Cafe Henri

Cafe Henri
1010 50th Ave.

Long Island City, NY 11109
Food   5
Ambiance 5
Service 4
Overall 14
Good for tea and dessert, skip the brunch
So I decided to continue the Queens borough sampling and headed to LIC for a Sunday brunch with my cousin. Having  passed Chez Henri many a time, mainly on my way to Tournesol or Domaine wine bar, I  had always pegged it from its exterior vibe and menu as a good brunch option. We arrived around 12:30 ish and the small cozy space was packed. Luckily for us ,there was an empty table which we were promptly seated at. The decor is a mismash of antiques  with a country french charm. Neutral hues with a pop of color here and there. The kind of place that if the food were fantastic would be your favorite neighborhood joint. Most tables seat 2 tightly. The menu focuses on standard french bistro options with a heavy focus on all things crepes. all at reasonable low prices 8-12 dollars for most things on the menu. I ended up going for a Croque Madame sandwich and my cousin had an eggplant crepe.
Both were served with a side salad. My sandwich arrived and I was immediately sorely disappointed. For those who don't know, a croque Madame is essentially a croque monsieur with an egg on top. The best start with some lovely crusty french bread into which a health serving of good ham and gruyere cheese are ladled with a creamy milk based bechamel . The sandwich is pan toasted in butter and then usually more of the heavenly bechamel is ladeled on top with a dusting of cheese and broiled to a melting golden brown . When perfectly done,  it is one of those guilty pleasures which leaves you well fed and lip smacking for more although your stomach cannot handle another bite. Cafe Henri's version arrived with a hard helmet of unbrowned cheese congealed on its top. Most of the sandwhich was lukewarm and I don't think any of the interior had any bechamel. The bread used was also hard-possible day old.  I was certainly neither guility nor lip smacking at the end of this sandwich- just wondering what kind of place can mess up what is basically a jazzed up grilled ham and cheese sandwich that most corner delis can nail.The side salad was a nicely dressed small serving of greens, a good counterpoint to the heaviness of my sandwich. Although I did not taste my cousin's crepe, which she stated was ok, it looked not eggy enough for my taste and fairly small for almost the same price as my sandwich.
Service was helpful when present.
Overall, I would not recommend for brunch and although I have never been there for dinner,I will certainly not venture there for that. Its very cute for a cup of coffee or tea and maybe a dessert for you and maybe one friend.
The Quest continues.......