raskin 75
th
an
the best of everything
niversary
A 25-Year Culinary Gem
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Fine executive chef
celebrates his 25th
anniversary heading
the kitchen at Clawson
Steak House.
Jim Polk
March marks a move that
vaulted the then-named
Clawson Lounge … changed
to Clawson Steakhouse … 14
Mile, south of Rochester Road,
Clawson, into one of this area’s
finest neighborhood dining
and dancing restaurants.
It is the 25th anniversary
of Executive Chef Jim Polk’s
takeover of its kitchen in a
move that further exemplified
Clawson Steak House’s glow-
ing reputation … New dishes
now include Dover Sole a la
Meuniere, filet and shrimp
Italian style, a Smokey Joe
Burger, beef pot sticker filled
with a beef tenderloin mixture,
etc. … available at all times.
THE WONDERFUL CAFÉ
CORTINA on 10 Mile, east of
Orchard Lake, Farmington
Hills, continues to add awards
to the many it’s received …
Latest is by House Beautiful
magazine, which selected
it among America’s 50 Most
Romantic Restaurants in 50
states … It was the pick for
Michigan … Rina and son
Adrian Tonon’s Café Cortina
was also recently given its four-
diamond award by AAA.
ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED
to open in March as Jag &
Co., the previous Papa Vino
site in Troy will greet people
in April instead … And with a
new name change … The fifth
restaurant by George Lukaj
will now be known as Station
Square … Seating will be for
250 in the spacious site … plus
outdoor seating for 30 or more.
GOOD WAITPERSON
DEPT. … The experience of
Wai “Catherine” Yu at Shangri-
La Cantonese Restaurant in
the Orchard Mall, Orchard
Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
clearly shows … She has served
folks since Shangri-La was
opened 19 years ago by owner
Cholada Chan … Wai’s smiling
and pleasant personality with
much efficiency is well-noted
… always bringing dining satis-
faction to her customers.
MANY MAY REMEMBER
the huge carving of two men
at the bar of an English pub at
the entrance to the one-time
Brass Rail on Adams, Detroit,
… It still welcomes visitors
to Kruse and Muer on Main
in Rochester … But few knew
that there were two … The
one at Kruse & Muer had been
stored in a warehouse for years
by Sanford Freedman, whose
father, Joe Freedman, and
Bill Boesky, owned the Brass
Rail on Adams in Detroit …
and sold it to a former tenant
before Bill Kruse and Chuck
Muer took over in Rochester …
The other one was on the Brass
Rail at Michigan and Griswold,
next to Kinsel’s Drugs.
THE PROP0SED popularly
named delicatessen slated
to open on 12 Mile has been
shelved … The name was to
bring much emotional appeal
of that former western United
States sector deli … But as is
the usual case, a prominent
name itself is never enough for
success in the restaurant busi-
ness.
HAVING TWO GOOD neigh-
borhood family restaurants
serving the same specialty food
in almost the like lengths of
time is rare … Both Boneyard
on Orchard Lake Road, south
of 14 Mile … and Brass Pointe,
Orchard Lake Road, north
of 10 Mile, are each widely
acclaimed for their broasted
and barbecued chicken, barbe-
cued ribs and various specialty
items … Boneyard with its bar-
becued lamb ribs, too … Brass
Pointe also with Mexican dish-
es … Each, however, enjoys the
most communal prominence
for their chicken and ribs selec-
tions, along with salient prepa-
ration features.
REARVIEW MIRROR
… When movie super star
Anthony Quinn (Zorba The
Greek, Never On Sunday, etc.)
came to Michigan for a fit-
ting by Dino “The Tailor”
Mitropoulos … Dino had been
brought here from Greece
by Harry Kosins to work at
Kosins Clothes on Griswold
while continuing Dino’s side
labor for celebrities like Quinn,
for whom he made clothes in
Greece … The film great asked
where he could get some good
lamb chops and Dino took him
to Hellas (changed in the 1970s
to New Hellas) … Quinn was so
thrilled with the lamb chops
that he ordered suits made for
everyone at Kosins who helped
him select shirts, ties, etc., to
go with his newly tailored garb
…. If it were today, Dino would
probably have taken him to
his favorite Greek restaurant,
Uptown Parthenon, for the lus-
cious double-boned ones.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The
young man excitedly tells his
mother that he has fallen in
love and is going to get mar-
ried. He says, “Just for fun,
Mom, I’m going to bring over
three women and you try and
guess which one I’m going to
marry.”
The mother agrees, and the
next day he brings three beau-
tiful women into the house and
sits them down on the couch.
He takes her on the side and
asks, “OK, Mom, guess which
one I’m going to marry.”
She immediately replies,
“The redhead in the middle.”
“That’s amazing, Mom. You’re
right. How did you know?”
“I don’t like her.”
CONGRATS … To Dr.
Michael Salter on his birthday
… To Steve Fishman on his
birthday … To Steve Stein on
his birthday … To Dr. Daniel
Panush on his birthday …
(Errata, it is anniversary num-
ber 59 not 69 for Leonard and
Suzy Radner.) •
Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
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March 8 • 2018
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