Kensington Grill Review

[SDGourmand]

Kensington Grill is the sister restaurant of Cucina Urbana. I’m a huge fan of CU and after trying the whole menu there I can easily say that it’s the best restaurant in San Diego right now. KG just did a menu change about month ago that from the looks of it seemed to be following CU. I assumed CU being as good as it is KG must be of the same level, oh how I was wrong.
From the outside the restaurant seems very modern with a nice patio, although not much of a view. The inside décor does not match at all. It seemed very cheaply put together and lacked that warm inviting feel you want to have when entering. The two main problems I had with KG were the service and food. The server we had was just awful. Now I know that when I dine out I order a lot of food for just two people and I’m ok with the server saying once “this is a lot for just two people”. What I don’t need is for you to say it three or four times before I finish my order. Being that most of the dishes I ordered were small plates it shouldn’t be that big of an issue if done properly.
The first course was the mussels and corn bisque. Mussels were some of the best I’ve had in San Diego. They were perfect and the coconut broth was so flavorful I could have just had 3 orders of those and would have been fine. In hindsight I should have. The corn bisque was good but I wish they had added more crab, there was hardly any at all. Second course was lamb meatballs, spare ribs and truffle tots. The meatballs were just ok I’m not a fan of baking them. I want that contrast of texture you get from a hard sear, and I missed that here. Spare ribs were also good and the cole slaw on the side balanced everything out nicely. The truffle tots were probably the best thing of the night. It was accompanied by a tangerine ketchup that really made everything come together. Now the meal takes a drastic turn for the worst. The zucchini spaghetti was boring and bland, I mentioned this to the server and she picked it up and walked away. Really? The oxtail fritter was a complete disaster. The dish made no sense at all. Two out of the three fritters were raw on the inside. I asked the server about this and she said there was gorgonzola cheese in the middle. There was no way that gorgonzola cheese was in there it tasted like uncooked batter not a strong blue cheese. Most of the oxtail was inedible as it was all fat. Also why is there a fried egg on the plate? What does that go with? The dish reminded me of something from a culinary student not a chef. Next we got some things from the “hog bar” nothing was that much of a stand out but the real problem was with the pork rillette. There was a Burgundy mustard on top that completely overpowered everything. I mentioned this to the server, her response was “it’s one of my favorites, laughed and walked away”. Great thanks for that. The mac n shrooms had almost no mushrooms and way to much cream. It was more of a pasta cream soup with a breadcrumb topping that they stuck under the broiler to make it look like mac and cheese. The duck potpie would have been good, but the strong almond flavor from the Blazei mushrooms actually seeped into the crust of the potpie. That is all you could taste throughout the whole dish. Blazei mushrooms need to be cooked separately and then added to the dish so that almond flavor doesn’t over power everything. Also this dish was very difficult to eat. The vegetables inside were too big for the bowl and the crust although perfectly flaky was impossible to eat with everything. The sea bass was of Cheesecake Factory proportions. The flavors were actually really good but the sea bass was extremely thin and it sat a top of a mound of smashed potatoes with a pile of fried leeks on top of all that. It was another culinary student presentation. Finally on too dessert. I decided to go with the smore, cheesecake and sorbet. Sorbet was excellent, cheesecake was one note and the s’more was the worst. The brownie was dry and the marshmallow, which was more of a meringue, was like a rock, inedible. I asked the server if the marshmallow is supposed to be like this and preceded to show her by knocking on it with my spoon. Her response was “Yes, it’s supposed to be like that it’s one of my favorites”, laughed dropped off the bill and walked away. I couldn’t believe it and $150 later I fell like I should have just stayed home and cooked.

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Kensington Grill
4055 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116

The Cheesecake Factory
7067 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108

[Diva Barbarella]

I'm surprised you had such a bad experience with the service. I'm also surprised you were shocked at the total of the bill, considering the large variety of dishes you sampled. Ken Grill is a great neighborhood restaurant with countless return customers, attracted back time and again (as I was when I lived in the neighborhood, and still am now, a few neighborhoods away) by the cozy atmosphere, friendly, helpful service, and more hit-than-miss dishes. I was there just a week or so ago and ordered the pork meatball and black pepper fettuccini (with caramelized pearl onion, cabbage, and cranberry pinot jus). I often get the bruschetta board. The bass used to be my favorite dish (then more wonderful stuff was added, and I had to expand). The leeks are crunchy/salty and go very well with the bass, but you have a good point -- it was huge, one of the reasons I downsized to taste a variety of small plates once the new menu was introduced. Maybe the server was laughing out of nervousness because you were obviously irritated. Some people have a defense mechanism kick in when they're vibing off someone's bad juju.

