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By Phyllis M. Cahaly, CMD, Director of Partnership Marketing, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism
January brings a new beginning, new opportunities, and a fresh new start. At Henrietta’s Table at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, a fresh new start is on the menu as they kick off the year with a facelift and a restaurant refresh. This Harvard Square mainstay for over 30 years has been at the forefront of farm-to-table dining long before it was trendy or a hashtag. Their menus rotate daily based on availability from local farmers and artisans, with their Executive Chef Sean Lizotte at the helm.
Chef Sean, a native of Winthrop and Revere on the North Shore who summered on the Cape, has worked at Henrietta’s Table for nearly 20 years, where he trained as sous chef extensively under Chef Peter Davis, the restaurant’s previous executive chef and a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement in New England. Chef Sean studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, and prior to joining Henrietta’s Table, worked in multiple kitchen roles throughout Cape Cod dining establishments. He has been working with local purveyors of New England-based seafood and meat for over 30 years.
“I’ve been very blessed with the opportunity to basically grow up at Henrietta’s Table over the last 20 years where I have held many roles like a chef de cuisine, sous chef and hotel chef,” says Chef Sean. “Even as a kid, I knew that I wanted to be in the kitchen, and to keep me out of her hair, my stay-at-home mom would put me in front of the TV to watch PBS cooking shows like Yan Can Cook and Julia Child. I loved the showmanship of Chef Yan and the totally different classical approach of Julia Child; these shows really kept me busy and engaged. My dad and grandfather also liked to cook, especially during the holidays, and I remember being in the kitchen with them. They would prop me up on a stool to help grind meat or stir tasty sauces.”
When Chef Sean was 14, his dad told him that if he wanted to learn to drive and buy a car, he would need to get a job first, so that’s what he did. Chef Sean had a friend who was a dishwasher at a local restaurant and soon Chef Sean started his culinary journey as a dishwasher, too. He immediately enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant and was excited to get to work and to see how happy the customers were when they were served.
Chef Sean has experienced some memorable moments during his tenure at Henrietta’s Table like the time when he had the opportunity to serve President Barack Obama who was the guest of Harvard Basketball Coach Tommy Amaker. Or, when he was able to design a menu for a hotel guest’s two children with severe food allergies.
“President Obama was the special guest of Coach Amaker, and having the chance to meet President Obama and make lunch for him was huge. It was amazing to see how he interacted with everyone there. I also remember another time when one of our guests, a mother of two children with multiple allergies, stayed at the hotel for a few days. I worked with her to develop menu items specifically for her kids, and she sent me a thank you note. I was really touched by that.”
Henrietta’s Table is known for their ‘fresh and honest’ menu and ingredients. They open for breakfast, lunch, supper, and mid-day dining, along with an award-winning Saturday brunch and their famous Sunday limitless brunch buffet. Their main dining area is an inviting open farmhouse-style restaurant; nothing is blocked off, and you immediately get a sense of a family-friendly, casual dining experience. Their extensive outdoor patio opens during spring, summer, and fall.
For nearly 30 years, Chef Sean has been working with local purveyors of New England-based seafood and meat distributions. “Naturally, we pride ourselves on developing our menu based on what food products are available locally,” says Chef Sean. “We partner with Busa Farm and Markets located in Lexington, Massachusetts who only sell their products at their farmers markets and to our restaurant, so we focus our menu on what’s available. We also work closely with Verrill Farm in Concord, Massachusetts, which delivers to us up to three times per week. That’s why we have so many daily and seasonal specials.”
Those daily and seasonal specials are very important to Henrietta’s Table; even their menu features a simple disclaimer: ‘Sample Menu. . .Items are subject to change daily but do not worry, for whatever you order at this restaurant will be unforgettable! You’ll always find an amazing daily soup special and salads, sandwiches, and mains from which to choose. Some of Henrietta’s Table’s signature dishes include the Yankee Pot Roast served with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and crispy shallots, the Ritz cracker crusted Scrod served with crispy potatoes, chive butter sauce, and lemon and the cast iron seared Pineland Farm Sirloin Steak served with arugula, cranberry basil vinaigrette, great hill blue cheese, mushrooms and crispy potato sticks. Hard decision, right?
Pace yourself because you don’t want to miss out on the desserts prepared by Pastry Chef Danny Angelopolus, another graduate of Johnson & Wales University. Chef Danny has worked at Henrietta’s Table for over 20 years and furthered his culinary studies at the Notter School of Pastry Arts, Orlando, Florida (now closed) and the French Pastry School in Chicago, Illinois. He’s got a few delectable items in store for you, too, such as Henrietta’s Chocolate Bread Pudding served with rum caramelized bananas and vanilla bean ice cream, the Baklava Cheesecake served with fresh whipped cream, honey rose water sauce, crispy filo & pomegranate seeds or their famous Warm Apple Blondie Skillet served with maple candied walnuts, fresh whipped cream, earl grey tea sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!
