May 9 • 2019 57 jn Danny Raskin Senior Columnist raskin the best of everything Empire State of Mind A long with the resurgence of new restaurant openings in Downtown Detroit bringing much joy, may also be some cause for alarm … Closings may come, in and outers, too … But all said, the current presence of new restau- rants is welcomed. Toots Shore of New York dining fame used to say that a good restaurant might start when customers smile after lifting their forks and having the first bite. He had something there. This is where a restaurant such as the new Empire Kitchen and Cocktails on Woodward, corner of Erskine, two blocks north of Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, shines so high … Owned by friends Michael Abrams, Brian Adelman and Dave Pittaway, with working partner/chef Aaron Lowen, it presents some- thing so many other like operations might sadly fail to offer … Its very own cooking styles with big features on simplicity, too …an important factor today for success. Chef Lowen, trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York and was former director of oper- ations and events for Cutting Edge cuisine, is noted for having his own casual American fare along with an approach that also brings out numerous Italian and other influences in many food preparations. The diversified style of Empire’ s menu selections has brought many return visits … with choices from prime steak, Empire burg- er, turkey burger, dry-rub wings, pan-seared salmon, scallops, grilled lamb chops, pizzas, seafood pasta, even corned beef hash, 14-oz. New York strip, spicy chicken, corn-on-the cob, etc. A new 2019 menu also includes sea- sonal items, Brisket French Dip, citrus salad, artichoke pizza, sausage orecchiette, smoked whitefish dip, salted caramel cookie skillet, etc. Friends since boyhood, Mike Abrams should know the goodness of its burgers, also being owner of Mr. Joe’ s in Southfield … and Brian Adelman, who’ s name many remem- ber from the family once owning Adelman’ s Department Store in Windsor … Mike and Brian own the 30 Five Guys Burger and Fries spots in Michigan and two in Illinois as well. Empire Kitchen and Cocktails makes its own monkey bread, spice cake, brownies, bread sticks, etc. Closed Mondays … Open Tuesday 4-10, Wednesday and Thursday 4-12, Friday, 4-1, Saturday, 11-1, Sunday, 10-10 … Saturday and Sunday brunch from menus, 11-3, fol- lowed by dinner menu … Complete seating is 135 plus 20 stools at its well-stocked bar. Empire Kitchen and cocktails is the casual but interesting and good American bistro that so many people look for when visiting Detroit … or living and working in its Downtown area … along with the many who come from the suburbs. Relaxed dining with simplicity as evi- denced by Empire Kitchen is highly wel- comed. PRE-BROADWAY SHOW of Bob Anderson and his amazing impression of Frank Sinatra in “Frank The Man. The Music, ” presented by Joe Vicari and his Andiamo and Joe Muer Seafood restau- rants … Saturday, June 15, 8 p.m. at the Fox Theatre … will also include Johnny Trudell and his 31-piece orchestra … Bob’ s uncanny impression will include many top-drawer Sinatra favorite songs he did not do last year at the much smaller Detroit Opera House … It hits Broadway with Bob doing his Sinatra show this fall … Like Tony Bennett says, “Frank would have loved this show!” … You will, too. OLDIE BUT GOODIE … Isaac is out shopping when he sees a sign in a window saying, “Jacob’ s Custom-Made Clothing. ” … He isn’ t sure whether to go in because it looks so expensive. But Jacob, the owner, sees him hesitating and quickly invites him in. “What are you looking for?” he asks. “ A suit for my grandson’ s bar mitzvah,” says Isaac. “Good, ” said Jacob, “you’ ve come to the right place. When we make a suit here, you’ ll be surprised at how we go about it. First, dig- ital cameras take pictures of every muscle and we download the pictures to a special com- puter to build up your image. Then we cul- tivate sheep in Australia to get the very best cloth. For the silk lining, we contact Japan for their silkworms, and we ask Japanese deep sea divers to get the pearl buttons. When do you need it?” “This week, ” says Isaac. “You’ ll have it!” CONGRATS … To David Sachs on his birthday … To Eleanor Pearl on her birthday. ■ Danny’ s email address is dannyraskin2132@gmail.com. Detroit’ s Empire Kitchen and Cocktails offers relaxed dining. Michael Abrams, Aaron Lowen and Brian Adelman COURTESY OF EMPIRE KITCHEN AND COCKTAILS NOT T I N G H I L L o f W E S T B L O O M F I E L D AQUATICS THERAPY POOL Notting Hill of West Bloomfield is focused on short-term in-patient rehabilitation, with the goal of transitioning back home. We are happy to announce the opening of our Aquatics Therapy pool. Aquatic Therapy uses water’s naturally therapeutic properties of buoyancy, resistance and warmth to enhance the therapy experience. Since not all people respond well to traditional gym exercise programs, many people find aquatic therapy less stressful, preferable to traditional methods...and FUN! Why Choose Aquatic Therapy? 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