Head Uptown to to Harlem’s Red Rooster
I just loved the place I was taken to for my birthday this week. I did not know where we were going, but where we ended up was simply perfect.
If you’re looking for a very lively bar scene, the ability to dine outdoors, live music, friendly servers, a beautiful space and excellent food, head up to Harlem for Red Rooster, one of the latest successes from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. Yes, he may be a hot commodity in the culinary world, but no attitude lives here. In fact, on the restaurant’s website, there actually is text that states, “Don’t have a reservation? Come on by. We love walk-ins.” Nice!
Inside the well designed space, you’ll find eclectic original art on the walls, and the artists and their bios are very prominently featured on the website.
I’m telling you, Marcus did everything right here. The vibe is warm and embracing and yet the music and art is cool and funky. And the food, dazzling. The crowd is so diverse it makes me even that much prouder to be a New Yorker. A variety of ethnicities were represented, all enjoying the evening, talking across tables, making new friends.
There is even a speakeasy style supper club downstairs. Mama mia!
Around 9 PM, after enjoying insanely great savory chicken and waffles, fried green tomatoes, lobster roll, and Swedish meatballs, wafting from the bar was the unmistakable sounds of a full out live Cuban band, with music that just makes everything all right in the world.
I can’t wait to go back to 310 Lenox Avenue and have a drink, enjoy some great American eats (“celebrating the roots of American cuisine” as Red Rooster is marketed) and feel so at home.
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
