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the best of everything

niversary

Please, More Moro’s!

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Allen Park restaurant

enters its 38th year.

It seems to happen often in
the restaurant business that a
new dining operation may try
to outdo many others … This is
only natural, but a good restau-
rant will bring realization that it
can be done on its own merits.
Now entering its 38th year,
one such fine restaurant is
Moro’s Dining on Allen Road,
just off the Southfield express-
way in Allen Park … It didn’t
take long after Tom Moro
opened in 1980 for Moro’s to
gain recognition … Throughout
the years, customers have asked
why he doesn’t expand … His
answer has usually been, “I
could have expanded a long
time ago, but my goal has
always been to maintain
maintai the
same quality control an
and con-
sistency, and I didn’t want
to
w
chance on it not being so.”
Its honors are many … fea-
tured in USA Today,
named
y nam
finalists by
among 25 fine dining fi
also wrote,
Zagat, who this year als
exceptional
“A hidden gem, this exc
Italian restaurant crafts salads
desserts table-
and flaming desser
side, evoking ‘o ld-school
charming and
fun.’ It’s char
intimate, and
a the
all about
staff is al
service with a
sincere smile.”
Dining
… Din
with
Out t w
noted critic
not
Jonathan
Jon
Swift’s
Sw
‘Top Five
‘T
Flaming
F

Foods’ on TV’s Food Network,
etc.
Moro’s does things differently
from many other restaurants …
Several desserts are prepared
tableside by tuxedoed servers,
and its flaming desserts are
known around the world as
depicted by TV’s Food Network
… Cherries Jubilee, Bananas
Foster, etc., and a concoction of
fresh fruits called Macedonian:
a mixture of pineapple, cherries
and bananas flambeed using
brandy, rum, crème de banana
and crème de almond … Then
put over ice cream and cake …
Moro’s also bakes its own tradi-
tional carrot cake with a cream
cheese topping and chopped
walnuts … Plus, features like an
elegant, rich-layered tiramisu
and other homemade desserts.
Doing things special is like
a Moro’s byword statement
… Each table is covered with
starched white linen … Salads
are mixed fresh tableside with
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
put on it at no extra charge by
tuxedoed servers … Entrees
come with soup, salad and bread
basket … Upon each meal’s
end, also at no extra charge,
the waitperson brings a fruit
bowl accompanied by walnuts
… When Tom was growing up,
it was his family’s tradition to
always have a fruit bowl on the
dining room table after each
meal … This wonderful custom
is a huge Moro’s favorite.
Signature veal dishes are
choice selections …. Like Veal

Colombo in a tomato sauce
with cream and topped with
Parmesan cheese … Another
favorite house prime is Moro’s
Cannelloni, ground beef and veal
wrapped in thin, homemade egg
noodles, topped with Bolognese
and house cream sauce … Its big
favorite Spaghetti Tetrazzini is
with a house cream sauce atop
spaghetti noodles and boneless
chicken, covered with baked
cheese.
The service at Moro’s is
impeccable … its waitstaff cross-
trained with much graciousness.
Tom Moro recalls being taught
by Mario Lelli when working at
Mario’s as a 15-year-old … And
remembers its beverage man-
ager Jimmy O’Hara saying, “Hey,
kid, someday you should open a
restaurant like this.”
Tom eventually did, yet dif-
ferent from other restaurants
… Outside, not much to look at
…. But inside, what a wonder-
ful reasonably priced restaurant
jewel it is!
MORE NEW LOOKS to go
with the good food and ser-
vice at popular Steven Lelli’s
Inn on the Green, 12 Mile
between Halsted and Haggerty,
Farmington Hills … The two
sons of owner Mark Zarkin, Ari,
21, and Michael, 19, do anything
from washing dishes to mana-
gerial chores … Also, first time
since its 2010 opening, Steven
Lelli’s is now with four female
tuxedoed waitpersons … Aside
from office and administrative
roles, the only service woman

when Steven Lelli’s opened was
the bartender.
MAIL DEPT … From Myron
and Nancy Stein … “We go to
Tucson, Ariz., regularly to visit
our children and grandchildren
and enjoyed a treat and real
discovery to find a restaurant
with a back-home connection.
It is the Ermanos restaurant
on 4th Street, owned by for-
mer Detroiters Eric and Mark
Erman. They’ve incorporated
a zip sauce into their wonder-
ful Zip Burgers, and their Red
Sangria is equal to what we had
in Spain along with a great wine
list and wide variety of Michigan
beers. And their offerings are so
creative, like a plate of cut-up
slices of fruit generously given to
our 2½-year-old granddaughter,
something we’ve never seen
before. We look forward to going
back.”
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … Two
roaches are at a restaurant,
hanging out next to a dump-
ster enjoying a snack. One says
to his friend, “I went to that
restaurant down the block yes-
terday to pick up some scraps
and couldn’t believe how clean
it was. I could see my reflection
through the shiny waxed floor.”
The other roach, spitting the
food out of his mouth, cried out,
“Please, not while I’m eating!”
CONGRATS … To David Blatt
on his birthday … To Jerry Parr
on his 80th birthday. •

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

Tom Moro

15%

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January 11 • 2018

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