Its name notwithstanding, Henri’s is not a French restaurant. It’s anything but. It’s been around since 1972. And though the menu has changed over the years, there’s hardly a dish on it that couldn’t have been there way back when.
This is one of the last of the Great American Diners, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in large portions at reasonable prices. This is where you go when you want liver and onions, and your companion craves chicken fried steak. Meatloaf is on the menu, served with mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies and garlic toast for $15.99.
Henri’s has been around for 53 years — which, in LA terms, approaches forever. It’s the sort of neighborhood hang that has a California Lottery machine near the entrance, right next to the glass case with the pastries. There are framed menus from the restaurant’s early years, when the choice of dishes was a lot fewer, and the prices a lot lower. But that’s true of any restaurant with a history.
As is also true of restaurants of Henri’s vintage, there isn’t a dish on the menu that has you checking Google to see what the heck it is. There isn’t an obscure dish on the menu. And, as is the tradition, the menu doesn’t just begin with breakfast; breakfast is served all day long. If you want a Spanish omelet for dinner, this is the place.
But things get a lot more down-home than that. The Country Special is a creation out of a daguerreotype America — chicken fried steak with country gravy, three eggs, potato and toast. I haven’t seen a Joe’s Special since Pluto was a pup, but here it is, a mix of ground beef, spinach, onions and eggs. The corned beef comes with three eggs, as well; three eggs seems to be the default setting at Henri’s. You’ll also find the same egg trio in the Country Boy: biscuits topped with sausage patties and country gravy, eggs and spuds.
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Those three eggs come as well with diced ham, a New York steak, a pork chop, bacon, sausage, sliced ham, ham steak, Louisiana hot links and chorizo.
If you need a break from eggs, try the zucchini bread french toast. Or maybe the house-made Belgian waffles. One dish that I’ll bet wasn’t on the menu back in 1972 is the veggie burrito, listed under “Could Be Healthy.” Or the avocado toast, which is under “On the Light Side.”
The menu suggests a bloody Mary or a mimosa with breakfast.
One of the several rooms is, indeed, a bar, with a full selection of beverages. But what I order with my liver and onions is iced tea. A martini seems a bent-elbow too many.
If anything has changed in the past 53 years, it’s on the lunch and dinner side of the menu. Back in the day, “Super Nachos” — made with chips, beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, melted cheddar, and an option of chicken or steak — was not readily available. Chicken wings in Buffalo sauce would be new, too. Ditto the fried chicken salad.
On the other hand, a “Healthy Salad” is as packed with nostalgia as with ingredients — turkey breast, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, Swiss cheese and a hard boiled egg. And, speaking of good for you, there’s a menu section with the strange heading “Could Be Healthy” — a tentative tense that just doesn’t seem sure.
There are egg dishes made with egg whites and the option of cottage cheese as a side — a pair of long-held beliefs of the benevolence of egg whites and cottage cheese. That’s where we find the turkey patty with eggs, the chicken breast with eggs, the burger steak with eggs. Lots of protein there. I give them a nod for that. Though the amount of sodium in cottage cheese gives me pause.
Traditionally, American cooking is not built around health concerns. So the entrées run to honey-dipped fried chicken, chicken fried steak, barbecue pork ribs, a Texas burger of two patties with cheese. With french fries on the side. Always french fries.
Finish with a fresh baked pie à la mode, hot fudge sundae, shake, malt or an ice cream float. It does my heart good to see tapioca pudding on the menu. If there was only My-T-Fine brand chocolate pudding, I’d be back home in the Bronx. Where, yes, french fries were served with everything.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Henri’s Restaurant
- Rating: 2 stars
- Address: 21601 Sherman Way, Canoga Park
- Information: 818-348-5582; https://henris.top
- Cuisine: The French name notwithstanding, Henri’s serves the classic American cooking of yesteryear, from a menu of more dishes than seem possible for one kitchen to crank out, ranging from eggs every way, to down-home meals of chicken fried steak and meatloaf.
- When: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day
- Details: Full bar; reservations not needed
- Prices: About $20 per person
- On the menu: Breakfast: 10 Breakfast Plates ($12.29-$17.49), 22 Eggs & Omelets ($12.49-$16.29), 6 “From the Griddle” ($11.49-$15.49), 8 “Could Be Healthy” Dishes ($15.49-$16.79), 6 “On the Light Side” ($2.99-$12.49), 4 Senior Selections ($11.49-$12.79); Lunch and Dinner: 7 Appetizers ($6.79-$12.49), 11 Salads ($9.99-$18.99), 3 Soups ($6.99-$10.99), 6 “Specialty” Sandwiches ($15.79-$15.99), 20 “Hot & Cold” Sandwiches ($9.99-$17.25), 6 Burgers ($13.79-$15.99), 15 House Specialties ($15.49-$17.49), 3 Senior Selections ($12.79-$14.99), 5 Desserts ($4.49- $6.29)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)