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Kensington Grill
4055 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116

[SDGourmand]

I wasn't shocked at how much it was, I was shocked at what I got for the price.. The quality didn't justify it.. KG might very well be a good neighborhood restaurant but it's not my neighborhood and is quite a distance from it.. Some people may like the decor I find it to look like a remodeled basement that went over budget and had to cut corners.. And the server wasn't "vibing" off "bad juju" she was a bad server, who no idea what she was doing.. you might have had different experiences there and think the food is good, that's fine go and enjoy... I have high standards and this did not meet them.. To each their own.

[Diva Barbarella]

Point taken, SD. You hate the place. Don't go back. I love it, as does everyone I've ever met in person who's been there (and everyone to whom I recommend it), and I will go back again and again. Not only is it in my top 5 on my Chowhound profile, in my opinion, it's one of the better restaurants in San Diego. I too have high standards. This chef won California Chef of the Year, and is featured in many industry magazines for a reason. There seems to be much rancor in the tone of your post and comments. It's one thing to say you don't think a dish lives up to its potential or your noteworthy standards, another to belittle and name call and make reference to dog food. It's all a bit... emotional. That sounds like "bad juju" to me.

[SDGourmand]

the dog food was a joke and was three months after the original post.. I gave it a fair shot and it didn't live up.. I love Cucina Urbana and will continue to go there, KG not so much.. If you think KG is one of the better restaurants in SD it goes to show how far off our culinary scene is.. My opinion is completely unbiased, sometimes when people are friends with the chef and the people that work there it changes their perspective a little bit, I'm guilty of this as well.. What industry mags has the chef been in that are not from SD? I don't count SD reader or San Diego magazine, etc...

[Diva Barbarella]

Fair enough. I have to get back to you on the name of the mag, it was not San Diego based, I believe it was a national food industry magazine. Anyone else following here know the names of magazines Hanis was featured in outside of San Diego? Food Arts comes to mind, but like I said, I need to verify that.

[honkman]

A bit OT but bringing up the point of a chef winning "California Chef of the Year" as a prove for the quality of a restaurant is rather weak and counterproductive especially if the price is from the "California Restaurant Association" which has many times proven to have a strong correlation between success/awards and size and money a restaurant spends but not really the quality of the kitchen. Some other winners which show that quality doesn't matter for awards in this association: Best Asian: "Taste of Thai", Best Pizza: "Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza", Best Mexican Casual: "El Indio Mexican Restaurant", Best Breakfast: "Café 222", Best Burger: "The Waterfront Bar and Grill", Best Ethnic: "Indigo Grill", Best Brewery :"Karl Strauss Brewing Company" etc.
I think some restaurants are very good at PR and give the false impression that it goes in hand with great food.(I haven't eaten at Kensington Grill but its partner restaurant Cucina Urbana falls in the same category - excellent PR, OK food)

[Diva Barbarella]

As I understand it, those other restaurants were "Best of San Diego," Hanis's was "Best of California." My point is, organizations, regardless of donations, don't tend to award people for creating food nobody likes. Having said that, wow, Waterfront got best burger? I'll have to start a "best burger thread." One of my favorite burgers is at Kensington Grill, coincidentally enough. The other, at Starlite.

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Kensington Grill
4055 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116

Starlite
3175 India Street, San Diego, CA 92103

[honkman]

"regardless of donations, don't tend to award people for creating food nobody likes." - I very strongly disagree with your point. There are many awards which give prizes to people who create mediocre food, "California Restaurant Association" is one of them. And I had dishes from Hanis Cavin at several occasion outside of the Kensington Grill and to name him "California Chef of the Year" is a very sad joke. Not that his food was bad but there are many more talented chefs in Calfornia than him, even in San Diego.

[SaltyRaisins]

"The zucchini spaghetti was boring and bland, I mentioned this to the server and she picked it up and walked away. Really?"

