Next Magazine Review - Bar Henry

Bar Henry (90 West Houston St @ LaGuardia Pl, 646-448-4559, barhenry.com)

Bar Henry is a little hard to pick out to be sure, but thanks to the newly installed bright red awning announcing ‘bistro’, the challenge is somewhat diminished. This is a great neighborhood place with a wonderful bar and the whole thing feels like it’s been a comfortable friend forever. The red velvet banquet chairs in the dining room were plucked from the old days at the Plaza and lend a certain rag-tag grandeur to the proceedings with hardly a vestige of the smoke-filled Zinc Bar which formerly occupied the space.

We grew readily accustomed to the Henry’s Dog Cocktail ($14) with Tito’s vodka, dry and sweet vermouth and cherries soaked in brandy before moving on to some wine from their extensive list—and take note, most labels may be sampled as half bottles as well. As we sipped on an Australian Betts & Scholl Reisling ($49/bottle, $25/half bottle) we slurped down a few Oysters ($2.50) with an excellent ginger cocktail sauce: the Beau Soleils were like velvet brine, while the Malpecs had a fuller flavor.

Endive Salad ($8) was perfect for summer, with a fine balance of watermelon, feta cheese, almonds for crunch and a pure lavender vinaigrette. Organic Bedeviled Eggs ($5) weren’t hard to take either, with a fair balance of paprika and truffle oil. Earthy Chicken Liver Mousse ($11) was creamy, served with raspberries and a chiffonade of chopped dates. Short Rib Tacos ($12) wrapped in corn tortillas stopped the show—how toothsome and delicious!

Naturally with our entrees, more wine followed. The Austrian Nigl Sauvignon Blanc ($68/bottle, $34/half bottle) was most unusual, with a flinty hint of asphalt and a taste of gooseberries flocking to the palate. Chicken Under A Brick ($19) is an absolute must, with wilted kale and lemon pan jus. We found the Branzino ($25), a special of the night, to be wonderful, with crispy skin and a frizzle of leeks on a healthy bed of corn, tomatoes, squash, shallots, epazote and a bit of butter thrown in for good measure.

When it comes to neighborhood dining, the bar has indeed been raised!

First published in Next magazine.

Next Magazine Review - Agua Dulce

Executive Chef Ulrich Sterling has some wonderfully wild things going on at Agua Dulce (sweet water) with a vivid host of Pan-Latin and Asian influences that I daresay will make the rest of the foodist strip of Hell’s Kitchen step up to Sterling’s inspired plate. The place is stunning too; the design harkening back to the yesteryear chic of Havana and Rio.

I had no problem launching into some “sweet water” myself, namely the delicious Agave Flower ($13) cocktail, a potent mix of Patron Silver tequila, floral St. Germain and fresh squeezed lemon, topped with a floating mix of berries.

Our first hint that we were onto something very special came with the incredible little platter of Chili and Sweet Soy-Glazed Soybeans ($7), seared to a rich char, with ginger, soy caramel and shallots. We devoured our aperitivos (appetizer), which began with thrilling Island Creek Oysters ($18/half dozen) in a tingly mignonette of jalapeno, celery, ginger and a trio of crushed peppercorns. The essence of fruit further enhanced the fresh oyster flavor. We loved the sprightly Salmon Citrus Ceviche ($13) with thinly sliced red onion and the Yellow Fin Tuna Tiriadito ($15) with a truffled lychee sauce and crushed pink peppercorns.

A la parilla (from the grill), we really enjoyed the Aji Panca Glazed Duck ($24) from Long Island served medium rare, with crispy duck confit, a ginger scallion slaw, and boniato, also known as white sweet potatoes. I almost had to pick my friend up off the floor once she tasted the Beef Short Rib ($23), coated for two days with a spice rub, and braised for 12 hours with lapsang souchong tea. Fantastic! Yuca Frita ($5) were perfectly fried, and a perfect, flavorful side with a hint of vanilla.

We went simply cross-eyed over the shot of Patron Café XO ($11), yes—tequila and coffee together at last! Dulce de Leche Flan ($9) was a shattering, shockingly good conclusion; such creamy gorgeousness found in the incredible sweet caramel flan with salted caramel ice cream.

Chef Sterling and Agua Dulce both delight in any number of languages, countries or cuisines!