It Ain't Greek But it's Still Good for Greektown; New Eatery to Open

There used to be a saying "It's all Greek to me."

These days in Greektown, unfortunately, that's not the case. The little Detroit gem is continuing to lose its Greek flavor. There are fewer and fewer Greek restaurants. Gone are such legends as New Hellas Cafe,  the Laikon and the Grecian Gardens, the latter which served up platters of Greek delicacies to some of Detroit's big-name mobsters.

That being said, there's some good news.

The Freep reports that former fast-food king La-Van Hawkins plans to open an eatery serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in the spot where the Sweet Georgia Brown restaurant once operated in Greektown. It will be called Detroit Cheesecake Bistro and the food will have a Southern influence.

Hawkins, who served prison time for perjury in a federal corruption probe,  is partnering with millionaire Chicago restaurateur Jerry Kleiner, according to the Freep. The opening is set for August.  

"It's going to be Sweet Georgia Brown all over again, but this time you don't have to have a coat and tie," Hawkins said. He opened Sweet Georgia Brown in 2002. It went into receivership three years later.

On the upside, it's good to see Hawkins has come to realize how ridiculous it was to have a dress code for a restaurant in Detroit, particularly when most high-brow restaurants allow casual attire, if not jeans.  A.L.