May 2 • 2019 53
jn
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
raskin
the best of everything
Flames Flicker Bright!
R
umors will never stop … Ones
about Greektown’
s restaurants in
trouble are among the latest false-
hoods … They might have come because
a couple places closed for remodeling
… Greektown rumors have been a
lip-mover since the early 1800s after
German immigrants developed it as a
residential community and then began
to move out of the Downtown neigh-
borhood into areas further away … But
then newly arrived immigrants moved
in and established businesses … By the
1920s, Greektown in Downtown Detroit
became primarily commercial … and
still is … Most of the Greek immigrants
moved out but not their restaurants,
coffee houses, bakeries, etc. … Detroit’
s
Greektown still receives much nation-
wide note.
One eatery, New Parthenon, was
bought by the Jim Pappas family, own-
ers of Pegasus … and its former own-
ers are now assisting in running their
Northwest Uptown Parthenon, which
recently celebrated its 29th anniversary
in West Bloomfield.
(Bet you never knew that Jim Pappas
also had a delicatessen … It was back in
1975 on Cadillac Square in Detroit, and
he called it Pickle Barrel.)
THE FLAMES FROM oodles of
Saganaki Opa! were enough to bring out
the fire department … But it knew that
Uptown Parthenon, West Bloomfield,
was whooping it up on one of its Greek
Nights … The music from a huge speak-
er was loud, a gent played an exciting
xylophone, a gent was singing, Herman
Leader whooped it up, standing atop a
table with lamb chops in both hands;
smiling Lana Mini elegantly danced with
graceful belly precision; and servers
like Ted Stavropoulos were as fast as the
flames … as the event date also came
out on Uptown Parthenon’
s 29th anni-
versary.
SURE, SHE MOVED … But not far
away … Judie Koploy’
s Slade’
s Gift Shop
is now just across the hall, still at the
Orchard Mall on Orchard Lake Road
and 15 Mile, West Bloomfield … Or
maybe Judie wants to be near Shangri-La
at the Mall and continue eating Cholada
Chan’
s yummies there.
GINOPOLIS’
SMOKEHOUSE
has been feeding folks 40 years in
Farmington Hills, but it isn’
t the end
of that name … Peter Ginopolis will
run their Ginopolis Smokehouse in
Brighton, Mich. … as Ginopolis Smoke
n’
Pit BBQ … and will still have those
delicious Montgomery ribs … Ginopolis
Smokehouse in Farmington Hills will
remain open through June and July.
REAR VIEW MIRROR … Lelli’
s Inn
on Woodward, Detroit. where its owner,
Nerio Lelli, was as round as a ping pong
ball and head chef of his own restaurant
with mouthwateringly out-of-this-world
food … superb dishes that elevated
pasta, steaks, veal, etc., from the mun-
dane to the superb … like a huge family
porterhouse steak for four, broiled and
sliced at the table.
DOWNTOWN DETROIT Buddy’
s
Pizza will open around October or
November of this year … It will seat
200 plus 30 on a patio and full bar …
Location of Madison Building, owned
by Dan Gilbert’
s Bedrock near Grand
Circus Park, is the former location of
Angelina Italian Bistro.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The man
was lying across three entire seats at a
concert. When the usher noticed this, he
whispered to the man, “I’
m sorry sir, but
you’
re only allowed one seat.”
When the fellow didn’
t budge, the
usher became impatient and said, “Sir, if
you don’
t get up from there, I’
m going to
call the manager.”
The man just muttered but once again
did nothing.
The usher marched back up the aisle
and, in a moment, returned with the
manager. Together the two of them tried
repeatedly to move the disheveled man,
but with no success. Finally, they called
the police. The officer asked, “All right,
buddy, what’
s your name?”
“Fred,” the man moaned.
“Where you from, Fred?” asked the
officer.
With a terrible strain in his voice, Fred
replied, “The balcony.”
CONGRATS … To Jon Isenberg on
his birthday … To Mallory Sharpe on her
birthday … To Aaron Stone on his 28th
birthday … To Mel Kerman on his birth-
day … To Ellen Shaffus on her birthday. ■
Danny’
s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
Quelling the
‘
Greektown in
trouble’
rumors
and other assorted
happenings.
Saganaki from Pegasus
GREEKTOWN, WIKIPEDIA
VIA FACEBOOK
MICHAEL BARERA, WIKIPEDIA
Monument Center Inc.
Monuments and Markers
Bronze Markers
Memorial Duplicating
Cemetery Lettering & Cleaning
“Same Location Over 80 Y
ears”
www.MonumentCenterMichigan.com
S P R I N G O P E N S T U D I O
FRI, MAY 3RD, 4-8 PM | SAT + SUN, MAY 4TH + 5TH, 12- 6 PM
LA RUCHE LIGHTING
Free, public event with live
glassblowing demonstrations
One-of-a-Kind Gifts
and Sculptures
770 Orchard Lake Rd
Pontiac, MI 48341
248.745.3786
epiphanyglass.com