There aren’t a ton of non-coney sit-down restaurant options available if you live out my way in South Lyon, so when one opens up folks tend to take notice (especially when it occupies a building that has been vacant for a while). Such was the case when we discovered the Kensington Grill had set up shop at the Lyon Towne Center shopping complex at Milford Road and I-96 – suddenly there was an option at that intersection that WASN’T Applebee’s!
The place looked nice from the outside, but so do a lot of new restaurants – big whoop. Then I read this article about the KG on the Detroit Free Press website and it mentioned St. Louis-style BBQ. Well NOW you’re talking! I had to visit Kensington Grill and I had to visit it soon.
When we walked up to the doors and noticed a Michigan Brewers Guild sticker prominently displayed in the window, I immediately got the feeling we were in good hands. Once inside, our beer options included the Pale Ale from Founders, the Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewery, the Huma Lupa Licious from Short’s, and then the local favorite Train Hopper from Witch’s Hat Brewing. Things were off to a good start.
As we browsed the list of appetizers, we immediately noticed the fried pickle chips. I’m not going to lie, I have a bit of a fried pickle addiction and feel compelled to order them anytime I see them on a menu. The KG does an amazing job with theirs, and the very generous portion comes with a side of chipotle ranch (which I would lobby for including on the side of every single menu item – it’s that good.).
For the main course, we opted for the “Pick Three” BBQ combo (you can also “Pick Four”, however the pickle chips put a solid dent in our appetites). We selected the Texas beef brisket, pulled pork, and spare ribs – which were incredibly delicious but would’ve been even better had the brisket not been too dry. For our sides, we opted for the cheesy mac, BBQ baked beans, and cornbread muffin – which we all agreed were pretty good.
The highlight of the Kensington Grill’s BBQ experience has to be the sauces, which are amazing. Your options are a “house” sauce, a “bold” version, a chipotle version, and then a mustard sauce – and every one of them was fantastic. I never was able to determine which was my favorite…
I guess that means I need to go back sometime and try again. Michigan craft beer, pickle chips, and BBQ – needless to say, you won’t have to twist my arm.