Was the zucchini fresh and cooked correctly? Out of curiosity, what would you have them do to to remedy your complaint?

"I wouldn't even feed my dog this food.. "

Aside from some mistakes, you mention in your initial posting that a lot of the dishes tasted good. I'm not sure what to make of this review. Is this place bad because of the service, or the food?

Cheers!

[SDGourmand]

This review is from June so I don't really remember the zucchini dish that well. I know that if there was some spice in there that would have helped. Little butter and espelette would have gone a long way.

Me not giving my dog that food was a joke. I'd happily give it to him. In all seriousness the food was like something you'd get from someone still in culinary school and the service was some of the worst I have encountered. Some of the dishes were ok but would I ever go back for them? No chance.

[MrKrispy]

I'd like to see the doggie bags that SDGourmand takes home haha

[shouzen]

WelI imagine if the food is as bad as he reported, he didn't bring home anything, haha.

[SDGourmand]

I wouldn't even feed my dog this food.. What a terrible meal this was.. My girlfriend and I always order this much at any restaurant we go to and if it's good we finish everything..

[MrKrispy]

aw c'mon, I am sure a dog would appreciate fatty oxtails! haha.

Thanks for the review and the bump, a co-worker was asking me about this place and I had to come look it up since I hadn't seen anything about it in a while.

[foodiechick]

We tried the new menu a couple of weeks ago and had a pretty enjoyable meal, with the usual hit and misses. The truffle tots (very popular that night) and the shrimp waffle were our faves, although next time I would ask the kitchen to cook the waffle to a crispier texture. Our server was friendly, timely and well informed. It is not at the same level of sister restaurant Cucina Urbana in terms of food, but we found the service level on par and the ambiance warm, less frenzied and more conversation friendly.

FYI: The seabass is a crowd favorite from the old menu. I have always found the first couple of bites succulent, but then it becomes a behemoth, overly-rich, one note flavor, pile of too much food.

[Fake Name]

Had a great meal there tonight. I'm not a fan of the truffle tots, but the duck pot pie I had was excellent. Mrs Name had the shrimp waffle- also excellent, especially if you like butter. Had some ice chips in my up vodka-that always angers me, but hate to send it back- too much hassle.

I'd go again, sure.

[foodiechick]

Mrs. Name obviously has excellent taste, and ordered well. Mr. FC also becomes riled at ice chips in certain drinks (i.e. gin martinis), claims those drinks (especially gin) are meant to be stirred NOT shaken.

[Fake Name]

Shaken is fine, but they need to be double strained. The contents of the shaker needs to be poured through a mesh strainer, not just the shaker top. There was a chowtip on it somewhere. But I fear sending stuff back to a kitchen or bar- I'm afraid it will come back with unwanted additions. So I drink faster to get the good booze before the ice melts.

It's my understanding that "stirred" means in a bucket glass with ice.

[salustro]

We tried out the KG and had the same terrible service issue as SDGourmand. We decided to give it a try after hearing good things about it from people in the neighborhood and wanted to do something small with my mom who had just arrived after traveling all day. We ordered 5 of the small plates and 3 cokes. And then we waited. and waited. and waited. The drinks arrived 15 minutes later. A few plates came out 20 minutes later. And another 20 minutes later. By the time the last one arrived (almost 1.5 hours after we sat down), we had completely forgetten what we ordered. And then it took about 20 minutes to waive down the waiter and get our bill put through. So much for a quick bite!

When I gave this report to those who had recommended it, they said, "oh yeah, service is terrible. The key is to sit at the bar and eat there."

If we had only known earlier....!

[honkman]

Kensington Grill is on our list of restaurants to try. Looks a bit like a mixed bag. The photo of the sea bass looks funny with this large amount of fried leeks on top. We had dishes from Hanis Cavin so far only at several Chef Celebration dinners and they were technically well prepared but were sometimes unbalanced which looks kind of similar to your experience. Did you try any of their cocktails ?

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Kensington Grill
4055 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116

[SDGourmand]

I had one it was the mint infused gin. It was good extremely strong mint flavor so if your not a fan of mint I would steer clear of that. Service really ruined the night for me more so then the food. I still get annoyed thinking back to the way she handled everything.

[honkman]

You could email management and explain how unhappy you were with the evening