raskin 75
th
an
the best of everything
niversary
For A Grand Time …
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Head to
Grand Tavern in
Rochester Hills.
George Lukaj
It was a bitter cold winter
evening with snow continuing
to come down in heavy spurts
… But you wouldn’t know
it from the 178 people who
enjoyed the goodies from large
menus that displayed a huge
selection for complete family
dining.
The former Jilly’s, taken over
by George Lukaj in 2009, was
feeding a crowd who evidently
enjoyed the food so much they
neglected to notice that all 25
wall television sets were each
tuned to different programs …
or wanted it that way for one
reason or another.
This is the popular
Grand Tavern restaurant at
MarketPlace Circle, Rochester
Hills, which in nine years has
vaulted itself into a large com-
munal and destination favorite
of many from numerous loca-
tions.
The menus themselves had
enough dishes to feed a large
army … 12 appetizers, 11 sal-
ads, 10 burgers, including build
your own, 14 specialty sand-
wiches, three new flatbreads,
10 entree favorites, nine sea-
food selections, five homemade
soups, five steaks, five stone
cooking choices of steaks, scal-
lops and shrimp, etc.
Also, a separate price choice
menu on Mondays only … $6
for one of 23 picks … $8 for 15
selections … $11 for 13 picks
… On Tuesdays, eight Mexican
choices with free chips and
salsa … On Wednesday, free
appetizer with two entrees and
beverages.
It is open for lunch and
dinner seven days a week …
Including a pasta buffet on
Sundays, 4-8 p.m. … A Saturday
and Sunday buffet from 10
a.m.-3 p.m. includes alcoholic
beverages: wines, beer, mar-
garitas, martinis and specialty
cocktails.
Grand Tavern has wi-fi avail-
able … and has easily vaulted
itself into a destination family
dining location … Growing in
much popularity.
UPON LEARNING THAT
another restaurant would
occupy the former Coach
Insignia area in Detroit’s
Renaissance Center, Joe Vicari
says he was disappointed at
not being contacted regard-
ing the empty space … Since
Joe has two highly regarded
premier restaurants at
Renaissance Center, Andiamo
Riverfront and Joe Muer
Seafood, he had considered
taking the empty space for a
high-end banquet area … Joe
was also disappointed at not
being contacted to make cer-
tain that both do not compete
with each other … He pays over
a $1 million a year in rent and
says that he would have con-
sidered opening a top-notch
eatery with an altogether dif-
ferent concept.
THERE IS JUST no stopping
her when it comes to delicious
authentic dishes from back
home … Milake Bitar, chef/
owner with general manager,
co-partner daughter Melissa
Bitar of Mandaloun, a truly
authentic Lebanese restaurant,
Telegraph Road, Bingham
Farms, continues her surprises
… Now added to her bevy of
Old-World dishes are two more
huge favorites … Miloukhlyeh,
mallow leaves with chicken
cooked in lemon garlic juice
and served with white rice and
crispy bread on top … And
veggie-stuffed zucchini and
eggplant filled with cracked
wheat and tomatoes.
REARVIEW MIRROR …
When someone from a local
offshoot council of rabbis
called Irving’s Deli and told
Rose and Irving Guttman that
they couldn’t use the term
kosher when referring to
Empire Kosher chicken … If it
wasn’t an error, Manischewitz,
Mother’s, Streit’s, Best’s, Sinai,
Wilno, etc., couldn’t use the
word kosher either … all,
including Empire products,
had the proper kashrut symbol.
MAIL DEPT … From Joe
Cornell in California … “How
I miss Detroit and its great
places to eat, like Larco’s on
Six Mile, where the three Larco
brothers always made sure that
I had a different Italian meal
every time I came there, and
that was plenty of times. I still
can’t find one here in California
that compares with Larco’s. I
don’t teach dancing anymore.
Just concentrate on my real
estate selling. Sure wish there
was a Larco’s out here.”
OLDIE BUT GOODIE
(repeated oldies are by numer-
ous requests) … Many years
ago, a Jewish lady was stranded
at a fashionable resort that did
not admit Jews. She asked for a
room and the desk clerk looked
down at his book and said,
“Sorry, but the hotel is full.”
“But your sign says that you
have vacancies,” said the lady.
The desk clerk stammered
and then said curtly, “We do
not admit Jews.”
“I’ll have you know I convert-
ed to your religion,” she said.
The clerk said, “Oh, yeah, let
me give you a little test. How
was Jesus born?”
“He was born to a virgin
named Mary in a little town
called Bethlehem. And he was
born in a manger,” she said.
“That’s right,” said the hotel
clerk. “And why was he born in
a manger?”
“Because,” the Jewish lady
said, “a jerk like you in the
hotel wouldn’t give a Jewish
lady a room for the night!”
CONGRATS … To Luciano
Del Signore on his birthday …
To Joan Zager on her birthday
… To Ruth Talmer on her birth-
day. •
Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
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jn
February 8 • 2018
77