Sam Boesky’
s deli was a Detroit
legend before it burned to the
ground in 1968.
the best of everything
Raskin
Darbys
Remembered
R
estaurants may take what
can be called a hiatus
or whatever, but there
will always be those that hold
a warm niche in the memories
of many … They
will be remem-
bered for so many
reasons … and
are why remem-
brances of them
will always hold
so much warmth.
The memory
of a restaurant such as Darbys is
a heart-warmer … It originally
was to be just a delicatessen, but
the gods must have ordained
that it be much more … and
was … After all, you don’
t find
too many eateries that will open
with seating for 375 people …
Let alone a delicatessen … and
one that would need to wait
three years until getting a liquor
license … and start out employ-
ing 120 people and, after getting
the license, serving 475 people
… These are great reasons why
restaurants such as
Darbys and others
will come back strong
again.
It was a tragic scene watch-
ing so many people crying
as Darbys was completely
destroyed on owner Sam
Boesky’
s birthday in 1968 ...
but a blessing he could hire
many in his following business,
Stanley Steamer Health Club,
although not at Darbys … with
many enjoying his blessings
as he helped them obtain jobs
elsewhere … Had the insurance
company not taken as long
to settle as it did, a year and
nine months after the fire, Sam
would have opened again in
another location.
Darbys fed almost 5,000 peo-
ple daily and was open Tuesday
through Sunday for breakfast,
lunch, dinner and after dinner.
Although now becoming only
partly delicatessen, it still went
through more than 60 gallons
of mushroom barley soup to
serve on a Sunday.
When Darbys burned to
the ground, it had been doing
almost $3,000 daily just in food
… in those days … topped only
by Carl’
s Chop House, owned by
Carl Rosenfeld, with its seating
for 785 people.
Darbys opened as much
more than a delicatessen … It
became a dining showplace of
the Midwest … with a full menu
of goodies, coffee shop, its own
delicatessen department, beau-
tiful dining room and a Skylight
Lounge with Charlie Dubin at
the piano.
Among many stories told
about Sam Boesky was one by
his manager, Bernie Kerner …
Two burglars hit Darbys and
soon after, another two guys
showed up for the same purpose
… “Sorry, fellows,
” Sam said.
“You’
re too late!”
Darbys was noted by many
as the place to be seen after the
theater, event or even another
restaurant … and subject of the
familiar words from numerous
customers to others … “See you
at Darbys!”
OLDIE BUT GOODIE … A
gent wanted to take his chihua-
hua into a restaurant with him,
so he put on a pair of dark class-
es and “tapped” his way with a
cane into the dining establish-
ment.
The manager said, “Hey! You
can’
t bring a dog in here!”
The man coming in indig-
nantly claimed, “I’
m blind! This
is my seeing eye dog!”
“You’
re trying to tell me,
” said
the manager, “that this little chi-
huahua is a seeing eye dog?”
“What?” cried out the man.
“They gave me a chihuahua?”
CONGRATS … To Dr. Jeffery
Meyers on his 50th birthday
… To Dharlene Norris on her
birthday.
Email dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
APRIL 30 • 2020 | 53
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