Before we begin, let's go over a pet peeve of mine. The terms "gastro-pub" and "wine bar" are redundant. A pub serves food and ale; a gastro-pub serves food and ale. What is the difference, you ask? The gastro-pub thinks it is better than the pub. And as far as wine bars are concerned, Bloggle said it best. Sitting in a well-known "wine bar" (but not his), a glance around the room found nearly everyone drinking beer. "Everyone wants to own a wine bar cause they think it is classier than just owning a bar. This is New Orleans. Call it what you will, but if you want to be successful, it needs to be a bar," Bloggle opines.
That means you need to serve cold beer and a well-made, stiff drink at attractive prices. Henry's Bar, on the corner of Soniat and Magazine stands for just that. I'll grant you places like Cure and Bar Uncommon have their place in my hearts, but when I want to go to a bar, it is Henry's.
The key to this bar is the way in which it changes throughout the day like watching the seasons change in fast-forward. In the early afternoon, old timers from round the corner sit and bitch ("They shouldn't even call it Jazz Fest, dey don't have much Jazz anymore. Who the hell is Pearl Jam?" And everyone's favorite: "BP can kiss my ass."). It makes for delightful backtalk as you plow through $1.50 cans of beer.
The cocktails here are to be ordered with liberal use of conjunctions and prepositions. This is not the place to test the barkeeps knowledge of emerging applications with Thai basil infused St. Germaine libations. Rather it is a place to find an honest drink. A martini, a Jack Daniels with a splash of water, a scotch and soda; these are the drinks they make well and strong here.
As the evening wears on, the old timers retire and are replaced by white-linened, ex-lettermen and their pastel attired dates. They stroll in from a wedding or party which ended around midnight. "Henry's," one says, "let's go there; it wont be too crowded." But soon the side room with its mismatched chairs and leaning tables will fill to brim with similar thoughts and persons.
That jukebox which in the afternoon hummed out Hall and Oates, Coe, and Cash becomes a dance hall DJ. As if mandated by law, soon someone will play "Come on Eileen" sending the entire crowd in a rush like lemmings off a cliff to join in its addictive bridge. Meanwhile, the bartender with an unlit cigarette dangling in his mouth talks no one out of a shot at 1:45 in the morning.
Soon the crowds disperse, and there is talk of heading to F&M's. But trust me on this, go home. Nothing good ever happens at F&M's. Nothing, you here me. Besides you just left the best bar in New Orleans.
Henry's - Eagle
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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18 comments:
I agree with every letter of every sentence of every paragraph of this post. It's as if it spontaneously combusted from my own brain. -except for the big words.
KK
http://NOLAnative.com
No beer on tap = bad bar. Sorry Henry's. There are at least 5 better bars in a 3 block radius.
Me thinks SS does not get the point . . . . of life. PS: NOLA.com is that way ------>
Dear lord, SS, I hope you aren't speaking about Le Bon Temps. Henry's will forever live me in my heart anytime I have a budweiser can at a bar or am playing darts.
A good time can be had at Henry's, but for me I would like to enjoy a good draft beer if I am going out. Canned/bottled beer is only good for the home and drinking games.
Also, to claim Henry's is the best bar in New Orleans is outrageous. I bet you could get your friends together the first Friday night of every month at a random bar and never run out of places that are superior to Henry's.
Henry's is the best bar on the planet earf.
SS,
Your comment assumes that I have friends who would want to hang out with me every Friday night.
We all have our opinions about what is the best regardless of topic. I am glad you disagree as that is the hallmark of this blogocracry. But pray tell, what bars specifically do you like better?
Henry's went downhill when they put a sign up.
SS, please stay at the bulldog and swill all the chocolate flavored draft beer you want.
I'm happy to inform everyone that Henry's is going to close down for renovation. They're going to be a French Wine Bar called Henri's. There will be a dress code and 472 beers on tap. Some won't even taste like bleach. On Wednesdays you can bring home the 4,000 glasses you drink out of so that you can trade them in the following week to prevent feline acid reflux.
Nice to see so many people getting their panties bunched up.
I'm not asking for every bar to be like the Bulldog, because every bar would then be filled with yuppie douche bags.
However, not have a local brand on tap such as NOLA, Abita, or *gasp* even Covington Strawberry is not too much to ask and in my opinion is indicative of a bar owner who probably doesn't give a shit about having a quality establishment.
But go ahead and keep on patronizing Henry's and enjoy your mega-corporation domestics (I hear there's a fancy new VORTEX bottle that puts the swill down your gullet quicker).
Rene,
Within the same general area as Henry's I would consider the Bronx Bar, Le Bon Temps, 45 Tchop and St. Joes superior. I would put Henry's on the same level as Grits and F&M but with a better crowd.
I refuse to go back to Henry's until they start to serve Chilean Sea Bass. On tap.
If Stuart Scott were doing play by play of this comment board he would have dropped a Boo Yah after Kevin's last comment.
SS,
Havent been to St. Joe's (nee the Original Ms. Mae's) in a few years, but I do remember it serving as the mecca for the Mojito craze of 2006. Experiences at Le Bon Temps have always been sweaty, brassy messes. Not saying that is a bad thing.
The Bronx Bar is the same/in New York Pizza in Magazine?
Henry's has been a family owned, neighborhood establishment since 1906. They are a cash only bar with no draft for an important reason: THEY ARE A FAMILY OWNED, NEIGHBORHOOD ESTABLISHMENT. They do not want to attract too many outsiders and turn the bar into something it has never been. They are evolving, but very slowly.
Henry's is a microcosm of New Orleans culture. It's a wonderful neighborhood bar filled with wonderful neighborhood people in the most wonderful city on the planet. It's subtle and may not be detected by a non-New Orleanian.
If good bar = beer on tap, then Henry's is not the place for you...probably for more reasons than one. But, if you want to meet true passionate New Orleanians in a true New Orleans setting, then belly up at Henry's Uptown Bar!!!
Rene, I agree with your assessment of Henry's. In addition to all of the wonderful attributes you listed, it is really the only bar left in NOLA where you can get a dose of the traditional LSU/Tulane rivalry (come on, wheelbarrow races, need I say more) that so many of us New Orleanians grew up on. Though the rivalry is not necessary relevant in today's Big Ole SEC-dominant world, its sentimental value is great. Plus, relevance is highly overrated.
SS, there is a group that goes to a random bar the first Friday of every month (which you clearly already know). RBN hit up Henry's last summer on its random bar rotation -- though on a Thursday for a reason I forget -- and it was a smashing success. Also, a number of RBN regulars make there way to Henry's after every random bar night...just saying!
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