George Bernard Shaw famously wrote, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” so Washtenaw County foodies probably felt their hearts racing many times this past year, as yet another crop of enticing new restaurants opened their doors.

And while Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti’s food scene tends to get the most media attention, new restaurants can often make an even bigger splash in the area’s other towns, so in this post, we’ll be focusing on eateries that recently launched in Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester, Saline, and Milan.

Smokehouse 52 located in Saline: Phil and Jenn Tolliver’s authentic barbecue venture isn’t technically “new” to the county – the first iteration opened in Chelsea in early 2013 – but its second location in Saline is, having just launched in April 2018, in the space formerly occupied by Mangiamo Italian Grill. (By way of bona fides, co-owner Phil Tolliver grew up on a hog farm in Stockbridge, then later traveled to learn the ropes from Mike “The Legend” Mills of 17th St. BBQ in Illinois.) Saline’s SH52 menu offers the same options as Chelsea’s, including comfort food faves like mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie, and fried chicken, as well as pulled pork, beef brisket, and ribs cooked over authentic wood-fired pits. Sounds fall-off-the-bone good, no? READ THE REST HERE