Tuesday, September 29, 2015

All Good Things...

Nothing lasts forever and all good things must come to an end.  True?  Well, in the case of The Lark Restaurant in West Bloomfield, that certainly seems to be the case.  The owners, Jim and Mary Lark, have announced that they will be closing the restaurant on December 23 after 32 years.

I have enjoyed several wonderful meals at The Lark.  So have my children.  And it is less than a mile down the road so it is very convenient to get to.  But since I could not get reservations for this past week-end, I tried to re-create the dinner on Sunday, including their famous Rack of Lamb Genghis Khan.

When you order the lamb in the restaurant, you are given a card with the number of the rack served, thus:

I have no idea what number they are up to or will finish with before closing.  I do not even remember what year it was that I had the lamb.  

On the flip side of the card is the recipe.  The first time I made it at home I nearly started a fire as I did not know to add the glaze in the last five minutes of roasting.  Once burned, I figured it out.  On Sunday, the lamb was delicious.  If you make the recipe, you can probably figure on 2.5 persons per rack.  And do wait to add the glaze at about 135 degrees and then finish roasting.  Bon Appetit!



16 comments:

  1. I hope they are just retiring and not suffering after such a long time in business. I am not one for lamb but I am certain others will enjoy it:)

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    1. Jim is in his 80's. He opened the restaurant after a successful career in home building. He was always there greeting patrons and was very gracious. Time finally to retire.

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  2. It sad when a establish business leaves your community.
    Coffee is on

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    1. Sadder that no one has stepped up to take it over. Maybe?

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  3. It is a pity when a good restaurant decides to shut shop. So many people must have spent happy hours there. On the other hand, I am amazed at the self-assurance of a restaurant that actually prints its recipe and hands it out to patrons. Most restaurants guard their recipes so jealously.

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    1. Yes, that little touch was very nice. I have been fortunate to have taken classes in cooking from the former head chef who created that recipe. Unfortunately, I never attended any of the classes offered at the restaurant. I would love to have the recipe for their curried duck salad.

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  4. That's a really cute idea, numbering the racks and giving out the cards.

    Last year one of my favourite haunts closed. It was where I spent many hours forming friendships, and the place I went when I got engaged. It's a different restaurant now, but I'll never stop missing the old one.

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    1. One of my favorite restaurants is now a Walgreen's. The original restaurant was around for many years and then when it closed it went through many transitions, none successful. I still remember dinners there with my ex.

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  5. Yummy. We don't eat much lamb, but if we did... (We're more into beef and cheese.) It makes me wonder if they went out of business because of the economy or because someone was ready to retire.

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    1. This was a second career for the Larks (Jim is in his 80's) so it was time to retire. A small 16 table restaurant, it was often hard to get a reservation even with dinner costing more than $100 per person. But well worth it!

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  6. It's sad when great, privately owned business close down.

    I've never had lamb before and probably won't ever now since I'm a vegetarian. lol

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    1. I never ate lamb as a child because my mother did not like it. And then I found myself attending college and working in Greektown in Detroit and had lamb for the first time. I was hooked. All my boys love it too.

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  7. We also have a local restaurant run by a gentleman in his 80's. I wonder if it will close when he finally retires. It even survived a flood - on his birthday! - in 2011. I loved this post - that ticket idea is so cool, and the fact that they shared the recipe was even better. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm still hoping someone decides to continue it.

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  8. What a shame for the stomach, Denise! To find someone who can capably handle making a great lamb dish is a prize and I'm sorry you should lose their talents.
    I hope you'll be able to make the most of the few remaining short months while their kitchen is still open.

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    1. My son tried for a reservation next month and only could get 8:45 in the bar. Still too late for my stomach.

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