The Stage Door opened in 1978 on the main floor of the Bell Tower Hotel building. The menu was fairly limited (although they did have specials) and leaned toward the expensive side. The bar was fully stocked, but featured a menu of 5-10 specialty drinks,such as the Bird of Paradise served elegantly in interesting glasses with cool garnishes. The restaurant was never very busy. Occasionally, rich men hosting card games and hookers in the hotel took turns at the bar. (Bits of trivia: 1) New employees were treated to a viewing of the movie after which the restaurant was named as part of orientation; 2) The bar was clearly designed by someone who'd never worked in a bar, had no shelving for glasses or liquor bottles.)

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• Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

I remember the first really good chocolate mousse I ever had. It was at the long-gone Stagedoor restaurant in Ann Arbor. After that, I always kept my eyes open for places that served good mousse, but was usually disappointed.