Enjoyable dining and Great American Beer Fest winning beer.
As it turned out, I decided to have a quick dinner at the McKenzie Brew House in Malvern on Karaoke Night. I could have known if I had just checked their website before I left - there is a calendar of nightly events or music posted there. There are actually two McKenzie locations with the other being in Chadds Ford, Delaware County. As I ordered my Charlie’s Bitter, a sweet tasting ale from their seasonal and limited brew selections menu, my girlfriend made a comment to the waitress about the music from the bar sounding a little strange. It was then that we learned it was because of the “interesting” singing.
We started out our meal with the Smoked BBQ Chicken Quesadillas and the Asian Lettuce Wraps. The BBQ ‘dillas were amazing - the chicken is so moist and tender it almost tastes like a pulled chicken BBQ sandwich in quesadilla form. With the lettuce wraps, I broke one of my oldest dining rules. I have always vowed that I would never order something in a restaurant that I had to put together myself. They turned out to be worth it, something I would definitely order again. The menu is certainly varied enough to provide something for everyone and I was happy to see that there was a large section dedicated to entree sized salads. The two of us split the Grilled BBQ Meatloaf and the Steak, Gorgonzola, and Belgian Endive Salad over the sounds of a Dave Matthews’ song being butchered.
Both meals were enjoyable with the slight advantage going to the meatloaf - it tastes just like Mom’s. The steak on the salad was not the little pre-chopped bits you might find in other restaurants; it was cooked to order and sliced fine across the top. I had another beer while we ate, but this time I had the Black Lab Stout which was very smooth with just the right hint of chocolate flavor.
In the end, I think we actually enjoyed the off-key singing, the service was excellent and I only regret that we didn’t have time to check out the Underground Pub - a downstairs bar complete with pool and foosball tables. I only have one complaint to lodge against the McKenzie and that is that my beer was served ice cold! I suppose when your only complaint is that your beer is too cold, that is a good thing. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a fun dinner.
McKenzie Brew House is located at 240 Lancaster Avenue in Malvern, PA. Call 610-296-2222 or visit www.mckenziebrewhouse.com