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As much as I’m surprised to say it, a good meal isn’t too difficult to find in New York City. A great restaurant must obviously have exquisite cuisine, but the food must be supported by a cast of equally great amenities. So many times I’ve waited eternities for my check, fought with hostesses, searched beguiled for toilet paper, shouted to my companions, and felt as though I were lucky, no, privileged to eat at Chez Rank. Fortunately for Henry’s End, the great food is accompanied by a tremendous wine selection, superb service, and a subdued unpretentious atmosphere, missing all of the shortcomings that can fuck up a perfectly good meal.
Our party of six was given ample attention, and we were sat even though the entire party hadn’t arrived. I love that, especially if there isn’t a bar. It allows you to get take off your coat, refresh yourself with water, order the wine, and get the entire process moving. Those restaurants who don’t do that because they want to use the table are assuming their diners are as rude as they are. Any polite group knows to order if a couple is running late. Henry’s End seemed to understand this, and since this time I was the late comer it was nice to walk in and get a drink after a harrowing cab ride.
We ordered a number of appetizers to share, and then rated the appetizers. All of them were above average, but none could beat the West Indian shrimp. The crab cake, a first course that has burrowed itself onto every menu I’ve seen in recent history, was also remarkable. The salads were ample, especially the Fiddlehead fern salad. Yet, more than the great food was the brisk attention of a seasoned waiter. He wasn’t there to be our friend, wasn’t there to up sell a special, but was there to serve us.
The dinner menu is exciting yet crowd pleasing. Our entree’s came out promptly, and though the Kobe beef didn’t live up to it’s over thirty dollar price, it was delicious. The veal scaloppini with lemon and capers was great, as was the Moroccan Salmon. It’s quite a large menu, justifying repeat visits. One thing to note: the entrée’s come with a side salad. This allows you to explore the 1st courses and still get your leafy bed for you meal to lie on.
We quickly moved to dessert when the waiter offered us a free Mrs. Mud pie to accompany our Mud pie. Again, what a great move. These guys know that we just put down a lot of money and threw in the dessert. Chances are the dessert was going in the garbage and the staff was sick of eating it, but the gesture was one of camaraderie. They didn’t throw in dessert because they had to, but because they understood that we deserved it. We drank, we ate, we made merry, and had survived the entire rush. Since we were the last ones standing, we got the prize: free dessert. After we settled up and polished off our buzzes with some grappa we left Henry’s End as one should when spending $100 a person: completely satisfied.
20 hours ago
