DeAngelos

It is a few hours short of a week ago that my favorite restaurant of all time went up in flames.

From my office, where I am writing this, I stare sadly at the remaining shell of DeAngelos and wonder what the other "regulars" are doing. We have consoled each other via the phone or e-mail and been dealt with kindly by our friends who recognize our addiction to the quality of the food, caliber of the staff, the location, the happy hours and more. All of us have experienced "DeAngelos Deprivation" and it isn't pretty.

Why wouldn't DeAngelos be my favorite restaurant of all time? First class food, a well stocked bar, great wait-staff, across the street from my office and within almost-as-easy walking distance from my home. As several of my Margaret Place neighbors stood watching the LCFD deal with the final stages of putting out the dreadful fire last Sunday morning, we commented on our dependence on this pizzeria place with such warm tones and atmosphere. We were a despondent lot.

Several friends sent me one-liner e-mails like "What will you do?" and "Where will you go?" To my flippant reply of "In lieu of flowers, please send gift cards for Luna's, Pugo Street, or 710" I received one reply of "But that's not within walking distance!" another... "No, seriously, where will you go?"

Two of my favorite DeAngelos bar buddies met me on Monday evening at 710 Downtown to discuss this question. The appetizers and wait staff were both very good, but through no fault of theirs, it simply was not the same "Cheers like" atmosphere we had at 121 South Ryan. I've enjoyed Luna's, Pugo, and 710 before and will certainly see more of them in the next few months, but the longing has set in for my favorite hang out and conversations about the Tigers, real estate buzz and other local "happenings."

My understanding and fervent hope is that this institution will reopen. Imagine the re-opening celebration! Given how well this regional franchise did on day 1 six (or was it seven) years ago, I can only speculate that with its current popularity and loyal base, it will be a significant event.

Now, we were all pretty contented with how it was...sipping a Scotties Special or glass of Chianti over a specialty Calzone or whole wheat focaccia capri or Gamberetti and calamari, or the spin dip, or, oh-my-gosh, their latest, a specialty hamburger with your choice of top shelf cheese....but, a few changes that I've heard about include a place for private parties (this will be good since one of my neighbors simply ignores the signs), and a better arrangement for the bar.

I will try to post photos in a few days. For now, this link leads to coverage of the fire by KPLCTV.