Food & Drink in Brighton

Bruegger's bagels are culled from fresh, wholesome ingredients and then kettle-boiled in the New York tradition, resulting in chewy centers with crisp outer crusts. Awaken your taste buds with a savory combination such as the asiago-parmesan bagel smothered with olive-pimiento cream cheese ($0.99 for bagel only, $2.29 with cream cheese). Or prove yourself to be a sweetie by adopting a family of six carb circles and washing them up and behind the ears in a tub of garden-veggie cream cheese ($7.89). Bruegger's deli menu is flanked by an array of breakfast sandwiches ($2.99–$6.79) and lunch fare; bury thoughts of the snarky snooze button with the spinach-and-cheddar-omelette sandwich, or defuse your lunchtime hunger siren with a signature sandwich ($5.69–$6.99) such as the herby turkey or roma roast beef.

Chef Anthony Dapice exercises three decades of culinary experience to pay homage to the tastes of France, Italy, Asia, Greece, and the United States’ many culinary regions. The menu spins a kaleidoscope of garden salads, including a French country salad ($7). A turkey-mango quesadilla allows the Thanksgiving favorite to take a tropical vacation on a ciabatta-panini raft ($7), and articulate dinner pangs speak their longing for the homemade lasagna ($15) or the roasted, gingered Atlantic salmon ($17). Marbleized walls, gleaming wood floors, and framed artwork are grounded by a warm but stern fireplace.

The Pittsford Grill's chefs dress a menu of American steakhouse dishes in gourmet garnishes to promenade with a wide variety of wine selections. The Strip ($22) is 12 ounces of USDA Choice lack Angus strip steak slathered in gorgonzola cream—or your choice of four other sauces—that when allied with a half-pound of king-crab legs ($15), governs a formidable land-and-sea dynasty, impregnable by tofu rivals. The dry-rubbed salmon, dappled with avocado and lime mousse ($19), pairs well with a side of wild-mushroom risotto and a glass of citrus-tinged Rex Goliath pinot grigio ($6). The Artichokes French ($13+) reads a bedtime story to spinach and artichokes snuggled under a blanket of lemon-butter wine sauce in a bed of angel-hair pasta.

With more than 125 menu options ranging from breakfast fare to steak and seafood dinners, the Duchess Restaurant delights tongue buds of all dispositions and meal preferences. Breakfast cravers can sate growling bellies from dawn until eternal darkness with a three-egg vegetarian omelette, sidled up to toast and jelly ($5.99), a saccharine stack of pancakes ($3.99), or corned-beef hash, accompanied by the savory trills of eggs and toast ($6.69). Dinner and lunch munchers can opt for burgers, melts, and club sandwiches, as well as sporkfuls of home-style favorites such as meatloaf ($8.99) and center-cut pork chops ($10.99). The Duchess also offers menu options for kids, who can whet wee appetites with a grilled cheese and fries ($2.99), and diners aged 60 and over, who can chomp down on senior-centric portions and a choice of delectable sides.

With Floridian décor that warms diners and karaoke singers on cold winter nights, Sanibel Cottage offers hungry loungers an eclectic menu that brims with savory steaks, fresh seafood, tempting appetizers, and palate-pleasing pasta. Patrons who crave formality and order can head to the dining room, which is surrounded by fish-related décor that brings to mind a grandparent's eclectic summer home. There they can nosh on delicacies such as the New York strip steak smothered in gorgonzola shallot butter ($25) or the shrimp scampi soaked in white-wine-butter sauce ($17). Other scrumptious seafood options include the Sanibel oysters topped with cheesy breadcrumbs and gulf shrimp (six for $18.95) and the simmering steamed clams (six for $6.95). Sanibel Cottage is also a laid-back tavern, where an acoustic guitar virtuoso nestled among potted palms plunks out tunes while big-screen TVs broadcast the Super Bowl of Saxophone Shot-Putting over the heads of seated diners sampling the tavern's late-night menu.

Walking into the lime-hued house out of which Olive's Greek Taverna operates, you are struck with the sense that you are entering an old friend’s home—a friend who is busy in the kitchen, filling the air with the aromas of seasoned beef and flame-kissed cheese. In addition to these trademark Greek dishes, the culinary team at Olive’s mingles stewed lamb with kasseri cheese and stuffs more than a dozen kinds of gyro meat into pita envelopes. Grape leaves and grilled eggplant anchor the menu in tradition, whereas more inventive pizzas arrive at tables laden with portobello mushrooms and goat cheese.

A fireplace, sunny-yellow walls, and exposed wooden beams contribute to the convivial atmosphere, and murals of the Mediterranean inspire wanderlust-stricken diners to dye their bathtub water a brighter blue. Tipplers can perch at the bar to sip their wine, and on summery nights, guests can abandon their inside voices while lounging on an outdoor patio.