Restaurant Week Reviews: Henri
By Lisa White in Food on Jan 28, 2014 5:30PM
Taking an extra long lunch during Restaurant Week has been a favorite winter activity for many, a break from the confines of a cubicle all while saving a little extra change. There are many options but I try to stick to places I've been wanting to try for some time, menus that offer similar options for lunch and dinner (value vs. cost) and overall food that sounds delicious. All of the above led me to take a very long lunch Monday at Henri.
As chaotic and busy as Restaurant Week can be, I crave something a bit more subdued, so the slow and relaxed pace of Henri was perfect. The room is beautiful, full of dark wood, velvet and plush seating. The service was very French in style, a friendly waitress with light humor that made sure we were taken care of but never overbearing. The owner stopped by to check-in but not interrupt your meal. It was fine dining but not stuffy or with pretense.
The Restaurant Week menu is three courses for dinner and lunch, similar except the main course options for dinner are more robust. But your starter and dessert are the same, just half the price at lunch. The three courses do not come with a drink, but there is an optional wine pairing. I opted instead to try their house made sodas, a blood orange and a grapefruit juniper option. Both were refreshing and light, nothing syrupy sweet and would be a perfect mixers if ever bottled and sold.
For my first course I chose the blood orange salad. The salad could have used more orange, hence the name, but the shaved rainbow carrots, light acidic vinaigrette and creamy yet light savory cake worked well together. My dining companion had the soup of the day, a celery cream served with bacon garnish. We also decided to share an order of escargot, obviously the French thing to do, and enjoyed some of the plumpest snails I've seen stateside. Cooked perfectly and served with brioche cubes, the only thing missing was a little more seasoning but the meaty escargot more than made up for it.
I chose the chestnut gnocchi for my second course. I had high hopes, but should have stuck with the more traditional French option on the menu, the duck terrine. The gnocchi itself was more akin to grey blobs of chestnut puree and were barely solidified. Not the most pretty gnocchi but the taste was okay. The dish lost touch with the addition of the pickled apples on top of an apple chutney. The pickled apples brought too much acidity to the dish, masking the delicate roasted chestnut flavor and overpowering everything. Chestnut flavor came through a bit more with some mixing, but couldn't pull through in the end. Leave the gnocchi to the Italians and let the French handle a good duck terrine instead.
Dessert redeemed itself with a tried and true classic, an airy chocolate mousse buried under a layer of rich chocolate, buttery shortbread crumble and a hint of vanilla bean whipped cream. I added coffee service as well, which was a generous French press of a wonderful dark roast. By the time our bill came, we realized two hours had slid past. We did the standard European tradition of a long lunch proud. That said, if you are in a hurry you could easily get quicker service, but some days it is nice to take a deep breath, pour another cup of coffee and let good service and a relaxing atmosphere take you away. Despite a miss on the main course, the atmosphere and service more than made up for any culinary hiccups. Stick to French standards and enjoy a elegant break in your day at Henri during Restaurant Week.
Henri is located at 18 S. Michigan Ave.