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Lunch is more than just sustenance to keep me fueled throughout day. It’s sometimes a necessary break that re-energizes me and gets the creative juices flowing for the rest of the afternoon. I brown bag my lunch 80% of the time, but every now and then I like to treat myself to something delicious. As much as I love quick lunches, I have exhausted the burrito bowl, chicken sandwich, trio salad and long lines tend to add more stress to what should be an activity to remove stress.
I’m always excited when some of my favorite spots for dinner offer a quick lunch as well, like Henry’s Majestic. It accomplishes the previously mentioned special treat goal.This new spot off near Knox-Henderson has already made quite the name for itself on the dinner scene, even after a few short months of business, and I jumped at the opportunity to sample some of their entrees and see if they could provide a quick, yet chic lunch experience.
Henry’s Majestic touts having an elevated American menu of small late offerings from fresh oysters to the Texas “Pho” bowl and their signature hamburger. I guess we’ve all been eating too many meals at a lower altitude. Their contemporary approach is carried over to their new lunch menu that offers customers enough entrees to keep them satiating for more and yet not overwhelm with too many delicious dishes.
To kick off my lunch, I tried Henry’s Spicy Shrimp, a shared plate that is served with russet potatoes and topped with chives and blue cheese. This dish deserves the signature status that comes with carrying the restaurant name. The shrimp was tender and had just the right amount of kick to wake up my senses. The potatoes soaked up all of the juices, but maintained a crisp outer layer and moist flesh. It does have a kick to it, like the name implies, but the potatoes do serve as a blanket.
Now comes the tricky part – the main entree. I was faced with a first world problem predicament. I could either order something rich, full of flavor and potentially battle a case of post-lunch “itis” for the rest of the day, completely negating the “reenergized” I mentioned at the beginning of this post, or I could order something light and delicious that wouldn’t cloud my creative vision for the remainder of the afternoon.
I was good and chose the latter; I opted for the Farmer’s Chicken Salad, topped with the restaurant’s famous pulled rotisserie chicken, almonds, bacon, Vital Farms eggs and a honey mustard vinegarette.
Good lunch salads are hard to find, and this one wasn’t quite up to par. It lacked flavor, texture, color – everything I need in a salad since it’s a “lighter” option. And on top of all that, there was cucumber on my salad – my least favorite food EVER. Cucumber was not listed on the menu as an item of the salad for I would have surely left.it.off. I ate nearly the entire dish because I was starving, but the entire time I longed for some tomato, some avocado, olives, something to liven up this dish. Oh how I wish I would have chosen option one.
I didn’t share my opinion with the server, but I did ask about the menu to see what options she recommended. The Spiked Burger was of course a popular dish, but she always suggested the rotisserie chicken wrap, which apparently is a light option that won’t leave patrons wishing they had a separate stomach to process their meal. Talk about buyer’s remorse.
However, the service and overall experience at Henry’s Majestic was quite pleasant. Their lunch is probably still a hidden gem, so business men and women aren’t busting down their doors just yet, but I suspect their lunch traffic to increase as we enter the warmer months and people are leaving their office for a special lunch treat.
And by all means, try the salad and let me know what you think. These are just my opinions after all, and I’d like to know your thoughts, too! Also, check out the brunch menu at Henry’s – an overview written by one of my Dallas Food Nerd buddies.
(Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary meal, and all thoughts are my own.)
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