor
locales to get those terrific
hamburgers.
MAKING ROUNDS OF
YESTERYEARS … To Carl’s
Chop House, Detroit, for
Broiled Lake Erie Sturgeon …
To Stage Delicatessen, Oak
Park, for Jack and Harriet
Goldberg’s delicious soups.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
90-year-old Bessie bursts into
the recreation room at the
retirement home. She holds
her clenched fist in the air and
announces, “Anyone who can
guess what’s in my hand can
have sex with me tonight!”
An elderly gent in the rear
shouts out, “An elephant?”
Bessie thinks a minute and
says, “Close enough!”
CONGRATS … To Fran
Seasons on her birthday …
To Jolie Goldberg on her 21st
birthday … To Leon Falk on his
birthday … To Diane Gussin on
her birthday … To Josie Knapp
on her birthday … To Allan
Grundy on his 87th birthday ...
To Luba and Allan Grundy on
their 67th anniversary. •
Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
AQUATICS THERAPY POOL
Notting Hill of West Bloomfield is focused on
short-term in-patient rehabilitation, with the goal of
transitioning back home. We are happy to announce
the opening of our Aquatics Therapy pool. Aquatic
Therapy uses water’s naturally therapeutic properties
of buoyancy, resistance and warmth to enhance the
therapy experience. Since not all people respond
well to traditional gym exercise programs, many
people find aquatic therapy less stressful, preferable to
traditional methods...and FUN!
Why Choose Aquatic Therapy?
Any Shoe Purchase
Gently builds strength
and muscle tone
Increases blood circulation
Improves range of motion
Decreases joint stress
Take $ 15 off any of our great brandname shoes like
New Balance, Drew, Dansko, Aetrex, Fly and more!
WalkHappy.com
Some restrictions apply. See store for details.
Expires 1/17/2018.
3342 Woodward • Birmingham • Mon. – Fri. 10am to 6pm • Sat. 10am to 4pm
“Weightless” Rehab
Reduces pain
Minimizes swelling
Delivers better joint
position awareness
Develops core strength
6535 Drake Road , West Bloomfield , MI 48322
phone 248.592.2000 | www.cienafacilities.com
jn
January 4 • 2018
45