the best of everything
Raskin
Birmingham eatery celebrates four years in business.
H
e was only around 10 years
old years when working with
Mom and Dad at their pres-
tigious Middle Eastern restaurant in
Highland Park … He continued with
them at their same-named Phoenicia
eatery owned by Sameer and Leila
Eid in what has become somewhat of
a family dynasty.
But as the years rolled by, their son,
Samy Eid, might have also nursed an
ambition to someday likewise own a
fine dining restau-
rant and perhaps
help at both.
It may have
happened back
in 2015 when
Samy opened that
supposed dream,
buying the former
Forest Grill from
Brian Polcyn …
now celebrating
its fourth anniver-
sary as the Forest
on Woodward
and Forest in
Birmingham.
Sure, there is
caviar, but also
signature dishes with Mediterranean
influences of Spain, France, Italy, etc.
… Five-course chef’
s tasting menu,
black rice, farm egg, caviar, braised
short rib, Bolognese, duck breast …
and a wonderful branzino among its
best sellers.
All baked goods at Forest are made
in-house as are the desserts and pas-
tas … And, of course, a 1,000-bottle
wine cellar … plus a sleek glassed-in
kitchen … Forest is open Monday
thru Saturday from 5 p.m. until
closing about midnight … Seating
includes 65 plus bar stools for 10.
Have you ever eaten Japanese
eggplant? … And, if you are a sea-
food lover, you’
ll enjoy the branzino,
salmon, striped bass or Dover sole …
Also, the duck with a portobello cider
glaze and liver mousse, lamb with
polenta fennel jam and corn mousse
or a New York Strip Steak that has
been aged for 28 days.
These and more are the ingredients
that make for classic dining with
inspiring taste and have made Forest
a four-year success.
MAIL DEPT. … From Andrew
Alterman … “You wrote at one time
about model Kate Upton loving sushi
and wondered if she found any good
ones in Houston, Texas, when her
husband, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin
Verlander, was traded to the Astros
baseball team. My wife, Alice, and I
are going there soon and we both love
sashimi, too.”
(Super model Kate Upton, I am
told, eats sushi about five times a
week along with sashimi selections
and has found several wonderful
Japanese restaurants in Houston.)
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … A
mechanic was removing a cylinder
head from a motor when he spotted
a famous heart surgeon … “Hello,
Doc,” shouted the mechanic. “I also
can open this engine, take the valves
out, fix ’
em, put in new parts and it’
ll
work like new. So how come you get
the big money, when you and I are
doing basically the same work?”
The surgeon said to the mechanic,
“Try doing it while it is still running!”
CONGRATS … To Kathy Morley
on her birthday … To Melissa
Litvin on her birthday … To Scott
Raskin on his birthday … To Samuel
“Norton or Naughty” Finegood on
his 95th birthday … To Erwin and
Elaine Waldman on their 40th anni-
versary.
Email Danny at dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
VIA FOREST FACEBOOK
Samy Eid
COURTESY OF SAMY EID
Forest
Continues
to Grow in
Popularity
OCTOBER 24 • 2019 | 61
Reservations at www.thewhitney.com
(313) 832-5700
201
9
T
HE
WHI
T
NE
Y
Now serving Lunch
Monday-Friday
11am – 2pm
Lunches start at
$12