Last night I returned for my second visit to Marcus Samuelson's new-ish hotspot in Harlem, Red Rooster, and I'd have to say, I was much more pleased this time around than my first visit, maybe it was the slight adjustments to the menu or the quiet atmosphere of the downstairs room giving everyone the opportunity to chat or maybe it just was that the restaurant grew into itself.
So what did I have?
I split their market green salad with mixed greens, oyster mushrooms, radishes, and cauliflower topped with a sherry vinaigrette and their black vinegar cauliflower side that was served with sesame, sumac, and pine nuts side to start. The salad was crisp, fresh, clean and delightful, a great market salad for a warm springy day. The chef's creativity definitely shone through with the cauliflower side -- it was rustic, homey, spice forward, flavorful, and truly unique.
For my main I decided that since last time I tried the chef's homey, Southern / soul food / rustic side of the menu, I should try the Scandinavian side so I had their Gravlax, Avocado, onion and fennel appetizer served on thin pumpernickel bread with dill cream cheese. This was a delish, simple light preparation that gave the Gravlax the opportunity to shine! Quite the treat.
Apart from what I ordered, I also got to taste their homemade fresh cheese that went into their chickpea dumpling dish and boy was it esoterically fabulous -- somewhat like a farmer's cheese but infused with curry, cumin, and paprika. This cheese had its fingers in the cuisines of many different cultures and that is what I think Red Rooster does best -- it adopts and melds cuisines together in a seamless manner, making one as the diner expand their culinary horizons.
A fun and delish meal was had by all, worth a trip back for their Gospel brunch, that's for sure!
Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave
NYC
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