Big Tommy’s Parthenon is big on traditional Greek flavors!

Big Tommy’s in Novi, MI, is a spin-off of the original Parthenon in Greektown Detroit. Tommy who arrived in Greektown in the 1970s, brought Saganaki, the popular flaming Greek cheese, to Detroit, which is now popular in several other restaurants. His children, Andy and Elena opened the Novi restaurant following the tradition of their father and the Greek culture. They are sharing their family’s recipes in a worthy, respectable manner.

This description was taken from their menu.

Big Tommy’s is worthy of our review and has been a staple of our families night out for dinner for many years. We also order carry-out regularly for lunch. They make a really great Maurice Salad. If you like Greek cuisine, this place knocks it out of the park. Like Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium - Dan. Anything you order on the menu is full of flavor, perfectly cooked, and worthy of playing on repeat.

Since Papa Tommy brought the Saganiki, (which is Greek Kasseri cheese served flaming tableside) to Detroit, it is a tradition that we order it every time we visit.

So we decided to start our meal in this traditional manner of yelling, “Opa!” at a hot plate of flaming cheese, accompanied by a plate of flaming Greek sausage. In a couple of weeks, I hope my eyebrows grow back - Dan.

Both the Saganiki and sausage came with fresh, soft pita for a bed to lie on. What do we try first? When both dishes were served we jumped right into trying the sausage first. This version is a fried, mild sausage that is a cross between like a thinly cut Italian sausage and a Polish Kielbasa. It is seasoned to be a perfect mild spicy bite with a little crispy edge due to the flaming presentation.

Next we had to dig into the Saganiki, a Greek Kasseri cheese, which is a mild, creamy, crispy, melty, yumminess with a hint of lemon squirted over the gooey top. This cheese spreads on pita like…are we talking about food pornography. I’m getting excited - Dan.

Whew, I think I need a drink! - Dan.

We decided to order Big Tommy’s house Cabernet Sauvignon, which is bottled specifically for them. This wine was full-bodied, complex, and a really nice choice if you are putting your name on a wine. It was the perfect accompaniment to our flavorful appetizers.

When ordering Greek food, you can never go wrong with the lamb. The Lamb with Rosa Marina was a perfect pairing. This dish typically comes with two sides from a choice between rice, roasted potatoes, sweet peas, or green beans. You can add Rosa Marina or Lima beans if you choose. The lamb is so tender you could eat it with a spoon. It is moist, with the mild taste of fresh tender lamb. The portion is so large this is at least two meals for most people. The Rosa Marina is a side dish of orzo pasta with a tomato based sauce on it. It is so creamy and tangy and ride-shares the fork with the lamb to be the perfect pairing. The rice is also good and worthy of eating. However, we decided to get both to see which is the true winner as the side-companion to the lamb. And the winner is….the Rosa Marina. Hands down, order this and you will see why. The green beans completed the dish and added the needed vegetable side-show.

Another worthy Greek dish was the chicken lemonato, which is a lightly panko breaded tender piece of chicken cutlet with a creamy signature lemon sauce for dipping. This is also served with rice and green beans. The chicken was fork-tender with the crunch of crispy as it cuts through to form the perfectly cooked juicy bite. This tenderness holds up well dipped in the creamy signature lemon sauce and makes your mouth sing yum. Perhaps I should not have yelled it out so loudly - Dan. This was a balanced dish and I would not change a thing. The portion was so big there was not room for dessert. Oh wait…

They have a dessert cart!!

The dessert cart is full of may delicious options, and a few more back in the kitchen. Something about a really, really, really, big piece of chocolate cake?! But to my dismay, Dan ordered the cheesecake with a strawberry sauce. Not a disappointment at all!!

The strawberry New York style cheesecake was a rich, creamy, magnificent piece of sugary heaven on a plate topped with a thick strawberry preserve and fresh whipped cream. Doesn’t get any better than a piece of cake made out of cheese - Dan.

From start to finish, this was, again, a superb rendition of Greek cuisine served by our excellent and attentive waitress Ava. She made our meal a pleasant delight by making us feel at home in Tommy’s house. This restaurant should be on your list to visit. Your stomach will thank you!! - Dan.

We hope we inspired your tastebuds and your spirit of adventure. Metro-Detroit has a lot of great restaurant options and deserves the attention and patronage. We try to visit and bring to your our favorite places and dishes. The restaurant industry is a hard industry and we hope to encourage and support worthy establishments. Please subscribe to our website and follow us on social media for our next adventure. We have not been everywhere, but it is on our list.