Whenever I head downtown to eat, I usually end up at one place for dinner - Marco & Lucas - to get dumplings. It is the only place on the entire mall that seems within my price range and fast enough to satisfy hunger. But during a recent excursion to the Downtown Mall, a new restaurant sign caught my eye: Henry's.
Located underneath Vita Nova and across from Splendora, customers take a narrow spiral staircase to the building's bottom level to experience some real home-cooking. Henry's hidden location guarantees that it remains a secret from tourists and often to locals and University students, as well.
The walls are adorned with old family photos, some even sewn onto quilts, and the seating consists of rather comfortable and very padded brown chairs you would expect to find in your grandfather's study. The plastic checkered tablecloths could belong on the floor of a playground for a child's imaginary picnic, but instead are the base for real food customers are paying for. But the tables and tablecloths only make Henry's seem like more of a cheap, unorganized restaurant than it actually is.
When we got there, the Saturday lunch crowd seemed a bit sparse, but there were a few families, as well as a large group of new graduates dining.
Henry's offers the traditional appetizers of an "American" food joint, with a little flavor thrown in the mix with breaded mushrooms and shrimp basket options. As most appetizers were at least $6.95, however, my friend and I elected to skip them to save money for dessert.
For the entr
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