January 31 • 2019 49
jn

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

raskin
the best of everything

The Sweet Life
T

here was a time when folks would 
be told about this restaurant 
but had difficulty finding it … 
However, most of the people were per-
sistent enough to continue looking … 
And are happy they did … With the 
choice result being their making it a reg-
ular must …and no problem finding it 
anymore. 
La Dolce Vita on Woodward, four 
blocks north of McNichols, between 
Pinehurst and Cedarhurst, Detroit, is one 
of those authentic Italian restaurants with 
continental influences you seldom hear 
about because those who have been there 
prefer to keep it to themselves.
This hidden gem that opened in 1995 
is noted for so many things, including an 
excellent Caesar salad that is in a properly 
rubbed bowl and made at the table, among 
numerous other fine dining features of 
culinary excellence … Not to mention the 
homey old Italian feeling of comfort and 
its traditional Northern Italian styles of 
cooking that include items not found on 
the menu along with its bevy of authentic 
dishes that also include recent additions.
Finding La Dolce Vita is not a snap … 
There is only an LDV sign in front, and 
its entrance is off an alley in the back … 
But so many people love a family-run 
restaurant they will always find it … 
Enrico and wife Denice Rosselli’
s son-in-
law-to-be Adam Kojadsulian is La Dolce 
Vita’
s manager … Their daughter Erica has 
done much there, including hosting and 
managing … Denise makes many desserts 

and Enrico is in the kitchen much of the 
time … A true Italian restaurant like La 
Dolce Vita contains so much love and 
dedication. 
Seating is for 165 during the winter 
months and 240 with a beautiful out-
door patio used when weather permits 
… Friday and Saturday evenings include 
a piano stylist, and a jazz group plays at 
Sunday brunch … Hours are Tuesday-
Friday lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dinner 
5-10 p.m. … Friday, dinner until 11 p.m., 
Saturday, 5-11 p.m., Sunday brunch, 11-3.
A restaurant that thrives on its repu-
tation rarely needs its customers to be 
reminded of the good dining experience it 
offers … Enrico Rosselli’
s La Dolce Vita is 
definitely one of those restaurants.
DID YOU KNOW DEPT. …That 
Mary Brady, owner with managing part-
ner Sharon Juergens of Diamond Jim 
Brady’
s Bistro in Novi, holds the high dis-
tinction of being one of a small number 
of women who are American Culinary 
Federation-certified executive chefs? … 
Mary has won more than 15 medals in 
food competitions.
MAIL DEPT. … From Judith Behrmann 
… “How I remember the wonderful 
restaurants of yesteryears. My former 
husband and I loved going to Laffrey’
s, 
across from Topinka’
s on Seven Mile Road. 
John Laffrey was a wonderful host, and we 
always enjoyed his variety of steaks and 
salads with his awesome salad dressing 
to take home. We had great lunches there 
with friends and cannot say enough about 
them. While going to Mumford High, my 

friends and I loved Fredson’
s Delicatessen 
on Wyoming for its wonderful real chick-
en soup and corned beef sandwich. The 
days of real food and adult servers seem to 
be gone. I relish the good times and food 
memories. The good old days? For sure!”
REAR VIEW MIRROR … When 
David and Doreen Hermelin gave a party 
at their home with Seymour Brode for 
Israel tennis … All the power went out in 
their Bingham Farms neighborhood … 
Gary Cochran, then owner of Beau Jack’
s, 
and David set up about seven or eight 
barbecue machines that David had rented 
for a previous party … On them, he and 
Gary cooked kosher hamburgers galore 
… When Dave was asked where he got all 
the barbecue machines without any notice, 
Dave said that they were rented for anoth-
er party, but he was sending the company 
a check to buy them so he could have 
them on hand just in case an outage ever 
happened again.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … One morn-
ing at breakfast, Harvey turns to his wife 
and says, “Joyce, listen to me. I don’
t 
want to sound cruel, but your mother 
has been living with us for 20 years now. 
Don’
t you think it’
s about time she got a 
place of her own?” 
Joyce, eating her breakfast, dropped her 
utensils in shock. “My mother? I thought 
she was your mother!”
CONGRATS … To Dr. Stuart 
Kirschenbaum on his birthday. ■

Danny’
s email address is 

dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

Hidden Detroit 
gem provides 
authentic Italian 
dining.

Enrico Rosselli

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