36 | DECEMBER 26 • 2019 

Arts&Life

the best of everything

A look back on what happened in the 2019 restaurant scene.
 
The Year That Was

W

onderful knives 
and forks glim-
mer again in the 
restaurant world for many 
as we soon enter 2020 after 
another wel-
come list of 
successful din-
ing endeavors 
in 2019 … And, 
again, offer fer-
vent wishes for 
their continu-
ance of this and 
many more in the new year. 
JANUARY … No better 
way to begin a new year than 
with good health as local 
heart doctor and author Dr. 
Joel Kahn goes into the fourth 
year of his GreenSpace Café 
in Ferndale … Sunday brunch 
begins at new Station Square 
in Troy … Siegel’
s Deli, 
Commerce Township, wins 
WDIV-TV Best Sandwich 
in Metro Detroit contest … 
Rick Therrien becomes sole 
owner of Pickles & Rye, West 
Bloomfield, with semi-retire-
ment of partner Linda Collins 
… Immigrant success story by 
Sunny Palaj at his Alfoccino 
in Auburn Hills … Village 
Palace in Orchard Village 
also becomes a more seafood 
restaurant … La Dolce Vita 
retains its image as a hidden 
dining gem in Detroit. 
FEBRUARY … 
Renovations by the new 
Grand Tavern in Rochester 
bring big wows at the former 
Chili’
s locale … Chris Feasel, 
general manager at Stage 
Deli, West Bloomfield, and 
Courtney Hill, now dining 
room manager and server 

at Pickles & Rye Deli, West 
Bloomfield, are taken as 
twins … George and Crissy 
Kutlenios celebrate the fire 
their Holly Hotel had 105 
years ago … Joe Vicari opens 
his newest Andiamo Italia in 
Fenton … New Parthenon 
is closed in Greektown 
Detroit and site bought by 
Jim Papas … Jersey Bagel 
makes its appearance in West 
Bloomfield … Buddy’
s Pizza 
takes on a new investment 
partner … Lobster Cantonese 
is lauded again at Shangri-La 
in West Bloomfield.
MARCH … More single 
Sunday brunch dates are 
made now also with Saturday 
additions like 5th Tavern, 
Bloomfield Hills … and 
sister operation of Station 
Square in Troy to follow … 
Matt Prentice slated to be 
back again in Clarkston at 
Three Cats … Former Maria’
s 
in West Bloomfield opens 
again but with new name of 
Nonna Maria’
s … Diamond 
Jim Brady’
s Bistro in Novi, 
lauded again with having 
two executive chefs, Mary 
Brady and Sharon Juergens 
… Uptown Parthenon, West 
Bloomfield, celebrates 20th 
anniversary.
APRIL … Steven Lelli’
s 
Inn on the Green observes 
ninth anniversary with 
addition of owner Mark 
Larkin’
s sons Ari and 
Michael … More than 30 
years ago, talk of opening a 
delicatessen in Ann Arbor 
is recalled as Zingerman’
s 
by Ari Weinzweig and Paul 
Saginaw achieves even more 

national note … Owner Mike 
Chalhoub is his own executive 
chef of Lebanese dishes while 
enjoying family operation at 
Southfield’
s Grape Leaves …
Vera Rizer, general manager 
of Big Rock Chophouse, 
Birmingham, is named to 
Birmingham Bloomfield 
Chamber of Commerce … 
Bistro 82, Royal Oak, cele-
brates its fifth anniversary … 
Outdoor dining makes bigger 
noises of success.
MAY … Empire Kitchen 
and Cocktails opens in 
Detroit … Peter Ginopolis to 
open Ginopolis Smokehouse 
in Brighton … Second 
anniversary of second Joe 
Muer’
s Seafood opening in 
Bloomfield Hills … Bacco, 
Southfield, rated among best 
Italian restaurants on 17th 
anniversary … Grand Circus 
Diner is opened on ground 
floor of Detroit’
s Broderick 
Tower.
JUNE … Three-year-old 
Red Dunn Kitchen, Detroit, 
also has movie house in 
back for its dining customers 
during summer months … 
Elegant Cuisine, Detroit, 
fetes 19th birthday serving 
French-American food … 
Stage Deli, West Bloomfield, 
brings back meat loaf sand-
wich memories on challah 
or lettuce … Siegel’
s Deli, 
Commerce Township, by new 
ownership, has second anni-
versary with delivery service 
… Excitement with news that 
two highly regarded execu-
tive chefs to open and run 
elegant new Pernoi coming 
in Birmingham … Pepino’
s 

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

PHOTOS VIA FACEBOOK

Lamb from Empire Kitchen, mock 
tuna salad from GreenSpace Cafe and 
sushi from Adachi 

