March 28 • 2019 57
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Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

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the best of everything

Uptown Parthenon Celebrates 20 Years
F

orty-two years ago, New Parthenon 
Greek restaurant opened its doors 
in Greektown Detroit … It had been 
doing a booming business even when gam-
bling casinos came … But not as much as 
before the coming of MGM Casino in 1993, 
Greektown Casino in 2000 and nearby 
Motor City Casino on Grand River in 1999 
… When people enveloped the Downtown 
area and crowded them to the rafters … 
with many visitors even forsaking and for-
getting about eating.
Among them, the owners of New 
Parthenon noticed the large number of 
people from Northwest areas of West 
Bloomfield plus its nearby suburban cities 
… So came the brilliant idea of bringing its 
same menu to them.
Thus, 20 years ago in December of 1998, 
came the new Uptown Parthenon … The 
ownership of brothers Polyvios and Jimmy 
Panagopoulos, Leo (of Coney Island fame) 
and nephew John Stassinopoulos found an 
exact place, remodeled it from the ground 
up and opened Uptown Parthenon Greek 
restaurant near Kroger’
s on Orchard Lake 
Road in West Bloomfield’
s Crosswinds 
Center, just east of Lone Pine.
As it now celebrates its 20th anniversary 
… and the recent selling of Greektown’
s 
New Parthenon … a stroke of sheer genius 
is recalled that made Uptown Parthenon the 
talk of many … The immediate bringing of 
its general manager, Tony Hadjisofroniou, 
who had before coming to New Parthenon 
owned half-partnership in another 

Greektown restaurant, to operate Uptown 
Parthenon … The selling of New Parthenon 
has also brought Polyvios’
 brother Dimitri 
(Jimmy) to assist Tony.
Uptown Parthenon, highly noted for 
its marvelous double-boned lamb chops 
among a bevy of authentic house-made and 
prepared Greek dishes, makes its own rice 
pudding, baklava, Parthenon cake, custard, 
etc. … is also widely acclaimed for its own 
baked lamb … among other items, some of 
which cannot be gotten elsewhere.
There are no cans to be found … and its 
own soups are a joy … Plus, the exclusive 
preparation of Neframia (roast loin of lamb) 
… It is all Greek, but a couple of American 
sandwiches, too … the almighty hamburger 
and cheeseburger to go along with a Greek 
Burger … Even whitefish and salmon.
Uptown Parthenon is a thing of beauty, 
seating 225 amid a sea of Greek artifacts 
… Its bar accommodates 16 more … Open 
seven days a week 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 
Its cleanliness is noted … and most 
deserving of the many hurrahs regularly 
received as Uptown Parthenon celebrates 20 
years in business.
REARVIEW MIRROR … The tiny 
kitchen run by Harold and Wyn Landis 
at yesteryear’
s Leo Adler’
s Harbor Bar 
was wonderful … What great 8-ounce 
hamburgers … And those house specialty 
cheese blintzes always tasted like flaky thin 
pancakes wrapped around a cream cheese 
or cottage cheese filling and topped with 
sour cream or strawberry jam … Even a 

delicious dilly of a tenderloin steak, chops 
and all kinds of yummy sandwiches.
IT IS A GOOD example of why small 
restaurants should not be noted only by 
their size … They have a unique role in 
today’
s society, providing the public with 
one of the last vestiges of true enterprise 
and many times the owner of his or her 
inventiveness … Where a family can enjoy 
each other’
s company without having to do 
the dishes.
ERRATA … Owner of Nonna Maria is 
John Gallagher, not John McDonald.
 
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … Four young 
novice nuns were about to take their vows 
… Dressed in their white gowns, they came 
into the chapel with the ceremony to marry 
them to Jesus, making them each a “bride 
of Christ.
”
Just as the ceremony was about to begin, 
four Chasidic Jews with yarmulkes, long 
sideburns and long beards came in and sat 
in the front row.
The Mother Superior said to them, “I am 
honored that you want to share this experi-
ence with us, but do you mind if I ask why 
you came?”
“We’
re from the groom’
s side.
”
CONGRATS … To Sue Maniloff on 
her birthday … To Marsha Ellman on her 
birthday … To Al and Marilyn Frommer on 
their 59th anniversary. ■

Danny’
s email address is 

dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

We say ‘
opa!’
 to 
former Greektown 
namesake on its 
20th anniversary.

Leo Stassinopoulos, Polyvios 

Panagopoulos and Tony 

Hadjisofroniou

COURTESY OF UPTOWN PARTHENON 

 

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(248) 855-0007

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