Henry’s Ocean View Dining at the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach opened last summer; I’ve been meaning to get there, finally did—and am I glad.
Henry’s was formerly Shades and is named, as I suspected, for town founder Henry Huntington. It’s got a zero-waste kitchen, meaning even meat trimmings are saved and turned into beef jerky or charcuterie.
It’s a culinary oasis in Surf City. I grew up in the town and can vouch for the lack of serious restaurants, so I was not expecting to be dazzled by a six-course tasting menu.
The menu changes weekly, sometimes daily, and Chef Kenny Seliger, whose most recent restaurant stint was at The Loft at Montage Laguna Beach, delivers a thoughtful approach to modern cuisine.
Fellow foodie Della Lisi and I began with A-5 terrine and Henry’s spam with house-made apple mustard. This unexpectedly superb dish was perfectly paired with French champagne.
Next came scallops paired with a Sancerre, and then beet salad with triticale wheat berry and sauerkraut, beet puree and black apples—an unusual combination, but perfect. The wine was a Red Car chardonnay, as aptly named as the restaurant as the Red Car trolley line was brought into town by railroad tycoon Huntington.
Next was a splendid and tender sous vide octopus with potato curry, followed by pumpkin pasta with cured shaved pumpkin.
Chef Seliger said the dish uses an entire pumpkin: its meat is cured with star anise, cinnamon and salt for two weeks then shaved over the top of the pasta; pumpkin seeds make up the garnish; the skin becomes stock.
We tried two desserts from Jacky Martinez, Best Pastry Chef at the 2019 Golden Foodie Awards: her roasted corn gelato and the fermented apple granita and brown sugar cake. Henry’s also offers a dessert tasting menu.
Henry’s, Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, (714) 845-8000, waterfrontresort.com.
