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