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Touches Of Italy

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Plymouth’s Cantoro

Italian Market &

Trattoria does

double duty.

Alex Bazzy

The concepts themselves
might have had meager accep-
tance at their beginnings many
years ago but, like well-watered
plants, many have grown hearti-
ly with much global recognition.
However, numerous so-called
market-restaurant combina-
tions may have failed because of
having market knowledge but
also a lack of much-needed res-
taurant know-how.
Locally, the 55,000-square-
foot Cantoro Italian Market
& Trattoria, North Haggerty,
between 6 and 7 Mile, Plymouth,
only in its fourth year, is easily
noted among the better double-
headers that have met with
much great success.
It not only affords visitors
an opportunity to peruse fine
Italian specialty products sel-
dom if ever seen anywhere …
but also, too, the lunch or din-
ner enjoyments of an attached
private sit-down trattoria (res-
taurant) with previously unseen
menu items plus house-made
sausage, grilled shrimp appetiz-
ers, pastas, filets, veal, salmon,
etc., and 15 hand-made pizzas
from all-natural, never-frozen,
dough made fresh daily.
The trattoria, serving excel-
lent Italian cuisine, is a one-of-
its kind offering that includes
generous portions to make for
enjoyable dining and, if needed,
a major market shopping experi-
ence … Cantoro’s restaurant sec-
tor is usually crowded at dinner
time and lighter at lunch … serv-
ing the customary Italian fare
plus food seen only at the finest

restaurants of Rome or Tuscany
like Carpaccio di Salmone,
Linguine alla Pescatore, etc. …
My much-heralded Saltimbocca
alla Romana couldn’t have been
better.
Important, too, is that at
both the market and restaurant
general manager/certified som-
melier Alex Bazzy is an Italian
market know-how gent and
restaurant personage with all-
important much-needed dining
knowledge … It is quite a thrill
to have someone as knowledge-
able as Alex Bazzy to also guide
diners to perfect pairings of
wine and menu selections, if
desired … Being a recipient of
Wine Spectator’s 2017 Award of
Excellence, Cantoro Trattoria
also boasts a downstairs wine
cellar with more than 2,000
bottles of exotic vintages.
The restaurant, which has
seemingly redefined Italian din-
ing with its rich and distinctive
menu, is reached by a short
elevator ride to a beautiful set-
ting that many drive for miles
to enjoy … Seating is for more
than 100 plus another 15 at the
always-crowded bar … Plus a
well-appointed 60-seat outdoor
patio.
With fair prices and smil-
ing staff, Cantoro’s restaurant
menu reads like a veritable
map of Italy … taking patrons
to Sicily, etc., for its antipasti
selections from Executive Chef
Anthony Calabrese, whose high
talents include grilled Calamari
alla Griglia and Italy’s main-
land coast favorite Finocchio

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including every large U.S. city, he
agreed with Beard, pointing par-
ticularly to Detroit’s generous
supply of ethnic eateries.
MANY FOLKS WILL agree
that there is much good chili
being served in the Metropolitan
Detroit area … from Leo’s Coney
Island, American and Lafayette
Coney Islands, National Coney
Island, etc. … But most would
take a backseat to the chili
served at Anderson’s Gardens
years ago, owned by Harry and
Ruth Levenberg … It was made
by Ruth herself, and whatever
she put in to make it so good
that folks came from every-
where for its yummy taste, she
would never tell … even to her
best friends and maybe Harry,
too.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The
small-town general practice
doctor and his wife finally took a
well-earned vacation after many
years … Their son had gradu-
ated medical school and was
given his dad’s practice to run
while they were gone … On their
return, the father asked him
how everything went …
“Great, Dad! Remember that
skin irritation Mrs. Schwartz
had that you couldn’t get rid of?
I cured it for her!”
“What? You fool!” screamed
his angered father. “Who do you
think put you through college!?”
CONGRATS … To Keri Guten
Cohen on her birthday … To
Bernice Abrams on her birthday
… To Irving Taselman on his
21st birthday. •

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into reality for 25 years

Cheryl Riback

e Arancia (orange and fen-
nel) salad … continuing to its
hands-down most popular dish,
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese with
house-made Tagliatelle pasta
and traditional meat sauce of
ground veal, beef, sausage and
pancetta.
The panini selection includes
a variety of hard-crusted breads
made in Cantoro’s own on-
premise downstairs bakery,
house-made soups, including
a magnificent minestrone, and
entrees like Gorgonzola Ribeye
steak or grilled Mediterranean
Sea Bass … along with excellent
house-made gelato, cannoli and
tiramisu.
Dining hours are Monday-
Saturday, 11-2 lunch, dinner
4:30-10, Sunday 11-4.
The magnitude of an expe-
rience such as that afforded
by Cantoro Italian Market &
Trattoria in Plymouth is with
few equals … The main dining
room and accompanying sectors
for private parties are choice …
Certainly a most enjoyable mar-
ket and dining adventure with
good reason for it to be so very
highly cherished.
REARVIEW MIRROR …
When James Beard, one of
America’s top dining-out
authors, said, “Our best United
States restaurant cities are New
York, Los Angeles, San Francisco
and Detroit,” he had visited
50 states before making this
statement … When TV travel
international gourmet George
Pierrot dined in more than 110
countries and island groups,

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www.kandkremodelinginc.com

Family Owned, Licensed & Insured Since 1992

jn

April 19 • 2018

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