Bella Piatti, Townhouse Named to '10 Best New Restaurants' List

As "top 10" season gets into full swing, Birmingham is making its presence known on a list of Metro Detroit's best new restaurants from 2011.

Birmingham's and both made the cut for the Detroit Free Press's list of Metro Detroit's 10 Best New Restaurants, a round-up of eateries that opened after Jan. 1, 2011.

Bella Piatti, which opened on Townsend Street on Oct. 6, is the second restaurant for owner Mindy VanHellemont, who also owns Birmingham's on Bates Street. The modern Italian restaurant also earned the city's .

In the Free Press, Sylvia Rector calls the the food and atmosphere at Bella Piatti "truly distinctive," noting the restaurant's small dishes and rustic fare.

"Adventurous diners seeking memorable food and a big-city feel will find them here," she writes.

Meanwhile, Townhouse (also with one of the city's bistro licenses in hand) with a radical concept — make the food on one side of the building, and then transport it outdoors to the dining room on the other side of the building. The eatery, serving upscale American fare, is owned by young entrepreneur Jeremy Sasson.

Rector notes that trying to get a table inside the small bistro can be difficult in the winter, but come spring and summer, Townhouse's large outdoor seating area provides some of the best people-watching in Birmingham.

"Chef Jay Gundy's food shines," Rectors says, noting "Townhouse will appeal most to affluent younger diners who enjoy the Birmingham-Bloomfield bar and dining scene."

Also on the Free Press's top 10 list were restaurants in Rochester Hills, White Lake, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit.

• For more: Metro Detroit's 10 Best New Restaurants