Neighborhood TrEats: Harlem’s Red Rooster

Whenever my friend, Anneli, comes to town, we always meet for lunch at a different restaurant. This time, I told her to come uptown to Harlem so we could try Red Rooster, one of the newest additions to my neighborhood.

One of award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson‘s restaurants, Red Rooster, features American cuisine with a nod to the rest of the world.

Facade, Red Rooster
Red Rooster, Harlem

I knew dinner would have been impossible without a reservation but I didn’t realize lunch would be so popular. At 12:15 when we arrived, most of the tables were already taken. But we only had to wait about 5 minutes at the bar until one opened up.

Crab claw on a bed of greens from Red Rooster
Crab Salad

Both Anneli and I had the lobster salad which had juicy claw and bite-sized chunks of lobster on a bed of greens. I’m not normally a salad person but this one was delicious and filling. I could have stopped there but a Pulled Pork sandwich was on its way.

Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich, Red Rooster
Pulled Pork Sandwich

The pork almost melted in my mouth.

Grilled Salmon on a bed of spinach, Red Rooster
Grilled Salmon

After finishing the Grilled Salmon, Anneli told our waiter that she was “in heaven.”

Slice of Apple Pie, Red Rooster
Apple Pie
Red Rooster Sorbet for dessert
Sorbet

I liked that the waiter didn’t rush the courses and once they served us, left us alone to enjoy our meal and catch up. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and had lots to talk about.

Red Rooster has an extensive menu. I’m curious about the Yard Bird and a few other dishes I noticed other people eating so I’ll be going back.

All in all, Red Rooster was a delicious way to spend the first 70+ degree day in 2011.

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