Henrietta's Table

Henrietta's Table URL: http://www.henriettastable.com/

Kid Friendly: We didn't see kids there, and it is pricey for a family, but for a special night out the environment would be kid friendly, and the home cooked meals allow for many choices a kid would like

Menu: Local New England home cooking!

Prices: The Yard Sale is the way to go, 2 courses for $25 or 3 courses for $32. This includes a side which isn't considered a course. We ate soup to nuts, with tip for $82

Atmosphere:Warm, homecooking, friendly, country classy, local farm friendly, Fresh, unique

Lou and I went to Henrietta's Table last night for dinner. I have wanted to eat here since the first time I saw it. Located in the bottom of the Charles Hotel, the atmosphere is unexpected. When you enter Henrietta's table, before you reach the hostess stand there is about a 12x6 foot area which mirrors a small country store. Cook books, cutting boards and a plether of pigs are available for purchase along with fresh fruit, and unique games and gadgets. It sets the tone for the home cooked wholesome meal you are about to be served inside. A description from Henrietta's own website reads,"Henrietta's Table prides itself on 'Fresh from the Farm and Honest to Goodness Home Cooking'." The restaurant is true, through and through to New England cooking. Committed to finding regional ingredients and supporting the local farms, their motto is "Fresh and Honest".

When we first arrived it was about 15 minutes before the restaurant opened for dinner. The hostess invited us to sit at the bar until they were ready to seat us. The hostess did not take our name, nor did she come to get us when the restaurant opened, rather she left it up to us to come back to the host stand and ask to be seated again. This is the only portion of our visit which we thought was poorly executed. The restaurant was not immediately busy when it opened. The hostess could have easily taken our name or walked the 5 feet over the bar to inform us they were ready to seat us. A simple way to make a big impression with service. Since we had the 15 minutes to kill, we decided to sample the hot cider at the bar. The Cider was served perfectly warmed with a cinnamon stick. It is available with Brandy, but we opted for the non-alcoholic version. It was a delicious way to pass the time, and warm up from the brisk walk we had on the way to the restaurant. The bartender also offered us a big bowl of shelled peanuts. Worthy of noting, an interesting beverage on the menu we did not order was Mead. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey and yeast, often referred to as honey wine. It is thought to be one of the first alcoholic beverages created. The earliest sign of Mead can be tracked to 7000 B.C. . When I go back to Henrietta's table, I will definitely have to give it a try. After we finished our cider, we went back to the host stand and were sat promptly in a corner booth. Lou and I love the corner booth. It lets us sit close to each other, in a cozy way, but not on the same side of the table which would be just wierd. The waitress approached us with the menus immediately after we sat down. There was the standard drink menu, with wines on one side, specialty drinks on the other. There was a dinner menu which had specials on the back, and THEN there was a CHEESE menu!!!! I had to capitalize cheese because I LOVE IT! and so does Lou. We opted to start with some cheese because seriously how could we pass up cheese? The cheeses had descriptions next to them but being more of a cheese eater than a cheese connoiseur, I decided to ask our server Anna for some suggestions. Her knowledge of the selections was well informed and enthusiastic, so we decided to go with what she recommended and order the Vermont Sheppard, and the Maggies Round. I love everything about the cheese course which was delivered to us. The size of the cheese was perfect, about 2 ounces per wedge. It was served on a long wooden cutting board with the words Made in Vermont burned into the handle, and it was accompanied by cranberry melbas, blueberry preserves, a small bunch of grapes and a handful of dried apricots. The Vermont Sheppard was sharp and flaky, the Maggies round was buttery and mild. It was a perfect start to our meal. After the cheese course I decided to start my meal with the Lobster and Carrot bisque off the specials menu. Lou opted for the Spinach Salad with goat cheese, blueberries, and candied pecans. The soup came in a bowl which was not too big of a portion. There was chive oil swirled around the top. It was a thin bisque, but extremely flavorful and interestingly tasted both like lobster bisque and a carrot soup perfectly blended. Lou's salad was a fairly large portion and was served in a beautiful wooden bowl. The blueberries were a unique twist to popular salad. The vinagrette was lighted drizzled over the greens. For dinner I went with the very traditional Yankee Pot Roast. It came with 4 pieces of tender pot roast served over mashed potatoes with a brown gravy. It was delicious! The meat fell a part and the potatoes were just like homemade. Lou went for the Duck Confit which was served with a Raspberry port wine reduction. It came with both a breast and leg piece. The Duck was also tender and tasty, but a big portion. Lou had a hard time finishing it. When we placed our order, Anna, our server, did a very smart upsell and let us know they were running a $25 special per person. For $25 we got to pick an appetizer and an entree, and since we had already ordered them, it included a side each. We decided on the Brussels Sprouts and the Butternut Squash. All sides are served family style, and there was enough for our meal and to take home. In fact, I just finished them for lunch. For dessert we decided to share the special which was an apple blueberry pie ala mode . The pie was adorable. It came out and was actually a mini pie instead of a slice. The crust was flaky and light, and the topping was a crumble. The ingredients tasted fresh and the filling wasn't too heavy. The service at Henrietta's table was interesting. From what I could tell the server took the order, delivered drinks and desserts, and did periodic check backs. There were separate runners and bussers. We had several different people approach our table to clear dishes, or fill water. It was attentive, but not overbearing. Our server Anna had a great personality. Her enthusiasm for the food was palpable, and her personality was warm and welcoming. The atmosphere is best decribed as having dinner at a friend's Vermont farm house, but you are sitting a 1/2 mile away from from Harvard. For being in the bottom of a hotel, Henrietta's table does a good job creating that cozy environment.