Henry's: An American Bistro, Broadway and 105th

When we want a place to meet friends for conversation where we can have a good glass of wine or beer and a good meal, we choose Henry's.  Henry's is spacious enough -- with wood paneled walls and deco chandeliers -- to allow for some privacy, unlike so many bistros where the tables are squished side by side and others' conversations intrude into yours. 

Henry's tables, covered in blue checked tableclothes, are spaced comfortably.  Even the outside dining offers some quiet from the normal bustle of New York City restaurants -- aside from the occasional fire truck or ambulence racing down Broadway.  A couple doors north is Smoke, a jazz cafe, and if you're lucky enough to be sitting outside, you may hear the fusion of live musicians.

On one occasion, I ordered chicken with spinach and roasted fingerling potatoes, which I found a tad salty.  Another time I had a burger (you have a choice of two:  a standard, beef burger for $10 or a grassfed burger for $16).  I had the standard burger, which was thick and juicy and comes with crisp French fries served in a paper cone.  

Another time, I had the kale salad with grilled, herbed shrimp.  The kale salad is so good, I've tried to reproduce it with fresh kale from our garden in Connecticut -- to no avail.  Our kale, parboiled and squeezed in paper towels comes out soggy.  Their kale arrives slightly parboiled and crisp.  Roasted hazelnuts and fresh grapes, fennel strips and a flavorful citrus dressing -- not too oily, not too tart -- are mixed into the kale -- providing a wonderfully textured salad.  The grilled shrimp are done al dente -- covered in their shells, they crunch when you bite in and are char-grilled with herbs.

I've also tasted three of the four pastas on the menu.  The homemade pappardelle Bolognese, Parmasan, and parsley ($15) makes you think you are in a cafe on a street in Rome:  the pasta is both fluffy and al dente, the sauce rich and seductive.  The Gemelli, covered in a light sauce with asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, arugula and tomato, was good, but left me a bit hungry ($18).  And the Fettucine with Hudson Valley rabbit, carrots, peas, kalamata olives and chives was once perfectly cooked, and a second time, the pasta was a tad undercooked.  The rabbit tasted more like a stewed chicken than anything else. ($20)

On another occasion, we split several appetizers, including three soft corn tacos:  one with shrimp, arugula, pico de gallo and avocado salsa, one with marinated hanger steak, romaine lettuce, cherry tomato and salsa verde, and the third with spinach, cremini mushrooms, queso fresco, and roast tomato salsa.  All were delicious.  (choice of 3:  $16, choice of 5: $21)  The tacos were fresh, the ingredients were fresh.  We also shared the mezza platter while waiting for friends to show up.  The hummus, babaganoush, beet tartar, and spicy carrot salad provided a variety of flavors for the toasted pita. ($13)

Desserts?  Who can resist desserts.  We tried them all -- the bread pudding (very rich), the apple tarte -- crisp and hot with homemade vanilla ice cream melting into it, the volcanic chocolate cake (a bit too much melt in the center) and the special last week:  perfectly cakey angel's food cake -- dark chocolate with a chocolate ganache filling sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (desserts run $6-12.)