Every year during Restaurant Week, I think I want to try Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem. And for some reason, it gets bumped for other restaurants. Finally, I made a trek up there to enjoy a grand RW lunch. I'm just sad it's the last one for the year!
Red Rooster is super-easy to get to on the subway and I had enough time before my reservations that I could take a few photos of the inside and outside of the place. It's really cozy and fun on the inside, with many cool photos and lots of art. The gal at the reservation desk was stunningly beautiful and also very nice.
My server was also quite pleasant and did a nice job balancing leaving me alone and making sure I had everything I needed. I should just say up front that although RW is a $25 prix fixe lunch, I splurged and got a cocktail and an appetizer. I had to try the rooster punch, which was a red wine sangria with brandy, orange liqueur and lemon. YUM. Such a smooth drink with a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of body. I really liked it and had to pace myself not to drink it too quickly. I also started with an order of cornbread, because hello, cornbread, but also because it is served there with honey butter and tomato jam. Good heavens, that cornbread was delicious. It was also an enormous serving. I especially loved the pieces of whole corn in the bread which added tasty texture.
For my appetizer, I got the watermelon and heirloom tomato salad, which is served with marinated feta, cucumber, pickled red onion and argula. SO good. It had everything - salty feta (which had a little heat from chili in the marinade), acidic from the tomatoes, sharp from the pickled onions and sweet from the watermelon. This was a seriously tasty starter, very light and refreshing.
I got Helga's meatballs for my main course - I was tempted by the blackened catfish choice, but decided on the meatballs because they came with lingonberries and mashed potatoes (and braised cabbage, but that wasn't the main selling point for me). Again, this was a beautifully balanced dish, with so many contrasting and complementary flavors. Those meatballs were so juicy and tender and were so good with the berries on top. Plus, there were the most delicious pickles on the side. I wish I knew what made them sooo amazing. The cabbage was tasty, too, and I'm not even a big cabbage-as-a-side-dish fan. And the mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy, made with buttermilk, with chives and crispy onions on top. This was a rich and delicious dish, though surprisingly not heavy. I was, however, approaching critical mass of fullness.
They only had one dessert on the RW menu, but the dessert was the house special Red Rooster doughnuts, tossed in cinnamon sugar, and served with sweet potato cream and whipped cream. Even though I was pretty full, I still scarfed the doughuts right down. They were so light and airy, and each cream was a delicious addition. There wasn't a lot of sweet potato cream, but what was there was earthy and smooth, and that whipped cream was maybe the best whipped cream I've ever had. It almost made me feel as if it were making room in my stomach with creamy air. Yum.
While I was waiting for my check, I decided to do a little Googling to see if I could take a bus home instead of two subways (often, after I eat, the subway gives me a little motion sickness). I discovered I could take the M60 towards LaGuardia and get off pretty close to my apartment. I asked the beautiful lady at the front desk if she could point me in the right direction and she was nice enough to take me out front to point the way. As she was walking me out front, Marcus Samuelsson walked in! I sort of gaped and smiled at him, but was too distracted to stop and say thank you. I'm such a dope sometimes. But I wish I had said thanks for such a delicious meal in such a fun spot. The restaurant was packed, but not crowded or loud, and it's a great spot. I hope to make it back soon. I want to try that yardbird...
I'm off on a mini-summer adventure that will involve a little bit of travel, a little bit of theater, and a little bit of...fortune telling? I'll let you know what happens when I get back! :)
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