Two of Detroit Metro's Best New Restaurants Are In Royal Oak

Bistro 82 was No. 2 on Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Sylvia Rector’s list of the 10 best new restaurants in the Detroit metro. (Photo via Facebook)

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Royal Oak claimed two spots on the Detroit Free Press list of the 10 Best New Restaurants opening in 2014 in the metro Detroit area.

Bistro 82 was No. 2 on the list and Ale Mary’s Craft Beer Hall was No. 6.

Detroit proper dominated the list, but two other Oakland County suburbs also had restaurants on the list. The Bird & The Bread in Birmingham was No. 9 and Bill’s in Bloomfield Hills was No. 5.

Here’s the full list:

1. Selden Standard, Detroit
2. Bistro 82, Royal Oak
3. Wright & Co., Detroit
4. Antietam, Detroit
5. Bill’s, Bloomfield Hills
6. Ale Mary’s Craft Beer Hall, Royal Oak
7. Gold Cash Gold, Detroit
8. Johnny Noodle King, Detroit
9. The Bird & The Bread, Birmingham
10. Top of the Pontch, Detroit

Sylvia Rector, the Free Press restaurant and food critic, said Bistro 82’s executive chef Derik Watson took Royal Oak by surprise when the French bistro opened early last year.

“In a city best known for bars and taverns, here were beautifully composed plates, the choicest ingredients, and the kind of deep, clean, balanced flavors that come only from the best kitchens,” Rector wrote. “The setting was just as memorable, with its sleek gray-white-and-black dining room; glowing onyx bar, and modern, youthful atmosphere — though the guests come in all ages.”

Ale Mary’s Craft Beer Hall

She called Ale Mary’s Craft Beer Hall a delightful surprise.

“Who’d expect a beer hall to cook from scratch with top-quality ingredients and classic techniques?” she wrote, praising, among other menu items, the fried McClure’s pickles, Scotch eggs and sausages, “including the terrific duck sausage served with garlicky French lentils.”

Sliders from Ale Mary’s (Photo via Facebook)

Bill’s

At Bill Roberts’ neighborhood spot in Bloomfield Hills, “Chef de cuisine Craig Myrand puts a modern spin on retro upscale appetizers like escargot-stuffed mushrooms and crispy fried frogs’ legs, and brings finesse to classic entrées with dishes like King crab carbonara with black pepper fettuccine and prime rib hash with sunny egg,” Rector wrote.

House meatball over soft polenta from Bill’s. (Photo via Facebook)

The Bird & The Bread

And The Bird & The Bread in Birmingham ”works for almost any kind of occasion, guest or appetite — a tough target to hit while still maintaining the Bird & the Bread’s level of upscale style and quality.”

“The extremely versatile menu ranges from stone-hearth pizzas, sliders and pots of mussels to date-worthy entrées like smoked duck breast with herb spaetzle, roasted sprouts, braised red cabbage and huckleberries; stout-braised lamb shank with sumac lentils, and a gorgeous Scottish salmon filet with seasonal vegetables and horseradish cream,” she wrote.

Mixed entree from The Bird & The Bread in Birmingham (Photo via Facebook)

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