nosh
Alfoccino
S
Esther Allweiss
Ingber
Contributing Writer
Dining
Around
The D
posters decorate sand-colored
unny Palaj was 16 when
Alfoccino
walls. Several spots with upright
he started working as a
Ristorante
greenery add to the ambiance.
busboy at Alfoccino, an
Auburn Hills
At back, a large banquet area
Italian restaurant then located
2225 N. Opdyke Road
can be divided as needed. Overall
in Rochester Hills.
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
capacity at Alfoccino is “a couple
“I’ve done all the restaurant
(248) 340-1000
hundred,” Palaj said.
jobs, up through the line,” said
www.alfoccino.com
Dominating the dining room is
Palaj, now 41.
$$$ out of $$$$$
a large, well-stocked bar, featur-
Today, he’s at the top of the
ing international wines. The bar’s
ladder as owner of Alfoccino
Ristorante Auburn Hills. Formerly a partner, he happy hour, 3-6:30 weekdays, offers half-off
purchased the business on North Opdyke Road selected appetizers.
Alfoccino’s authentic Italian cuisine includes
in December 2017.
house-made salad dressings and sauces. A
While he obviously knows his way around a
kitchen, Palaj likes best that “I’m always in con- popular appetizer is Seafood Portabella, with
crab and shrimp. Other categories include sal-
tact with guests.”
ads, sandwiches, burgers and pizza.
Another Alfoccino, with a different owner,
House specialties, such as homemade lasa-
closed on Mother’s Day in Farmington Hills.
But Palaj’s Alfoccino is still going strong, 15
gna, are highlighted in yellow boxes on the
menu. Dinners come with garlic rolls and “bot-
years after locating to Auburn Hills.
tomless” garden salad. Add a few chickpeas,
Friends and I dined there recently and had
and I’d be perfectly satisfied.
a great experience, starting with our capable
Chicken Picatta is delightful and the most-
server Nick, formerly of Montenegro.
ordered entree, Palaj said. Lightly battered
The carpeted dining room is distinguished
white chicken breast fillets are sautéed in
by its handsome woodwork, including crown
white wine, garlic, lemon, parsley and mush-
moldings. Vintage Italian film and advertising
I Love Juice Bar…
I
Lindsey Shaw
56
t is rather refreshing when you
walk into a restaurant to know
that you can’t go wrong with any-
thing you order. I Love Juice Bar in
Troy is just that place.
Healthy decision-making comes
easy and with loads of options.
Beyond the cold-pressed juice that is
made daily in-house, the shop offers
power shots, smoothies, smoothie
bowls (including BYOB: build your
own bowl) and gluten-free food
options under 450 calories. The bee
pollen and honey debunk this spot as
an all-vegan offering restaurant.
Don’t be shy if you are a newbie to
the juice game. The friendly and wel-
coming staff is open to questions and
allow you to take your taste buds on
an adventure by sampling a few shots
before you decide. Before you know it,
you’ll be requesting them to fill up a
64-oz. growler of your favorite juice!
IMO (in my opinion), I found the
Juice Reset to be wonderful as it was
unique and suited my needs. The
June 21 • 2018
jn
“juice to dinner reset” offers four juic-
es, alkaline waters and a kale quinoa
salad. I loved that I had something to
chew on at the end of the day, and it
wasn’t just all juice.
For under $10, I Love Juice Bar
offers a 16-oz. juice and a food item
at lunch. My go-to is the Mean Greens
(jalapeño, celery, kale, spinach,
cucumber, parsley and lemon) with a
Pad Thai Noodle Bowl (sweet potato
noodles, carrot, cucumbers, spinach,
cilantro, garlic, sesame seeds, cashews
and gluten-free Thai peanut sauce).
The first location in Michigan for
this Nashville-based franchise is
at 3115 Crooks Road in Troy at the
northwest corner of Big Beaver Road.
It opened earlier this spring and will
be a mainstay in Oakland County.
Lucky for all the employees within the
local office market, as I Love Juice Bar
offers catering:
Call today to place an order at
(248) 590-2863 or online at
ilovejuicebar.com. •
rooms. Maureen and I shared this dish and
also Perch Diane: sautéed yellow Lake Perch
topped with artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes
and lemon-wine sauce.
Marni’s Eggplant Parmigiana was so good,
consisting of eggplant slices dipped in bread-
crumbs and fried, then layered with cheese
and tomato sauce. The Lemon Dill Salmon,
Carol’s entrée, was crusty and scrumptious.
Pollo Tortollini, a specialty, has tri-colored
noodles stuffed with ricotta cheese, chicken
strips and the signature Palomina sauce —
combining seasoned marinara and Alfredo
sauces.
Alfoccino’s grilled 8-ounce filet mignon
sounds appealing. Served over a sautéed wheel
of eggplant, it’s topped with Gorgonzola cheese
and portabella mushrooms, and drizzled with
zip sauce. The ribs fall off the bone after more
than four hours of slow cooking.
For dessert, we made short work of our tira-
misu. The layered Italian cake features lady-
finger cookies, espresso, Mascarpone cheese,
eggs, sugar, Marsala wine, rum and cocoa
powder. •
I really
do!