April 18 • 2019 69
jn

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

The Open Air
W

ith spring weather comes the 
opening of outdoor patios at 
restaurants … Many new addi-
tions now include more than just the Sunday 
fare go-get-and-gobble trips.
Along with the adding of outdoor Saturday 
brunches at restaurants now come the con-
stant moves to both Saturdays and Sundays 
… like Station Square in Troy and Fifth 
Tavern in Bloomfield, among others … Who 
knows? … Maybe the terminology for them 
someday will be “weekend brunches.
”
The opening of Sunday brunches them-
selves have also taken a huge turn toward 
more of them being featured … A free-stand-
ing restaurant would be foolish to open today 
without an outdoor patio unless it may be 
within a hotel or other such buildings where 
it was humanly impossible … Even the new 
Empire Kitchen in Downtown Detroit has 
wisely opened with another section with all 
brunch choices on Saturdays and Sundays 
until 3 p.m. … Both days are sitdown only 
with varied price selections from 
the menu … No walk-around 
choices … Picks after 3 p.m. are 
only from a dinner menu.
And what about those eateries 
that have flourished for many 
years without outdoor dining like 
Village Palace in Orchard Lake 
Village? … It has been there more 
than 30 years with word soon to 
come that it may modernize itself 
to have outdoor dining and with 
a surprise selection from which to 
choose. 
There are reasons why outdoor 

dining keeps coming up and definite reasons 
why it is here to stay as it has been for many 
years … and also constant alterations that 
produce many thoughts of continuous chang-
ing by regular standbys … Also, the many 
much varied styles of arrangements, presen-
tations, looks and continuous improvement.
BE WARY OF RESTAURANT openings 
that may not have happened yet … Receiving 
such aggravation is unnecessary by perhaps 
just a phone call … This has occurred much 
too often especially by some first-time restau-
rant owners who listen to others and sudden-
ly stop for re-dos … most times unnecessary 
… or additions that may not be needed … 
especially with purchases of old edifices 
where work is not required.
OAK PARK HIGH 1969 graduating class 
has its 50th reunion date set for Saturday, July 
6, 7 p.m. at the Troy Marriott Hotel … For 
more information, call Ken Korotkin at (248) 
258-4936 or email him at kenk@getkig.com.
REAR VIEW MIRROR … The won-
derful former Rina’
s Pizzeria-Restaurant on 
Schaefer, corner of Chalfonte … owned by 
sisters Ann Conte and Rina Tonon … with 
Ann’
s hubby, Enzo, and Rina’
s Adriano both 
doing the Italian cooking … Adriano has 
passed on and Rina today has continued to 
run their magnificent Café Cortina on 10 
Mile, east of Orchard Lake Road, Farmington 
Hills, with its great authentic Italian cuisine 
… as one of America’
s most beautiful year-
after-year award-winning outdoor dining 
experiences. 
DATES OF CLOSING for renovations by 
Pickles & Rye Deli, Orchard Lake Road, West 
Bloomfield, will be May 27-30 … Open with 

its new look on Friday, May 31.
WHEN WAS THE last time you heard a 
waitperson say, “Have a good day.
”
TO THOSE WHO HAVE asked, and there 
are many, ingredients of the Tuscan vegan 
pizza at Buddy’
s Pizza are vegan cheese, can-
nellini beans, red onion, parsley, oregano, 
roasted garlic … served on its multi-grain 
crust with tomato basil sauce and extra virgin 
olive oil.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … Israel’
s econ-
omy was in bad shape with inflation getting 
higher, and its Knesset held a special session 
to come up with a solution … After several 
hours of talk without progress, one member 
stands up and says, “
Quiet, everyone. I’
ve got 
the solution to all our problems. We’
ll declare 
war on the United States.
”
All the Knesset members start shouting at 
once. “You’
re nuts! That’
s crazy!”
“Hear me out,
” he says. “We declare war. 
We lose. The United States does what it 
always does when it defeats a country. It 
rebuilds everything, our highways, airports, 
shipping ports, schools, hospitals, factories, 
and loans us money and sends us food aid. 
Our problems would be over.
”
“Sure,
” says another minister, “
that’
s if we 
lose. But what if we win?”
CONGRATS … To Bruce Gale on his 
birthday … To Ed Radner on his birthday …
To Keri Cohen on her birthday … to Verna 
Cole on her birthday … To Fern “Pudgy” 
Kahn on her 83rd birthday … to Jerry and 
Rose Light on their 65th anniversary. ■

Danny’
s email address is 

dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

Try an outdoor 
weekend brunch 
at many area 
eateries.

raskin
the best of everything

 

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