Clinton Township restaurant hopes to open additional locations

By Heidi Roman
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — The former La Shish restaurant on Hall Road is getting a new tenant that wants to whet the appetites left when the popular chain went under.

Palm Palace Restaurant recently debuted in Clinton Township, and has plans to grow.

“This is their first location,” said Ron Hingst, a spokesperson for Palm Palace Restaurants, LLC. “They’re targeting five to eight others.”

The building had been left vacant after the former chain closed, and a group of investors decided a new Mediterranean restaurant would fit the site well.

“It’s a beautiful site and a wonderful area,” said Chief Operating Officer Clinton J. Hamet. “It was easy for us to convert.”

Palm Palace held a soft opening a few weeks ago. Hamet thinks the restaurant can prosper on Hall Road, which people in the area flock to for retail and dining. But don’t expect La Shish the sequel, as Palm Palace has worked to reinvent itself with a new menu. Fans will still find their favorites, but new flavors also appear on the menu.

One face of La Shish that was kept on board is Executive Chef Jamil Eid, who authored the Palm Palace menu. Eid has trained at culinary schools in Lebanon, and once owned restaurants in northern Africa and Australia.

“All of these recipes are his recipes,” Hamet said. “People try to duplicate what’s in his hommus and his kibi, and they can’t find the right mixture.”

When forming the menu for Palm Palace, Eid tried to incorporate tastes from different regions of the Mediterranean. The menu includes a section of Moroccan dishes like tajen, tefai and paella. There’s also items with Greek and Italian flair.

“We’re trying to take that whole area and fuse it into our menu,” Hamet said. There are also vegetarian options, he said.

The Palm Palace restaurant on Hall Road will be the flagship location, and the chain hopes to branch out from there. The chain is currently eyeing restaurants in Auburn Hills and Dearborn, among other sites.

“They’re looking at all of the old La Shish locations,” Hingst said.

Hingst said the investors are conscientious of the negative publicity associated with the former chain, but don’t believe it will have an effect on the new operation, which is a separate venture, he said.

“If you serve good food and run a good business, that’s all it takes,” Hingst said.

The La Shish restaurant chain went under after owner Talal Khalil Chahine of Dearborn Heights was charged by a federal grand jury with extortion and criminal tax evasion.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office believes he skimmed millions in cash proceeds from the restaurant between 2000 and 2003. The money was allegedly transported to Lebanon.

He was also accused of defrauding the United States by obtaining immigration benefits, including permanent resident status, through false marriages with employees.

Chahine is believed to have fled the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Chahine’s 11 restaurants around metro Detroit eventually closed. The former La Shish restaurant on Rochester Road is being converted into La Marsa Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant.

Palm Palace Restaurant donated a portion of the day’s proceeds from its soft opening to Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

The restaurant is located at 15750 Hall Road, east of Hayes Road in Clinton Township. Call (586) 416-4800 for more information.

Staff Writer Terry Oparka contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Heidi Roman at hroman@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5006.