On Monday night, I finally made my way to Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant that I have been talking about for months. Since I had been waiting so long to go, my expectations had gotten higher and higher, so the pressure was on. I took my cell phone to take pictures, since it was smaller, and seem less obvious. It ended up just looking like I was more interested in texting than my date. I wasn't texting - promise!
Red Rooster is located on 125th and Lenox Avenue, a main cross street in Harlem. When you enter inside the restaurant you instantly get a warm vibe. The front half of the restaurant is dedicated to a large copper-top horseshoe-shaped bar with a tall wall of shelving filled with glasses behind it to separate the main dining section. The restaurant is large and the tables are actually spaced out decently, so you don't have to hear your neighbors conversation (like in a lot of NYC restaurants). There are some communal tables, which I sat at, but there was enough space between the dinner parties to feel like you were at your own. Red Rooster exudes a modern, upscale farm house with bentwood chairs, clean wood tables dressed with leather placemats, and tea towels for napkins. At the very back was the open kitchen, where you could literally see Marcus Samuelsson cooking. We sat right next to it, and although it was exciting, it might be off-putting to some since you can hear the line cook yell for the orders throughout your meal. My favorite part was the artwork on the wall, a mix of contemporary artist, a lot from Harlem. Oh and there was wonderful jazz singer and small band there too.Overall, this is most well decorated restaurant I have been to in a long time. I liked that there was a definite eclectic vibe, but it didn't feel forced or cheesy.
