A Winning Lunch Experience
Café Henri
10-10 50th Ave., Long Island City
(718) 383-9315
HOURS: Mon.-Sun. 8 am – midnight
CREDIT CARDS: Yes, all major
Heading to a meeting in Hunter’s Point during afternoon rush hour on the 7 train is never something to look forward to, unless you happen to stumble upon Café Henri along the way.
Such was my good fortune last Friday. As I surfaced to street level from the subway station at Vernon Boulevard and Jackson Avenue, I set my eyes forward to uncover the restaurant directly before me. My nose being aware of the bistro long before it reached my sight, I knew this was a stop I had to make. So I did. Once inside, a feeling of relief melted away my subway stress as my friendly server handed me the menu.
It felt as though they had been expecting me. I started with the Café Au Lait, which comes in a porcelain cup so big that makes you forget why you ever started guzzling down your cup of joe in a paper cup on the way to work every morning. Being lunchtime, I thought it was appropriate to sample their French fries with a side of burger, my thought being sure they have an amazing list of French fare no doubt, but can they win me over on an American classic? They did.
The burger, thick and juicy, was sandwiched between a savory egg-brushed brioche bun and served with a side mesclune salad. As I grazed on my salad, I soaked in the soothing light reflecting from the grand chandelier onto the muted earth toned walls and fantasized about being in the South of France. When I came back down to reality, I realized I was in LIC and it was time for my meeting. As I left, I made a note to come back for brunch to try Les Classiques. After all, my server boasted that they do make a killer French toast.
-Megan Montalvo