RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Henry
The term "greatest" is thrown around more and more these days, often with impunity and hyperbole. There are GOAT debates (MJ vs LeBron, Ronaldo vs Messi, Beatles vs Stones, The Wire vs The Sopranos, etc..), and some unimpeachable superlatives (e.g. everyone agrees that Nic Cage is the best actor who has ever lived). Usually this nomenclature is conferred by others, with the exception of Muhammad Ali, who bestowed the honor upon himself. Like Cassius Clay, The Henry describes itself as The Greatest Neighborhood Restaurant, perhaps rather tongue-in-cheekily, but audacious nonetheless.
This is a small chain from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts (who also run the excellent but recently-shuttered [in Houston] Blanco Tacos + Tequila, and the disturbingly healthy Flower Child) which has been expanding across the country. The Town & Country Village location is the first in Houston, but another one is coming to the Galleria area soon as well. Meant to be an all-day cafe, they offer breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as a small coffee counter. Is it really as good as they say? Let's find out, shall we?
A new build at the site of a recently demolished strip mall in the heart of T&C, the edifice is definitely an improvement to the area, with parking moved to the back, and inviting landscaping providing more of a street presence. There's a large patio with an indoor-outdoor bar, which can be enjoyed in the few weeks of good weather we have left before entering the inexorable death march that is summer. Inside the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing on a recent Saturday evening, with one large seating area teeming with Memorial denizens, but fortunately we were sat in a slightly smaller room off the side, in which the din was not quite so audible (this seemed to be available for private functions, though none were present on this night).
As we are wont to do when only two, we went the multiple starters/one shared entree route on this occasion, as the former category is usually more interesting and creative at most places, and of course it increases the number of things I get to critique. First up was the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, served with a sweet corn salad, oven roasted tomato, remoulade, and lemon. A perfectly serviceable version of this mid-Atlantic staple, the fried crustacean patty was surprisingly light and soft on the inside with a crispy golden brown exterior, and the lightly-dressed arugula brightened up the dish, though I would have preferred a bit more of the corn which lent its name to the component. The remoulade was mustardy with a great tang, but the thin layer smeared across the bottom of the plate made it slightly difficult to get what I would consider an adequate amount on each forkful. First world problems, am I right?
Another appetizer, the Short Rib Potstickers with toasted sesame, cilantro, and ponzu were by far the most generously-stuffed dumplings I've ever had in my life. Unctuous beef packed the wrappers to the brim, yet the neatly folded gyoza held their shape perfectly, without spilling their precious contents when lifted (hats off to their dumpling guy, maybe a Din Tai Fung alumnus?). Most potstickers have a fairly meagre dough-to-filling ratio resulting in a one-bite morsel, but these hefty nuggets necessitated at least two chomps from anyone other than giants such as myself. And lest I forget the broth, the umami-citrus combo cut through the rich meat with great aplomb, creating a truly glorious dish. I insist that you order this!
Spicy Tuna & Crispy Rice has become a very trendy tapa of late, and The Henry's interpretation was one of the better ones I've tried, with fresno chile, avocado, cilantro, scallion, and sweet soy sauce. If I've learned anything from watching 42 seasons of Beat Bobby Flay, it's that crispy rice pretty much guarantees a winning dish. That texture is just so enticing, and the subtle heat of the fish marinade and chile was lovely against the fatty alligator pear and salty soy sauce. A very shareable crowd-pleaser, though with only five pieces, I might order two next time. Big fan though!
For our one entree we had to go with the Korean Prime Skirt Steak, with double egg fried rice, snap pea, bok choy, pickled shiitake, mint, cilantro, and ginger. This cut, from the plate/diaphragm of the cow, is criminally underrated in my opinion when it comes to steak cookery, though it is of course fairly ubiquitous around these parts in fajitas. In fact, the only one of the non-Tex-Mex variety that I can recall eating of late was the incomparable skirt steak at Don Julio in Buenos Aires. But just look at that cuisson in the photo below: a spectacular medium rare, with a delicious sweet sheen... and the accompaniments were not to be overlooked either. My only note would be that I didn't care for the mushrooms, but that's more of a personal preference, and they were easily avoided for any fellow mycophobes out there.
Even though the main came with some accoutrements, the Crispy Japanese Sweet Potato sounded too good to pass up, and made for a nice northeast Asian pairing with the steak. This quite healthy portion of cubed yams had a sweet glaze, and was topped with some salty peanuts and green onions. A really fun preparation that would work just as well on its own as an appetizer.
They were unfortunately out of Warm Croissant Bread Pudding (which sounds absolutely amazing and will be the first thing I order next time), so as a backup sweet we went with the Lemon Olive Oil Cake, with blueberry compote, lemon curd, whipped mascarpone, roasted almond, thyme, and vanilla ice cream. Dejected as I was to miss out on my first choice, this ended up being a pretty good substitute. The lightly acidic cake was plush and moist, while not too heavy at all after a big meal. I did have one moment of confusion: while it's fairly easy to tell the difference in the photo below, in the dim-ish restaurant lighting I didn't realize that the whipped mascarpone sat on top of the ice cream scoop. My first spoonful coincidentally contained only the former (which was intentionally not cold at all), so I thought for a second that I was somehow eating bizarrely room temperature ice cream. Don't worry, I figured it out.
There's a solid cocktail lineup as well. The Smoked Pineapple Margarita had Corazón Blanco tequila, Banhez mezcal, habanero, and jalapeño salt. Y'all know by now that I love the smoky agave goodness of mezcal, and here you had some fruity spice from the habanero as well as the citrusy tangy flavor of the pineapple, which also supplied the garnish of two leaves and a charred slice of flesh. A very refreshing drink, though perhaps too easily crushable, so be careful if you are driving.
While not quite rising to the level of my greatest in the city, I definitely enjoyed my meal, and since it is so convenient, will definitely be going again to further investigate the menu (and get my bread pudding). It might not be worth a drive across town if you aren't in my neck of the woods, but who knows, there may be one opening up near you soon. Or definitely check it out if you are in their home turf of Phoenix or North Scottsdale, because I don't know any other restaurants to recommend there.
NEXT UP: Sometimes you have to seek it out, but sometimes the stars align and an amazing dining opportunity just falls into your (my) lap.