 MAY 28 • 2020 | 101

W

hen neighborhood 
fine dining returns to 
happy folks following 
the terrible coronavirus days, joy 
will bring many smiles again.
Excellent hereabouts 
restaurants like 
the Golden 
Mushroom with 
its loyal patronage 
will never change 
… The owner, 
Reid Ashton, 
also former head 
of the Michigan 
Restaurant Association, said, 
“People are not 
going to give up 
caviar, champagne 
and souffles.
”
The former del-
icatessen (Rascal 
House) became 
a fine dining eatery with its 
stunning new appointments and 
elegant culinary presentations 
… It was regularly honored with 
wall coverings of citations and 
plaques. 
Although signature dishes at 
Golden Mushroom had always 

featured elegant dishes, guests 
were continually introduced to 
new delicacies prepared by its 
talented culinary team.
Without any doubt, the key 
decision of hiring and partner-
ship away from the Original 
London Chop House of Milos 
Cihelka, Michigan’
s first certified 
master chef, had itself caused a 
huge commotion … As the cov-
eted executive chef, Milos over-
saw the Golden Mushroom’
s 
kitchen for about 15 years with 
a reputation of excellence unri-
valed in Michigan.
Restaurants like the 
Golden Mushroom 
will succeed again, and 
their many dedicated 
customers will gladly 
return the smiles of its 
owners.
VICARI VOICES are loud 
that new Executive Chef Mark 
Cassadi is no stranger in taking 
over on retirement of Bill Hall at 
Andiamo West, Telegraph and 
15 Mile, Bloomfield Township 
… Mark had previously been 
head chef at Andiamo Trattoria 

in Grosse Pointe … Joe and 
Rosalie Vicari’
s Brownies On 
The Lake has been made even 
easier for boat dining on their 
Lake St. Clair vessels … A huge 
menu is available for them, too, 
as a waitstaff member brings the 
selected items to them for joy-
ous consumption.
REMEMBERING … The 
numerous rides to one of Chuck 
Muer’
s favorite restaurants 
among many … This time it 
was his noted elegant pet eat-
ery, The Gandy Dancer, once 
built in Ann Arbor as an early 
1879 train station, for Chuck’
s 
favorite seafood delights … And 
enjoying a luscious juicy steak 
and homemade minestrone 
soup at the original Lelli’
s Inn 
on Woodward … served like a 
vision of New York’
s Little Italy 
in Manhattan.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE 
(requested again) … While out 
shopping, a young girl noticed 
an elderly lady sitting on a park 
bench sobbing her eyes out … 
The girl stopped and asked why 
she was crying … The lady said, 

“I have a 22-year-old husband 
at home. He makes love to me 
every morning and then gets 
up and makes me pancakes, 
sausages, fresh fruit and fresh-
ly-ground coffee.
”
“That sounds terrific,
” said the 
girl. “So why are you crying?”
The older woman continued, 
“He makes me homemade soup 
for lunch and my favorite cake.
”
“For that you are crying?” 
asked the girl.
The aged woman says, “For 
dinner he makes me a gourmet 
meal with wine and my favorite 
dessert and then makes love to 
me until 2 o’
clock in the morn-
ing.
”
The girl asks again, “So why 
in the world are you crying?”
The elderly lady sobbed again 
and said, “I can’
t remember 
where I live!”
CONGRATS … To Leslie 
Pardo on her birthday … To 
Alvin Frommer on his 
birthday. 

Email dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

Master Chef Milos Cihelka

the best of everything
Raskin

Golden 
Mushroom 
Remembered

Who can forget the elegant 
dishes of Chef Cihelka?

thejewishnews.com/newsletter
FRESH Weekly Headlines 
Delivered to Your Inbox.

