Mama Henry's Restaurant - A great find!…read more
Our ROMEO group of nine went to Mama Henry's today for the first time. None of us had ever been here before--or, for that matter, even heard of it. Since last week was our 200th restaurant we've visited, which we celebrated at Hall's, I figured we'd go in the opposite direction for today's luncheon and try a good old-fashioned local home-cooking establishment. I had seen a review of Mama Henry's a couple of weeks ago, and it piqued my interest.
We arrived around 11:15, and our waitress, Mahkinzey, set us up in the back area by pulling several tables together. She took our drink orders and gave us some recommendations. When asked what she would recommend, she said the 16-hour pot roast was great, along with all of the burgers. She also recommended the catfish Po'Boy and another dish, and then told us to check out their homemade ice cream.
Of course, we never order dessert at lunch!
The menu is extensive, and we had quite an assortment of orders: two roast beef dinners with mashed potatoes and vegetables, two open-faced roast beef sandwiches, two different types of hot dogs, a Philly cheesesteak, a club sandwich, and a Mama Henry Burger with some great home fries.
There was plenty of conversation about how great the menu looked, along with some discussion about what a trip it was to get here from Northeast Columbia. But just like last week... when the food was brought to the table, the talking stopped and the eating began!
Mahkinzey was an excellent waitress. She brought extra ice for the iced tea, kept an eye on our table, and did a great job keeping everyone's drinks filled.
When we finished our meals, she brought out the extensive list of homemade ice cream flavors and told us we could sample them.
Now picture this: nine ROMEO guys who NEVER order dessert suddenly piling up around the front ice cream counter. We were checking out the flavors like kids at the ice cream shop.
One member announced, "I just can't order the ice cream." He had worked out that morning and apparently still had some willpower left.
He watched as eight of us returned to the table with a scoop of ice cream. Between us, we had sampled about five different flavors. The comments started flying about how good the ice cream was.
Well, apparently the peer pressure--or perhaps the ice cream--was too much.
Our workout-conscious ROMEO finally stepped up his game, went back to the counter, and ordered a scoop himself...He didn't regret it
When it was time for the official ROMEO rating, and we already knew this one was going to be good. What we didn't expect was just how good. Mama Henry's received a 9.71 out of 10, which tied the rating we gave Hall's just one week ago for our 200th restaurant celebration. Not too shabby! This is the highest rating we've given any restaurant before (tied with Hall's)
But here's the kicker: Mama Henry's cost us about half of what we paid at Hall's--and that included ice cream!
For a group that visits a different restaurant almost every Tuesday, finding a place this good that none of us had even heard of is a pretty special discovery.
Mama Henry's is a true hidden gem, and apparently, a place where ROMEO can be persuaded to eat dessert.
