The prawns I adored so much that I almost ate one off the floor at Henry’s are gone. So, too, that lovely lobster in a spritz of almond milk with shaved grapes and heart of palm. I’m saddened about all that. However, the new lamb shank easily ranks among the best things I’ve ever eaten in Huntington Beach, so maybe it’s a wash. 

When I originally reviewed Henry’s at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in 2019, I said it was the most ambitious restaurant to open in Huntington Beach in years, maybe ever. The young chef in the kitchen explored his German roots to create a style of modern American fine dining unlike anything Orange County had never seen. It was thrilling, even if sometimes perplexing. 

I hate seeing restaurants I adore fall apart. But I also enjoy watching a restaurant reinvent itself. 

When COVID-19 hit, Henry’s completely fell apart. With the restaurant shut down for months, the primary chefs all left. The outdoor terrace reopened mid-pandemic as a bar, serving little more than cocktails, wine and charcuterie. New management eventually came aboard. At last, a new chef joined the team, and the beachfront resort’s signature restaurant is once again operational, albeit with limited hours for now. 

It’s not the same restaurant that it was. The food is very different. And while aesthetically the beautiful brown-on-brown dining room and poolside terrace look the same, I’m told small changes to the ambiance are also in the works. 

Full disclosure: I was spotted. The new food and beverage director is Jerry Perez, a well-known, very savvy maitre’d and restaurateur from Los Angeles, whom I met on multiple occasions when I worked in L.A. We hadn’t seen each other in more than 10 years, but he recognized me instantly, even before I took my mask off. 

The remaking of Henry’s is still a work in progress, Perez tells me. The tables on the terrace feel too casual, so he’s ordered tablecloths. He wants to introduce more tableside flourishes, a grander spectacle. And he’s been furiously revamping the wine list, something that was always needed. (He used to own a terrific wine shop as well.) Meanwhile, the live music continues but the musician has been relocated out of the dining room and onto the edge of the terrace, making the acoustics immensely more palatable during dinner. 

Henry’s is the flagship restaurant at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

What I loved most about the original Henry’s was how the cooking came across as light and modern. The chef’s cooking was almost devoid of butter and cream, even as everything crescendoed toward steaks. It felt like the future.

The reimagined Henry’s turns back the clock. Upon first glance at the menu, my eyes bulge open at the sight of words like steak Oscar, Wellington, cote de boeuf, oysters mignonette, caviar, fondant potato, creme anglaise… This is an old-money script typically associated with restaurants from 50 years ago, or more. I keep reading and discover a plot twist: honey-soy marinated hamachi, cauliflower goat cheese fudge, chorizo saffron foam, fennel streusel…

I start to think, “Oh, hey, this is getting interesting.”

That peculiar-sounding goat-cheese fudge is indeed delicious, so light and airy, garnished with caviar, a poached radish and, “What’s that blue stuff?” I ask, pointing to a bright blue emulsion dotting the plate. “That’s a spirulina aioli,” says the waiter. “It’s supposed to be really good for you.”

It tastes like lightly salted blue mayonnaise.

The new chef is Lewis Butler, a name that might ring familiar to people who run in certain circles. For more than a decade, Butler helmed the kitchen at the posh members-only Center Club (adjacent to Segerstrom Center for the Arts), which closed in January after 38 years. Hence, the chef’s new gig.

Along with this freshly assembled team, Henry’s has tweaked its name to Henry’s Coastal Cuisine. “Coastal cuisine” makes me think of seafood. But that’s not what’s going on. The seafood here is very good, but it’s not a dominant theme. I think the new branding is really just meant to let people know they should reset their expectations.

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In lieu of that former lobster in a spritz of almond milk, there is now a decadent old-fashioned lobster bisque that’s been modernized with cloud-like brandy cream, topped off with fennel streusel and a flurry of fresh fennel blossoms. Polar opposites but equally delicious.

Sushi-grade hamachi gets brushed with soy sauce and honey, then served with mandarin oranges, jalapeños and romesco sauce. It’s heavier than you might expect of a crudo.

Grilled octopus is a substantial way to begin, too. Its weighty tentacles are entwined with roasted potatoes and mushrooms and encircled with a creamy emulsion of carrot juice and truffles.

The aforementioned chorizo saffron foam that caught my attention is a garnish for scallops, which I haven’t yet sampled. After only two visits, I’m barely a quarter of the way through the menu.

If anyone other than me was a fan of the former chef’s minimalist steaks, which he served with no accompaniment except salt, brace yourself. Minimalism doesn’t live here anymore. The marquee steak is now a lavish cote de beouf (32-ounce ribeye) for two, carved tableside and paired with expert bernaise and a pinot noir reduction. And it is excellent. Still on my to-do list is a filet of beef Oscar, topped with king crab wrapped in Serrano ham.

Most impressive so far is the lamb shank. It’s a perfect foil for the cool breeze that blows across the restaurant’s terrace at night. (Don’t worry, they have more than enough heaters when needed.) Slow cooked and luxuriously tender, the shank is almost the size of a football, plunked into a bed of soft, creamy risotto that smells wonderfully of mushrooms. I can’t recall ever eating braised lamb in Orange County that I enjoyed more than this.

Change can be bittersweet. I sorely miss the original Henry’s. I’m also very excited to watch this new iteration come into its own. Certainly there is still nothing else like it in Huntington Beach.

Henry’s Coastal Cuisine

Where: Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach

When: Dinner, Thursday-Sunday.

Cost: Appetizers, $12-$18; entrees, $24-$135; valet parking, $7

Phone: 714-845-8000 

Online: waterfrontresort.com

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