“We do our best to serve a consistent product, I think that’s a huge thing to be consistent, so you know what to expect. For instance, if you came here and ordered the Salmon Burger and returned a year later and ordered it again, it would be the same exact burger you remembered. The consistency is very important to us and something we pride ourselves on,” says Chef Sean.
Though located within The Charles Hotel, Henrietta’s Table has made a stand-alone name for itself. There’s great synergy between the restaurant, and its repeat customer base of Cantabrigians who consider it to be their ‘every day restaurant’. Naturally, they have a built-in customer base of hotel guests who typically start and end their day with breakfast and supper, respectively.
Chef Sean’s favorite part of his job is working with the farmers and developing the menu and specials. He loves the farmers’ excitement when they describe what’s available and it helps his menu creativity. He also loves working with his staff of nearly 30 cooks, most of whom have been there for at least 20 years. He says it’s like one big family and that it’s really a fun, enjoyable atmosphere.
Chef Sean loves his downtime with the family and says he is very lucky that his wife is a wonderful home cook. Chef Sean says, “Every year for my birthday, my wife makes me a chicken marsala dinner, which I look forward to. I especially love a good sandwich, nothing crazy, maybe a turkey or chicken sandwich with multiple ingredients. I love that feeling when you take a bite, and everything is combined in that one bite, and you get all the flavors at once — that’s probably why I love pizza so much.” It’s all about the flavors!
Duck Breast: Maple Brined, Creamy Anson Mills Polenta, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Cherry Pomegranate Gastrique, Crispy Parsnips

January Recipes of the Month courtesy of Chef Sean, Henrietta’s Table, Cambridge, MA
Ingredients:
2 each Duck Breast trimmed, and fat scored
Maple Wet Brine:
4 cups water
½ cup kosher salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Small pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
3 cloves garlic cleaned
1 clove
1 cup maple syrup
Directions:
Bring all ingredients to a boil expect maple syrup and let simmer for 15 minutes in a sauce pan. Cool to room temperature and mix in the maple syrup then chill in a refrigerator till cold and reserve till ready to use.
Place the duck in the brine for 24 hours and then remove and pat dry with a paper towel. In a hot sauté pan add olive oil and place the 2 duck breasts in the pan away from you, fat side down and lower the heat to a low to medium heat and render down the scored fat side. Once golden brown, flip over and brown the meat side till you have a nice sear. If the breast is thick, place in a hot oven at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 118 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes to rest before serving or slicing.
Ingredients:
Brussel Sprouts 1 pound
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Clean the sprouts by cutting the stem end and placing an X in the trimmed stem about 1/8 of an inch deep. Blanch the Brussel Sprouts in boiling salted water until fork tender and shock in ice water to retain color. Toss the Brussel sprouts with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and fresh cracked pepper and bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes depending on size.
Ingredients:
Creamy Anson mills polenta: I use Red Mills at Home
2 cups Polenta
½ cup diced Spanish or Vidalia Onion
1 ½ teaspoons garlic chopped fresh
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Quarts whole Milk
1 pint of Parmesan Cheese (we use Verano a sheep’s Milk Cheese from Vermont Shepard)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sauté the onion until translucent in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add the milk and whisk in the polenta and bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer lower the heat as low as possible and cook the polenta until soft and stir as often as possible. Once the polenta is cooked remove from heat and fold in the cheese with salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredients:
Crispy Parsnips 2 each
Directions:
Peel the outer layer and discard. Then Peel with a peeler like a carrot and fry at 275 degrees in sunflower oil or corn oil until crispy flipping half way about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel with a plate underneath and season with salt and pepper.
Ingredients:
Cherry Pomegranate Gastrique:
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 ½ cups frozen cherries not sour
¼ cups sugar
2 Tbsp Port wine
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 each star anise
1 each bay leaf
1 Tbsp pomace olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Sauté the shallots in the olive oil in a sauce pan until translucent, add the cherries, sugar, port wine and vinegar, bay leaf, star anise and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce to a medium heat and cook until a gastrique is formed should coat a back of a spoon. Check seasonings and cool until ready to use
Photos courtesy of The Charles Hotel, Cambridge, MA
TOPICS: Cambridge, Culinary Corner
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