Sweet Potato Sensations
17337 Lahser Rd.
Detroit, Mich.
Sweet potatoes often play supporting roles when it comes to meals. But that’s not the case at Detroit’s Sweet Potato Sensations where sweet potatoes are — fittingly — the main characters, or at least the foundational ones.
The restaurant in Detroit’s Old Redford neighborhood is famous for its sweet potato-based desserts, starting with its original sweet potato cookies and a range of pies. It’s also expanded to incorporate savory soul food options, like salmon croquettes, chicken and waffles (made with sweet potatoes!), and various sandwiches.
Location-wise, Sweet Potato Sensations is located directly across from the Redford Theatre, making it a perfect stop for a pre-show treat or meal. But, show or not, the quaint restaurant is worth checking out on its own.
On my recent visit, I enjoyed a delicious, hearty bowl of black-eyed pea and collard green soup, accompanied by sweet potato cornbread, which was also great and featured a sweeter, slightly spicier flavor than a traditional cornbread.
But back to the desserts.
If you’re feeling indecisive, Sweet Potato Sensations offers sampler “Sweet Pie Packs” with six mini pies that incorporate four of its main pie flavors. But if you need to commit to a full portion, I’ve taken the difficult task upon myself to sample them all for you:
Sweet Potato Sensations’ OG Sweet Potato Pie reigns supreme among its pie offerings, with a warm flavor that feels like Thanksgiving. Featuring notes of clove and cinnamon, the pie is reminiscent of a pumpkin pie, and the sweet potato taste is fairly muted. The result is a sweet, well-balanced flavor that is delicious far beyond the holiday season.
Its Coconut pie is similar, which takes the original Sweet Potato Pie and adds a hint of coconut. While the coconut flavor is light, the shredded coconut adds a chewiness to the texture, though that too is subtle. Even for the biggest coconut fans, the flavor difference doesn’t seem strong enough to warrant veering away from the original, but it was fine just the same.
Sweet Potato Sensations’ Sweet Potato Pecan pie is where the sweet potato flavor is most dominant. The pie is gooier and sweeter than the Sweet Potato Pie but offers a nice pecan crunch and nutty flavor. It’s a new take on the classic pie and worth trying, though I prefer a more traditional recipe.
The Lemon Chess pie is the most distinct from Sweet Potato Sensations’ other pie flavors. The custard-like filling is sweet, but not overly lemony or sugary. It’s a nice addition to complement the sweet potato-based alternatives.
If you’re still undecided, take note that the classic Sweet Potato and Lemon Chess pies each have two samples in the pie pack — the others only have one — perhaps an indication of their rank in popularity.
Sweet, savory, or somewhere in between, there’s little doubt “Sweet Potato Sensations” lives up to its name.
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