Harry's Restaurant

When I was growing up, my dad and I would rummage through the Entertainment Book's coupons trying to find the strangest, most "hole-in-the-wall" places. Hey, a coupon is a coupon! So, I've always had a soft spot for the semi-creepy restaurants that have tons of character. With that introduction, I present Harry's Restaurant in the Hotel Harrington.

Nobody will confuse the Hotel Harrington with a Ritz Carlton. It may not have the upscale thing going for it, but it has character in spades. Apparently, its been operated by the same families since 1914. B and I have walked by the hotel and its restaurants, Harry's and Harriet's, so many times and had never been inside. We finally broke the seal and tried Harry's, the casual, bar-like brother of Harriet's Family Restaurant.

Yes those are faux-Tiffany lamps and checkerboard floor tiles that you see in the photo above. The walls were lined with an interesting array of crooked, dusty paintings and memorabilia.

The menu is pretty straightforward and has the usual suspects: burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, club sandwich . . . you know the drill. I opted for the BBQ Beef Sandwich served with coleslaw and fries (extra charge to get fries instead of potato chips). The sandwich was good but not outstanding. The bun weighed it down a lot so I ended up eating the beef out of the sandwich and ditching most of the bun.

While I wouldn't hurry back to Harry's to have the beef sandwich again, we would return to have the baby back ribs. They were perfectly cooked and flavorful without being drowned in sauce. B said that they were just like the ribs his mom makes which is a huge compliment because she is a fantastic cook. His ribs were served with a big baked potato and was a very hearty meal for a reasonable price.

Overall, I like Harry's more for the giggle factor than the food. It's great for people watching and worth a stop if you've tried the other restaurants in the neighborhood and are looking for a change of pace.

Second Thoughts from B

There is only one problem with serving ribs as good as my mom's and that is that it transports me back to high school when I had an appetite that would make Kobayashi proud. If my memory serves, I was usually good for 3+ full racks plus salad, pasta or potato, and vegetables in one sitting. So now that I'm no longer 14 years old nor 116 lbs., it is probably best that I'm limited to the single rack. With that said, I'm dreaming of racks 2, 3, and beyond...