A plate of eggs, ham, bacon, sausage and home fries at Angelo's.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

By John Gonzalez
MLive statewide entertainment reporter

GRAND RAPIDS—How do you decide Michigan's Best Breakfast Joint?

You travel to nearly 30 restaurants, bring along a former cook from the Ionia Correctional Facility, and then start eating your way across the state!

That’s what I did last week, and I lived to write about it.

We looked at the quality of food, presentation, atmosphere, service, creativity and those intangibles that make you want to return week after week.

Mike Jensen of Saranac (a retired cook with 25 years of experience in Ionia) traveled with me the entire week. He made his suggestions, and I made the final decisions. (Come back at 3 p.m. March 19, for Mike's "Bringing Home the Bacon" awards.)

With that said, I just want to say thanks again to everyone: Restaurant owners, managers, waitresses, cooks, chefs, hostesses and you, the readers, who nominated the voted for your favorites.

All of the restaurants we visited were voted as the best of the best by the readers of AnnArbor.com and MLive.com, so enjoy checking them out.

Now, here are my picks.

GONZO'S TOP 10 LIST

1. Anna’s House, 3874 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids Great overall experience; loved the Twilight French toast, Red Velvet pancakes, huevos rancheros with carnitas and the breakfast lasagna. Now that’s creative. Owner Rean Amato has a winner, plus a dedicated clientele.

2. Crow's Nest, 816 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo If you like something with a little spice, check out the Merrimack Omelette with a red pepper aoli sauce. Plus, the location is so unusual. Patrons have to walk up some wooden steps to experience the menu, which includes the Queen Anne’s Revenge scramble with pesto and goat cheese, as well as a top-notch breakfast burrito.

3. Grass Lake Diner, 108 W. Michigan Ave., Grass Lake The King would be proud of the Elvis French Toast; bacon, peanut butter, banana, honey and ice cream. Thank you very much. Plus, this tiny diner with about 26 seats offers a daily menu that is scribbled on a dry-erase board. The owner, Matt Foster, and his crew do everything from scratch, and they use locally sourced products.

4. Food Dance, 401 E. Michigan Ave. #100, Kalamazoo Foodie heaven with locally sourced products, including homemade ketchup and hot sauce, homemade breads and freshly squeezed orange juice. Loved the brioche French toast.

5. Hudson Cafe, 1241 Woodward Ave., Detroit I loved the voodoo benedict with house made corn cakes, chorizo and spicy ranchero sauce. Plus, they also serve mouth-watering Red Velvet pancakes.

6. Wolfgang’s, 1530 Wealthy Ave., Grand Rapids Everything is spectacular; killer banana bread French roast, said Mike Jensen. I was partial to the Tiramisu pancakes. Owners Matt and Stacy Wolfgang bring home the community with signature dishes named after locals. I also recommend The Missad—eggs scrambled with chicken, Cajun sausage, turkey, mushrooms, onions and green peppers layered with hash browns topped with cheddar cheese and stacked on a slice of English muffin toast and covered with Hollandaise sauce.

7. Mussel Beach Drive In, 3540 State Park Dr., Bay City Yes, they finished No. 3 on our search for Michigan’s Best Coney Dogs; well, they do breakfast, too! All made to order, and fresh. Hands-down, the best bacon on the trip! Plus, fresh fruit. Owner Jacquie Larner also offers pancakes with apple, blueberry, pecan or bananas. (May I also recommend the onion rings; possibly the best you will ever have!)

8. Angelo’s, 1100 E. Catherine St., Ann Arbor I love bread, and they do it about the best in the state. Make sure to try the cinnamon raisin French toast; the crab cakes benedict will keep you coming back for more! Check out a feature story on Angelo's, the top vote getter in the AnnArbor.com poll.

9. Tootsie’s, 1125 W. Hackley Ave., Muskegon A must have is the Club Omelette - think of a BLT wrapped into a fluffy omelette. Owners Amy Hargrove and Julie Steffens also showed some awesome, homemade corned beef hash; breakfast tacos; and the "Three Oinker" omelet, made with bacon, sausage and shredded pork with green peppers, onions and cheddar cheese.

10. Savoy Bar & Grill, 127 S. Franklin St., Saginaw On one side is the bar, on the other side is a hidden gem of a restaurant with savory blueberry pancakes, golden crisp hash browns, great corned beef hash, tasty sausage and Mrs. Schinaver's French Toast, which is covered in Frosted Flakes. Yum.

JUST MISSING OUT

Full City Cafe, 7878 Oakland Drive, Portage: This was the last stop we made in Kalamazoo, and boy did they deliver. The dishes were creative, but not over the top fancy. I loved the Huevos Rancheros, a huge stack of corn tortillas, chorizo and onions, potatoes, lettuce and salsa, red onions guacamole and sour cream. They even offered a breakfast talapia special.

