After our trip to see the Matisse exhibit, we stopped at Red Rooster in Harlem for lunch on the way home. We are certainly glad we did. Especially after this burger:
Yes, my friends, those are Parmesan fries. Say no more.
Red Rooster is a new-ish (a year or so?) restaurant owned by the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelson. You’ve probably seen him around TV: he was on Top Chef Masters and shows like that, and he is the author of the best selling memoir, Yes, Chef. He’s Ethiopian-born, but was adopted and raised in a Swedish family. He was the executive chef at Aquavit for many years. Greg and I visited a few times, but this was before we had this blog, so you’ll have to take our word for it that the pickled herring was excellent.
If you are arriving by car, the Red Rooster web site has a good tip: Park at Uptown Parking Garage located at 160 West 124th Street. Red Rooster customers receive a special rate of $9 with a stamped validation.
Then the joint is just a block and a half way.
Red Rooster is a popular lunch place, as you can see:
We decided to sit at the bar because the only tables in the dining room were sort of cramped:
We started with cornbread with tomato jam, which was sort of like tomato chutney, and very delicious:
Then we shared burger and Fried Chicken Caesar salad with Red Romaine and an Egg. The burger, as you saw above, was dripping with cheddar:
My #instagram of it:
When the salad first came out, I thought it was a little skimpy on the chicken.
But after I dug in, and tasted the delicious dressing mixed with the rich egg over those fresh and tasty greens, I realized the portion was just right.
We were too full for dessert.
I’m wanting to go back, though, and try some of the Southern specialties and the Ethiopian flavors, too, like Berbere-roasted chicken.
The 411 on Red Rooster: A bustling bistro by celeb chef Marcus Samuelson, with a menu that flits among Southern, American classic and African flavors. The big open kitchen and the roomy bar make for a fun atmosphere, too. 310 Lenox Ave., between 125th and 126th streets, Harlem. 212-792-9001, redroosterharlem.com
