May 30 • 2019 53
jn
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
raskin
the best of everything
Rebirth of a Legend
I
t has often been noted that a new
restaurant is many times a difficult task
when opened by one or more who have
never done it before … And maybe also
when it is a dining legend being reopened.
However, it is not so with the husband
and wife togetherness of George and
Alicia Shoukas … as they celebrate the
second anniversary of the reincarnation of
the Caucus Club in Downtown Detroit’
s
Penobscot Building on Congress.
His being a 20-year partner in the
Chesterfield, Mich., Louis’
Chop House
gave George an idea of what to look for
and correct if necessary … Should there
be a problem, George and Alicia would
be on their toes for its correction … As it
turned out, former owners Sam and Les
Gruber and Mary Belloni left little if any-
thing to be corrected.
It might be considered the new Caucus
Club although many memories still
undoubtedly cling within its walls …
Neither George nor Alicia previously
knew much of its wonderful history … but
were thrilled at the thought of owning a
prestigious restaurant in Detroit.
Being his own executive chef and with
the many abilities of wife, Alicia, George
was able to bring back some of the
excellent specialty dishes along with the
numerous steak and seafood selections
… tableside Caesar salad, Bananas Foster,
Osso Buco, etc. … Also the best-selling
filet mignon steaks and dry-aged steaks …
Doing their own baking of the breads and
making many desserts like chocolate torte,
key lime pie, cheesecake, crème brule, tira-
misu, chocolate mousse, braised pears, etc.
The new Caucus Club is open seven
days a week … Monday through Friday 11
a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, 5-11 p.m., Sunday,
4-7 p.m. … With seating for 155 and 13
bar stools.
Enjoying the rebirth of a wonderful
dining legend with a great history that
dates back to 1952 … and enjoying its
excellent food again … so many dishes
that will always be remembered … and
never changed … a thrilling memory
… on the rebirth of a great dining name
now celebrating the second anniversary
of what is once again a fine upscale din-
ing adventure
WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS … Well,
not exactly, but Mark Zarkin did in a way
with his new venture … His sons Ari and
Michael are at Mark’
s Steven Lelli’
s On the
Green while he pursues another dining
venture … Like so many youngsters, a
childhood hope to someday maybe own
a circus almost came true, even if just
the name of another restaurant … Mark’
s
Grand Circus Diner may not have a grand
opening yet, but folks are still coming in at
all hours for his dining goodies … It’
s on
Witherell and Woodward in Detroit … on
the ground floor of the Broderick Tower,
where the Flaming Embers restaurant used
to be … Balloons and circus artifacts and
who knows what’
s to come… Maybe a
baby elephant someday to greet the folks
who come in for its burgers, fries, hoagies,
Cincinnati chili spaghetti, etc.
THERE WERE TIMES years ago when
simplicity played an important role in the
dining lives of many people … Numerous
eateries with items on the menu that
people were familiar with and folks could
relate to … In many cases though, simple
dining has stayed in the picture but taken
a large dip in known items … Little mom-
and-pop dining spots played a big role …
but there are not too many around these
days … It has taken new restaurants like
Empire Kitchen in Detroit and others to
bring back simple dining when desired.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … (Repeated
by many requests) … The senior citizen
drove his new car past the speed limit …
Looking into his rearview mirror, he saw
a state trooper’
s flashing blue light and
floored the pedal. Suddenly he thought,
“What am I doing? I’
m too old for this!”
And pulled over.
The trooper walked up to the car,
looked at his watch and said, “Sir, my shift
ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you
can give me a new reason for speeding,
one I’
ve never heard before, I’
ll let you go.”
The elderly gent paused and said,
“Three years ago, my wife ran off with a
state trooper. I thought you were bringing
her back.”
“Have a good day, sir,” said the trooper.
CONGRATS … To Hedy Blatt on her
birthday. ■
Danny’
s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
The new
Caucus Club
proves itself
worthy on second
anniversary.
George and Alicia Shoukas
thejewishnews.com
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