Northside Grill, 1015 Broadway, Ann Arbor: Great fresh coffee, great conversation and great food. Make sure to try the Morning Eggdition breakfast sandwich, plus the freshly squeezed orange juice.

The Original Pancake House, 20273 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods: You have to love a place that serves a Dutch baby, a puffy pancake that is served with fresh lemon and powdered sugar. Everything else on the menu was nearly perfect; great service. Ask for Darlene.

The French Laundry, 125 W. Shiawassee, Fenton: The only place that serves French-pressed coffee, this upper-scale restaurant with vintage tables is not to be missed. The whole menu is impressive; the made-from-scratch hash was ambitious.

Real Food Cafe, 2419 Eastern Ave, Grand Rapids: My nieces -- and all of West Michigan -- rave about this mainstay in GR's Alger Heights area. It's homey, and down-right delicious. Try any of the omelettes, especially the Monster and Frank’s Favorite; or the Bananas Foster French toast.

OTHER WORTHY CONTENDERS

Krzysiak's House, 1605 Michigan Ave, Bay City: Great homemade sausage. Try the He-Man Breakfast special, a big breakfast of meat and more meat. Love the Polish music, murals from the old country and overall experience.

Krystal Jo's, 3616 Fenton Road, Flint: Your classic diner, owned and operated by a young man (Tony Tucker) who has a passion for food and serving his customers. Great product (I recommend the Southern skillet) and great prices.

Tim's Tony's, 234 N. Center Road, Saginaw: Talk about great service; even though we had a sizable group, the others in the restaurant did not go unattended. Try the Super Scramble -- onions, green peppers and bacon scrambled in eggs and topped with cheese.

Fuzzys, 1924 Court St, Saginaw: I was there last year for the search for Best Ice Cream Parlor, and once again owner Elaine Tambouridis did a great job of showing off this popular neighborhood eatery. You won't go wrong with any of her fold sandwiches. The bread is amazing. Oh, and order the breakfast pizza.

Nick's Original Pancake House, 3030 Lohr Circle, Ann Arbor: It's a great family restaurant located right off I-94. Because of the location, I plan to stop in there again. Whether banana walnut pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs benedict, omelettes or just about anything -- all is good.

Toast, 23144 Woodward, Ferndale: Located in the very foodie town of Ferndale, Toast strives on creativity, including a portabella breakfast sandwich, huevos rancheros and something special called The Cure -- home fries topped with fried eggs, green chili, sausage gravy and cheddar cheese. Yes, it's known to cure a hangover.

Suzi's Village Inn, 340 N. 3rd Ave, Fruitport: Fans are dedicated to Suzi's, and that's because of its warm atmosphere thanks to owner Jenny Locke and her crew. Whether the Sheep Herder breakfast special or strawberry cheesecake pancakes, Suzi's offers large portions and decent prices.

Roxy Cafe, 606 N. West Ave, Jackson: A staple for those who live in the Jackson area, the Roxy is a slice of Americana that serves up great corned beef hash, and -- what might have been my favorite omelette -- the Key West, which includes shrimp, lobster, crab meat and asparagus, topped off with a hollandaise sauce.

Wooden Spoon, 5781 King Rd, Jackson: A great local eatery by passionate owners Steve and Teresa Tolles, the restaurant does everything well. I would order the oatmeal, which is served with apple sauce. And the pancakes are huge!

Leslie Depot Diner, 107 Covert St, Leslie: I'm dying to make a return visit; the overall quality is impressive as owners Christopher and Pam Wheeler have a dedicated clientele. Save room for the BTS waffle, which is topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, pecans and whipped cream. BTS stands for Better Than....oh, use your imagination.

Mike's Village Restaurant, 115 N. Bridge St, Dimondale: Owner Mike Chappell has been making the locals happy with for years with his homemade bread -- and doughnuts! Everything we sampled was great, especially the omelettes and breakfast sandwich; one of the best kept secrets in Mid Michigan.

Golden Harvest, 1625 Turner St, Lansing: I have received so many emails proclaiming how great is. I've been there once; it was pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, the restaurant owners had an emergency and closed their doors by the time we arrived.

TRAVERSE CITY

My solo trip included a couple of local favorites, including The Omelette Shoppe on Cass Street, as well as the trendy French bistro Patissiere Amie. Both offer a little bit of everything. The freshly made desserts at Patissiere Amie is reason enough to make the trip. But I discovered a new restaurant that is a MUST! It's called The Towne Plaza, and it served a Stuffed Tomato: A tomato cut in half with pancetta, spinach and a poached egg smothered in green basil cream sauce. It was unbelievable! Stop in and see what executive chef and owner Chris Hoffman is cooking up. You won't be disappointed.

Email John Gonzalez at gonzo@mlive.com Or follow John on Twitter at Twitter.com/MichiganGonzo