Three relatively new food businesses — one restaurant and two coffee houses — earned their way onto The Livingston Post’s 2019 Annual Restaurant Poll.
Bourbon’s, a popular Brighton destination specializing in Southern comfort food, craft cocktails and high-end bourbons, also boasts a head chef who appeared in the Gordon Ramsay combat cooking shows “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Hell’s Kitchen All-Stars.” The new addition to the downtown Brighton dining scene placed third for Most Creative Menu and Best Atmosphere.
The two coffeehouses — Brighton Coffeehouse and Theater, a unique business combining caffeine and entertainment, and Black Iron Coffee Roasters in downtown Howell, which specializes in roasting small batch, unique blends of coffee on-site — each earned a spot in the Best Coffee Shop category.
The rest of the winners are:
OVERALL
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. Wooden Spoon
3. Diamond’s
4. Cello Italian Restaurant
5. Brighton Bar & Grill
MOST CREATIVE MENU
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. Wooden Spoon
3. Bourbon’s
4. Cello Italian Restaurant
5. Buon Gusto Bistro
BEST SERVICE
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. Brighton Bar & Grill
3. Wooden Spoon
4. Diamond’s
5. Aberrant Ales
BEST ATMOSPHERE
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. The Silver Pig Bar & Oyster Room
3. Bourbon’s
4. Brighton Bar & Grill
5. Cello Italian Restaurant
BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
1. Tomato Bros.
2. Red Robin
3. Red Olive
4. Brunner’s On The River
5. Aberrant Ales
BEST FINE DINING
1. Diamond’s
2. 2FOGs Pub
3. Cello Italian Restaurant
4. Brighton Bar & Grill
5. Stillwater
BEST MICRO BREWERY
1. Eternity Brewing
2. Aberrant Ales
3. Brewery Becker
4. Block Brewing Co.
BEST BREAKFAST
1. Cheryl’s Place
2. Brunner’s On The River
3. All-Star Coney Island
4. The Howell Diner
5. Feed Bag Cafe
BEST LUNCH
1. Wooden Spoon
2. Red Olive
3. Cleary’s Pub
4. Sushi Zen
5. Panera
BEST DINNER
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. Diamond’s
3. Cello Italian Restaurant
4. Brighton Bar & Grill
5. Black Rock Bar & Grill
BEST DESSERT
1. Diamond’s
2. 2FOGs Pub
3. M Street Baking Co.
4. Brighton Bar & Grill
5. Ciao Amici’s
BEST PIZZA
1. Jet’s
2. Howell MainStreet Winery
3. Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill
4. Jonna’s Bar & Grill
5. Aberrant Ales
BEST BURGER
1. Champ’s Pub
2. Jonna’s Bar & Grill
3. Red Robin
4. 2FOGs Pub
5. Aberrant Ales
BEST SALADS
1. Tomato Bros.
2. Wooden Spoon
3. Red Olive
4. 2FOGs Pub
5. Brighton Bar & Grill
BEST HAPPY HOUR
1. The Silver Pig Bar & Oyster Room
2. Jonna’s Bar & Grill
3. 2FOGs Pub
4. Buffalo Wild Wings
5. Aberrant Ales
BEST COFFEESHOP
1. Uptown Coffeehouse
2. Two Brothers Coffee Brew & Eatery
3. Biggby
4. Brighton Coffeehouse & Theater
5. Black Iron Coffee Roasters
BEST HANGOUT
1. 2FOGs Pub
2. The Silver Pig Bar & Oyster Room
3. Uptown Coffeehouse
4. Eternity Brewing
5. Aberrant Ales