Restaurant Review

Westpoint Bar-B-Que

25301 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, MI 48124
(313)278-3311

Bar-B-Que on The Ave-By Kimberly Blevins

Have you ever had a hankering for some good- fall off the bone ribs? Well, on Sunday October 11, 2009, I sure did. While driving through my local neighborhood, I saw one of my favorites, Westpoint BBQ, located in West Dearborn on Michigan Ave. I pulled in, and immediately noticed the parking lot was small, parking sparse. I found a spot and made my way inside. The building looks nice from the outside. It is half tan and half stone bricks with a hint of black and red to add some flavor.

Upon walking in the door, we were immediately greeted by a chubby chef painted on a wall just inside the door. He is carrying some of the foods offered at Westpoint. Ribs, chicken, and seafood. The painted food looks appealing,and I can only hope that the taste was as delicious.

As we enter the dinning room, we are greeted by a casually dressed waitress and asked “smoking or non?” This is a change, since most restaurants are smoke- free nowadays. We selected non-smoking and were escorted to the larger dining room area. There were only 12 tables in this section and the smoking area was even smaller. The walls were painted on top with a mix of tan and brown to give the illusion of an old building. The bottom was wood paneling. The booths were comfy with nicely padded brown cushions. The walls were splashed with paintings. These were no ordinary paintings. They were: shelves, plants, cabinets, and even a wine hutch. From a far it looks like the real thing. Chandeliers and sunlight from the many windows softly lit the rooms. The music playing was top forty, but it was not overpowering.

The menu offers many common BBQ favorites. Ribs and chicken are the best sellers here, but they also offer: large salads, seafood, steaks, kabobs, sandwiches, melts and pitas. If you are having a hard time deciding what to order, they offer nine different combination platters so you can sample a little of everything. These combos range from ribs and chicken ($12.99) to steak and shrimp ($19.99). Westpoint also offers catering for events, as well as broasted chicken to go.

Shortly after being seated, the waitress came to take our drink order. Westpoint offers a variety of beverages. Coke products are the soft drinks on the menu. They are $1.99 a glass and come with free refills. They also serve hot/cold teas, coffee, and even milk. If you want a little kick with your meal, they offer a variety of alcoholic beverages. They range from domestic beer at $2.95 to Pieceporter at $4.25 a glass. They also offer a full bar for whatever else your heart may desire.

The appetizer section of the menu had many common items seen in many restaurants: wing dings, shrimp, cheese sticks, breaded mushrooms, and onion rings. They range in price from $2.49 to $6.99. Although many of these sounded delicious, we chose to skip the extra calories and head straight for the meal.

By the time our drinks arrived, we had made our selection. I chose the half slab of BBQ ribs ($11.29), which comes with: soup, salad or coleslaw – choice of potato or mixed veggies – and a huge slice of their famous Texas toast garlic bread. I went with the French onion crock of Au gratin soup (which is one of their specialties), and a baked potato with sour cream. My companion chose the fish dinner-batter dipped cod ($8.79), which has the same side options as all the dinners. He chose chicken noodle soup, and fries with his dinner.

The onion soup came in a small crock. There was melted cheese over the top and you could see the chunks of bread trying to poke through. I can see why this is one of their specialties. The soup had great flavor; you can taste the home cooking in this one. The broth was perfect. Adding the cheese on top was the kicker – it topped it off just right. The chicken noodle soup was good as well. The broth had a nice chicken flavor, chunks of white meat chicken, carrots and celery. Mixed in with the chicken and veggies were a large amount of egg noodles. The noodles were a little mushy for my liking but, the soup was still delicious. These soups are also available ala cart for a low cost.

We waited roughly fifteen minutes between soups and our meal. During this time, I chose to visit the restroom. When I walked in I noticed how clean the facilities were. Not only were they clean, they smelled nice too. As I walked back to our booth, I looked around at the customers enjoying their meals. There were not too many visitors while we were there. This seemed strange due to the parking lot being full. Most of the families eating were nicely dressed, like they just left church. Being that it was a Sunday afternoon, I suppose I am right. I made my way back to the booth just as our plates arrive.

The food looked delicious. The plate was clean and large enough to hold the half slab, potato, and the giant Texas toast slice. The fish dinner looked just as good and was a large portion. I dive into the first rib. The BBQ sauce wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was sweet and tangy. The meat just fell right off the bone. It was tender and succulent, with little fat at all. I can see why they sell so much. Next was the potato. Usually, I am a huge fan of the baked potato. This one, however, was not to my liking. The skin was a bit too overcooked. This made it tough to eat. The sour cream came in a little package instead of being put on the potato. I decided to push it aside and dive into the Texas toast. As soon as I brought the bread to my lips I could smell the aroma of garlic that made my mouth water. The toast was amazing. Perfectly grilled, the outside was golden brown, with a soft center. The amount of seasoning was also just right. Definitely worth taking up so much room on the plate.

Next, I sampled the fish. The outside was battered but not too greasy. I bite into a perfectly crunchy coating that gives way to a delicate flaky center. The fish was nice, but does not compare to the ribs. The fries were a little undercooked for me. The chef seems to need a lesson in potato 101.

After finishing our meal, the waitress returns to see if we would like dessert. She tells us the dessert selection, which contains many different cakes and pies ($2.95) and we decided to go with the chocolate torte – which she recommends as a big seller, and ask for it to go (due to the snugness of our waistbands. She returns with the bill, and our torte in a carryout container. For two dinners, 2 soft drinks, and a dessert the total bill came to $28.64.

I would definitely recommend Westpoint BBQ if you are in Dearborn and have a hankering as I did. The wait staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and the food was finger licking good!

Although reservations are not required, for large groups, reservations are recommended.
yelp.com restaurant reviews gave Westpoint BBQ a average star rating of 3.5

P.S. When I finally had room to eat the torte, it was chocolate heaven. Layers of chocolate goodness melting in my mouth…mmmmm


*All photos are copyright of Kimberly Blevins*