I had wanted to try Henrietta's Table for a while, since it's known for being supportive of local farmers and use all seasonal ingredients. The website even has interactive Farmer's Cards with pictures and stats. And the restaurant logo is a smiling pig, at a place that counts pork chops as one of their specialties (I love the undertone of martyrdom.) Oh, and the food is really good too.
I should have brought along my camera, since this ain't your average country kitchen. The enormous dining space is tucked inside the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, with a big open kitchen and rustic bar area that looks like someone's home. In fact, the entire restaurant is supposed to be reminiscent of a farm house, except the minimalist aesthetic and large format photography lining the walls gives it a hip feel. This is a restaurant both you and grandma will love.
Sundays through Thursdays the restaurant offers the Henrietta's Table Yard Sale, which is any appetizer, entree, and side dish for $23, or three courses and a side dish for $30.
Having narrowed the appetizers down to either the Maine crab and corn Chowder and the spinach salad with fresh raspberries, goat cheese, and pecans, I decided to go for the latter, simply because I have a weakness for salads with hearty nuts. Cumin was an unexpected flavor that coated the pecans, but it blended well with everything else in the salad.
The entree of wild king salmon was poached just right and strawberry compote added a nice spring flavor. According to the website menu, if I were to go back in the fall when strawberries aren't in season, I would get the salmon with roasted apples and spiced cider instead. Most likely another delicious flavor combo.
The asparagus side dish was a bad choice because it was over overcooked and still had sand grains in it. Luckily, all the sides are served family style, so I got to have some of the crisp green beans too.
Feeling stuffed, I wasn't planning on dessert, but the waiter's description of the Lemon Tart with Hazelnut Crust made it sound too irresistable. They were very good salespeople, these waiters. I'm not complaining, though, since the tart was delicious and came with even more fresh raspberries and a vanilla frisee.
It was difficult to waddle home, but somehow I managed.
Henrietta's Table - 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square
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