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

The Silver Spoon made the cut for the Detroit Free Press' list of Metro Detroit's 10 Best New Restaurants, a roundup of eateries that opened after Jan. 1, 2011.

Silver Spoon, tucked into the Papa Joe's plaza on the corner of Rochester and Tienken, brings a taste of Italy and fine dining into Rochester Hills.  

General manager Rito Lisi and chefs Daniele Dell'Acqua and Mauro Qerio were imported from the former Il Posto in Southfield.

In the Free Press, Sylvia Rector notes that at the Silver Spoon, "they've created a less formal setting with equally authentic food."

The Silver Spoon has seating for 80 people, but on a weekend a reservation is practically mandatory. "With the close-together tables and sometimes-high noise levels, it's a high-energy room," Rector writes.

When Around Town columnist Laura Cassarreview of the restaurant in June, she offered five fun facts about the Silver Spoon.

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