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Ideas Keep
Coming

W

Danny Raskin

Senior Columnist

Mario’s Restaurant

evolves with the

times.

Vince Passalacqua

hat next? His fertile
mind seems always
at work creating
steady interest in his restaurant
... It’s as if Vince Passalacqua
wants to outdo himself in com-
ing up with ideas at his Mario’s
Restaurant on Second Avenue,
Detroit.
Vince’s major ideas of a num-
ber of years ago are still going
strong … as Mario’s reaches its
70th birthday in being a stal-
wart favorite Italian restaurant
… Making many changes in
Mario’s indoor decor, in food
preparations like its eggplant
parmesan that is lightly breaded
in a lemon caper sauce that has
gained much popularity, a newly
renovated bar menu that serves
Italian nachos, etc.
His discount show and din-
ner prices and shuttle service
to the Fisher Theatre and back
to the restaurant are still going
strong … and also sometimes
to the Fox Theater and other
venues in Detroit … Plus Fisher
cast parties every Tuesday after
the show … most of them off-
Broadway productions.
Even the new Little Caesars
Arena is now using Mario’s
shuttle.
Localite favored gent of many
David Barr and Vince are long-
time close friends and count
each other among their favorite
people … Dave hosts at the
restaurant when needed, seat-

ing many customers and enjoys
going into the kitchen and
making his luscious desserts for
many, etc. … Dave also assists
Vince every Christmas, serving
the senior citizens and under-
privileged children of Detroit
and their families … Mario’s has
been doing this for 25 years,
closing to the public and invit-
ing the Detroit Children’s Center
and residents of senior facilities
to a holiday meal.
The large Mario’s menu
includes authentic reasonably
priced favorites that are so
loved … Like the appetizer of
Tomatoes Mario with its thin
slices of tomatoes, fresh moz-
zarella cheese and fresh basil in
a chilled caper sauce, Mariata
soup, a chicken soup with par-
mesan cheese, egg and fettuc-
cine noodles, delicious linguine
with a lobster marinara sauce,
11 chicken dishes, including
the big favorite of chicken livers
with mushrooms, Cornish hen,
Spiedini of chicken, etc., and 11
seafood selections that are huge
preferences … Also wonder-
ful veal dishes galore, beef and
lamb entrees, filets, steaks and
lamb chops, as well as the great
medallions of beef flamed with
cognac, simmered in a blend of
cream and tomato sauce with
sherry wine.
During the big 70th anniver-
sary month of August, Mario’s
menu will have a bill of fare

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timing also just wasn’t right.
GRAD TIDINGS … Mumford
High class of 1958 60th reunion
will be on two times … at
Knollwood Country Club, 5050
14 Mile Road, West Bloomfield
… Dinner is Saturday, Aug. 25, 7
p.m. … A brunch at Knollwood
is Sunday, Aug. 26, 9:30-11:30
a.m. … Reservations needed for
either or both. For more infor-
mation, call Joan Weissman,
(305) 965-6484.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The
wives of two confirmed own-
ers of dogs were talking about
their precious pets … One said
to her friend, “I got a wonderful
and beautiful Golden Retriever
for my husband … The other
woman sighed and said, “I wish
I could make a trade like that.”
… And how about the comic
saying, “Somebody stole all
my credit cards, but I won’t be
reporting it. The thief spends
less than my wife did.” … Or that
Henny Youngman classic: “She
was at the beauty shop for two
hours. That was only for an esti-
mate. She then got a mudpack
and looked great for two days …
Then the mud fell off.”
CONGRATS … To Ray
Horenstein on his birthday … To
Hy Hornentein on his birthday
… To Lila Lazarus on her birth-
day … To Terry T. Brown on his
70th birthday. •

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rolling back prices … including
some highly noted items of 1948
at their costs of those days.
Yes, Mario’s of today is some-
thing to be mighty proud of …
What owner Vince Passalacqua
has done within the celebration
of 70 years makes it an absolute-
ly true destination restaurant
to behold and certainly enjoy
… It is what Mario Lelli himself
might have wanted … Vince’s
late dad, Frank Passalaqua,
would have been so proud of his
son.
RESTAURANTS OFFERING
the combinations that give
people a choice of varied cul-
tures seem to go over big in
today’s dining world … But years
back there was one that would
have made large customer
appeal in present wants for
these gastronomic selections
… Timing was poor then with
money not so loose for fooling-
around spending … Ports of Call
had separate rooms for each
nation … Polynesian, Chinese,
American foods … I don’t recall
if its waitpersons were in the
garb of each country and the
rooms in that nation’s decor …
There might have been another
room for dining on what today
is known as fusion … combina-
tions or selections that could be
made from all the Asian cuisines
it presented … Like any restau-
rant, opening is a gamble … But,
in the case of Ports of Call, the

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2141080

August 2 • 2018

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