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| A finished tempura shrimp and peach sandwich waits to be taken out into the dining area. |
| Griffin Moores |
The soup arrived first. This flavorful bowl of French onion, followed closely by a wonderfully moist turkey burger, was only the beginning of what would be a delicious meal. The meal was prepared, cooked and served by fellow students at Henry’s Restaurant. A little gem hidden away on the fourth floor of George Eastman Hall, Henry’s serves up a high-quality multicourse meal for just a few dollars more than your average campus meal.
Mouth Watering Bites
Henry’s is run by the RIT Hospitality and Service Management program, and the restaurant is only open for a few weeks during fall and spring quarters. The restaurant business can be stressful, especially on your first day; but everything at Henry’s on March 29, spring’s opening day, seemed to go off without a hitch. Students spend the first several weeks of the quarter perfecting recipes and performing trial runs by serving friends.
During this testing period, second year multidisciplinary student Rachael Mallory brought in her recipe for vegtable lo mein, which earned a spot on the menu. Mallory normally works as a waitress at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, but she is changing roles and working as a chef at Henry’s this quarter. “I’ve cooked all my life,” she said. “My family didn’t go out to eat.”
During my visit, I was seated promptly and able to order right away, having reviewed the menu online before my visit. I selected the $13 option, which includes soup, a main entrée, dessert and a beverage.
The main entrée, a turkey burger stuffed with goat cheese and topped with a soy apricot glaze left me wanting more. The plate arrived completely covered in food, but I managed to make a sizable dent in it. The burger had a soft texture on the inside, a slightly crisp on the outside and subtle apricot flavor. Subsequent bites only got better. The moment my mouth reached the goat cheese nuggets and apricot bits I knew I would be returning to Henry’s for another visit.
My final course was dessert. My waitress brought out a tray of mini desserts in shot glasses for me to choose from. I selected a shot of key lime pie. Graham cracker crumbs, a few spoonfuls of key lime filling, and a little bit of meringue filled the glass. The light and tasty dessert was topped with more crumbs and a lime wedge.
Henry Who?
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| A student sets down two finished orders to be taken out into the dining area. |
| Griffin Moores |
The restaurant is named after Captain Henry Lomb, a founding
partner of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. In the late 1800’s, Lomb started the cooking school at the Rochester Athenaeum, RIT’s predecessor. The restaurant as we know it today, then called Henry’s Room, was opened in 1952 at RIT’s downtown campus. In 1982, Henry’s moved to its current Eastman location.
When I exited the elevator onto the fourth floor of Eastman Hall for the first time, it was a surprise to see the halls filled with students in checkered pants, white chef jackets and floppy white hats. Although I’m a senior here, I was unaware that students ran such an impressive restaurant on campus.
“Many students just don’t know it’s here,” said Jalanda Grayson, a fourth year Hospitality and Service Management major and a waitress at Henry’s this quarter. In her class, she learned the proper way to set the dining room, deal with customers and use Henry’s online reservation system.
The course requires a lot of hard work from the students and they don’t get paid for what many other students do as a part-time job. However, it is a six-credit course, and no fee is required from the students. Tips, although not required, are split evenly among the students. They often walk out of class with leftover meals, which any college student can certainly appreciate.
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| The dining area of Henry’s looks out over the Kodak Quad from the fourth floor of Eastman Hall. |
| Griffin Moores |
While Grayson has never served in a restaurant before, she thinks there is less stress at Henry’s. People understand that you’re a student, and they realize you’re still learning. “You have to keep your professor happy, so there’s still some pressure,” she added. RIT seems to be more concerned about the learning experience than the business side of the restaurant, which may be one reason it isn’t really advertised to students.
If you want to get a taste of Henry’s before the end of the quarter, your last chance is May 5. The restaurant is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reservations must be made at http://rit.edu/cast/henrys. Carryout orders may also be placed online. Prices range from $7 - $13. Henry’s only accepts cash, Tiger Bucks and RIT Hospitality Charges. No debit or credit cards.
