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.
![Red Rooster entrance Facade, Red Rooster](http://insidejourneys.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/DSC03177-1024x768.jpg)
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 salad from Red Rooster Crab claw on a bed of greens from Red Rooster](http://mybucket.s3.insidejourneys.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Harlem-Meal-1024x765.jpg)
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.
![Pulled Port Sandwich Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich, Red Rooster](http://mybucket.s3.insidejourneys.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Screen-shot-2012-02-01-at-7.13.21-PM.png)
The pork almost melted in my mouth.
![Grilled Salmon Grilled Salmon on a bed of spinach, Red Rooster](http://mybucket.s3.insidejourneys.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Screen-shot-2012-02-01-at-7.13.40-PM.png)
After finishing the Grilled Salmon, Anneli told our waiter that she was “in heaven.”
![Apple Pie Slice of Apple Pie, Red Rooster](http://mybucket.s3.insidejourneys.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Screen-shot-2012-02-01-at-7.12.59-PM.png)
![Two flavors of sorbet Red Rooster Sorbet for dessert](http://insidejourneys.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Sorbet.jpg)
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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