Graduation mealtime on parents’ dime

It may be tempting for graduates to take advantage of a dinner paid for by mom and dad by suggesting a fancy downtown restaurant, but a few neighborhood eateries may give them reason to stick close to campus.

Cozy Uptown Italian

With friends and relatives in town for graduation, dare to dine off the beaten Broadway path with a meal at Max Soha. Located on an unostentatious stretch of Amsterdam at 123rd Street, the restaurant has a charmingly cramped interior, creating the initial impression that it’s a neighborhood secret—that is, until peak dining hours arrive and tables fill up almost instantly. Despite the likelihood of needing to wait for a table, for smaller groups of diners seeking a satisfying, intimate meal, the squeeze around a tiny corner table is worth it.

Although patrons run the risk of unintentionally elbowing their neighbors while picking up their forks, Max Soha’s food is all-around delicious. Pastas are prepared relatively simply, with only three or four added ingredients. Gnocchi alla sorrentina is a standout, served only with tomato sauce, basil, and a deliciously creamy homemade mozzarella. The gnocchi are chewy yet pillowy, and the portion size is perfect—large enough to be filling, but moderate enough to prevent overeating. The rigatoni alla siciliana is also excellent, roasted eggplant playing a hearty counterpoint to chewy mozzarella.

With all pasta dishes and entrees costing $10 to $17 each, an evening at Max Soha makes for a reasonably priced family meal. Be warned, however, that the restaurant only accepts cash. Still, regardless of this and any other potential inconveniences due to the confining space, students can impress their graduation guests with this relatively hidden gem north of campus if they’re willing to get cozy.

—Maddy Kloss

Organic eats for any meal of the day

Community Food & Juice, located on Broadway between 112th and 113th streets, offers a dish to please everyone from great-grandmas to middle-school siblings. All will appreciate that this outpost of American cuisine uses seasonal, local, and organic ingredients whenever possible to serve up comfort food with a healthy twist.

For graduation breakfasts, try the brioche French toast served with caramelized bananas and roasted pecans. The two giant slices of sugary, dense brioche are fragrant with cinnamon and vanilla. Be sure to ask for pure maple syrup, which arrives warm with hints of orange flavor.

For picky relatives who like their food personalized, the Community omelet is a good option. Customers can choose two items from a wide array of vegetables, meat, and cheeses.

For lunch, go for a spring market salad. This salad lives up to its name, epitomizing spring with incredibly fresh vegetables that taste as if they were picked that morning and include leafy green lettuce, mache, spring onions, poached baby carrots, English peas, and shallots, all topped with a crispy goat cheese disc. The walnut vinaigrette is light, allowing diners to taste all the vivid flavors. The dinner menu is similarly inspired by seasonal ingredients, and entrees hover around $20.

Coconut banana cream pie, the most popular dessert, is not overly sweet: a cool, smooth banana coconut filling on a crunchy graham cracker crust, with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Community has a sleek, sophisticated ambiance with individual and communal tables and a wall of windows along Broadway. Graduates and their families can savor not just the food, but also the Morningside Heights sidewalk scene. 

—Katherine Freedman

Henry’s offers classy ambiance to please picky parents

Among the upscale dining options in Morningside Heights, Henry’s, located on the corner of 105th and Broadway, features the chef with perhaps the most illustrious pedigree. Mark Barrett, who once worked at Mario Batali’s critically acclaimed Babbo, now serves a nice, although pricey, meal for people in the neighborhood. Henry’s rustic dining room features bare wood floors and checkered tablecloths, creating an unpretentious and friendly atmosphere. Not quite charming but perfectly inviting, this space will play host to swarms of graduating students and their families over the coming days, and for a good reason. Everything about Henry’s, from the food to the décor, seems predictable and solid, qualities rarely found in similar establishments this far uptown.

At Henry’s, Barrett has constructed a menu that feels uncomfortably eclectic. Soft corn tacos appear alongside baked ricotta meatballs and duck confit spring rolls with hoisin dipping sauce. Mexican meets Italian meets French-Asian all over the sprawling carte—or carta, depending on which global cuisine one picks at random. Sticking with Italian options is a logical choice considering Barrett’s background. Look for Greenmarket produce, too, since Henry’s makes a distinct effort to include these seasonal ingredients. For example, a Greenmarket apple-fennel salad combines shaved fennel bulb, licorice-like and grassy, with surprisingly sweet apple slices. Hazelnuts add crunch, feta hunks add richness, and a bright lemon dressing adds a touch of acidity.

For a main course, fresh pasta beats Henry’s price point of about $20 for a dinner entree and possesses an admirable bite. Although a dish of fettuccine with Hudson Valley rabbit feels watery and improperly sauced, the noodles themselves succeed and work well with sweet peas and bitter kalamata olives. Or give in and lay out the cash for soft-shell crab, just in season and a current special.

—Jason Bell