When we asked for a general audience feel for Michigan restaurants that could have or should have made the cut for the 2013 Bon Appétit 'Best New Restaurant List,' we expected we'd get some frustrated folks and angsty anger. But we didn't expect this air of resigned negativity.

There's room for growth in the list that the Thursday call for new restaurants generated (if we can even call it a list), but all this talk of Detroit not having "the kind of 'cutting edge' cuisine that Bon Appétit's going to find appealing" largely misses the point. There's some merit behind comments that wonder how many new restaurants the metro area has seen since the beginning of the year. However, the list of exciting new restaurants around the country isn't necessarily 'cutting edge' or revolutionary.

Some of them are the kinds of experimental edible adventures that Detroit is lacking, but many of the 50 finalists are just restaurants providing good food in good places with good service. Detroit has plenty of those, and more than a few that opened in the last eight months.

Special thanks to the few of you who offered suggestions of places that could have or should have made the Bon Appétit cut — Isalita in Ann Arbor, Torino in Ferndale, The Root in White Lake (which doesn't qualify, but the effort counts), and Gastronomy in Southfield. (We feel compelled to add Ann Arbor's Vellum for consideration.)

The Metro Detroit and Michigan restaurant scene may not be as high-end or chef-centric as those in larger cities, but we've definitely got some interesting things happening here. Chin up, everyone. Keep eating, and be sure to remind yourselves that things around here are better than they might initially appear.

Feel like there's yet another restaurant that opened in the Metro Detroit region or Michigan at large that should have been considered by Bon Appétit? We're all ears at our tip line, and we want your take.