Serafina Comes to Harlem!

This week Serafina opened it's eighth location in the 5 boroughs.  Serafina Harlem is conveniently located on 122nd and Amsterdam, and it serves great food in a relaxed atmosphere.

We started dinner with a glass of Riesling that was a little on the sweet side, which is exactly how I like it.  For appetizers we shared calamari, tuna tartare, and tomato and mozzarella.  Our food came out right away and was tasty and perfectly portioned.  For dinner we had the Ravioli "Degli Innamorati" (heart shaped lobster ravioli in a lobster bisque sauce) and the Ravioli Ai Porcini (mushroom ravioli).

Our servers were knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive; and the food was fresh and deliciously prepared.  We left dinner feeling satisfied, but without the food hangover that sometimes comes with a large meal at an Italian restaurant. We will definitely be back.

Dish: The Handpulled Noodle and Streetbird

I am lucky that Chloe has an adventurous palate.  On Saturday we had South African food at Madiba, and on Sunday we decided to try "North Western Chinese Soul Food" at  The Handpulled Noodle on Broadway between 148th and 149th Street. 

Located between a Dominican barbershop and a tattoo parlor, The Handpulled Noodle is small and frequently crowded with with locals and food tourists alike. You pick a style of noodle and then decide whether you would like it prepared in soup or stir fried with meat and vegetables.  Patrons are encouraged to eat their food in the restaurant in order to appreciate the unique taste of the handmade noodles.  

Chloe and I ordered scallion pancakes, pork dumplings, and chopped noodles with chicken and mixed vegetables.  The scallion pancakes were nothing that you couldn't find at Emperor Schezuan.  The dumplings were better, juicy and flavorful inside,  with no need for a separate dipping sauce.  The noodles were rich and spicy, but Chloe thought that they were too doughy.  The food was pretty heavy so I wouldn't frequent this place, but the Lychee Pekoe Black Tea was worth going back for.

Lychee and Chrysanthemum Tea

Ding Dong Noodles with Chicken Stir-Fry

The next day, James and I decided to try Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant Streetbird.  I was excited to visit because I love the decor of his places. We were lead to great seats right away and the decor didn't disappoint- think 80's hip-hop chic.   Everywhere that you look there is color: on the walls, the chairs, and the menu.  I loved the practical detail of the paper towel rack connected to the table.  I appreciate that Marcus Samuelsson hired a diverse waitstaff and that neighborhood people seem to frequent Streetbird.  It prevents the place from feeling too staged, like Disneyland in blackface. 

Unfortunately, the first disappointment was actually the drinks. Don't get me excited about a glass of Jam Jar if you don't have it!

This is the best wine ever!

Furthermore, if I am paying twelve dollars for a glass of wine, I do not want it served in a plastic cup (regardless of how cute the cup is). It may sound silly, but wine just doesn't taste the same in plastic.  Either that, or my Cava was just warm and flat.  James got a speciality cocktail and he wasn't thrilled with it either.  And if James only orders one drink, you know there's a problem . . .

For food, I ordered french fries and chicken wings and James ordered a chicken sandwich.  Both meals were mediocre, but thankfully not expensive.  I was not exactly surprised, as the food at Red Rooster can be inconsistent.  However, there are certain things at Red Rooster that you know will be good (the drinks, chicken wings and cornbread).  Hopefully, there are those things on Streetbird's menu that I have yet to discover because it is a place that would be fun to visit again with a group of friends.

I

The Edge

I wrote about The Edge Harlem a few weeks ago as a part of another post, and after visiting again this weekend I most assuredly did not do the place justice. The Edge definitely deserves its own post!  

101 Edgecombe Avenue

After a week of breaking my own heart (or narrowly avoiding disaster- I can't decide which) I headed to Edgecombe Avenue for some much needed James and Kyle time.  I packed the iPad and some earphones so that we could have some adult conversation, but ever clever Chloe put the earphone in one ear so that she could monitor the conversation in case something juicy came up! 

Unfortunately, the only thing juicy that we were able to discuss at brunch were the mimosas!  I started off with a Mango Mimosa, followed by a Spiced Hibiscus Mimosa.  Both were inventive, tasty, and much needed! The cocktails were so much better than the flat champagne and OJ that are usually served at brunch.  Kyle and James both enjoyed the non-alcoholic sorrell, which we were told was made by the owner's grandfather.

Our meals were wonderful: colorful, fresh, and tasty.  The standout was the Crabcake that Kyle ordered, which came with plantains.  I definitely plan to order it the next time I visit.

Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens

Fried Egg Sandwich with Avocado Tomato, and Mixed Greens

Luckily, Chloe talked us into having dessert and it was a REVELATION.  The Croissant Pudding was the best thing that I have tasted in a while and I have been thinking about it every day since.  Is it the weekend yet?

Croissant Bread Pudding

Harlem is Not a Foreign Country

The other night my family and I went to Minton's to celebrate my father's birthday.  We were seated next to a friendly (and very drunk) couple who kept telling us how they came "all the way from 70th Street" because the food was so good.  Considering that Minton's is only on 118th Street, I found their choice of words very interesting.  Since when is less than 3 miles a trek? Is 15 or 20 minutes in a chauffeured car really such a journey? 

The couple's comment, and my reaction to it, reminded me of a photo of Maison Harlem that I recently saw on the restaurant's Facebook page. The text that accompanied the photographs advertised the restaurant as a "fun destination place."  Maison Harlem is plenty of fun, but the word destination implies a special trip or an adventure.  Clearly this catch line wasn't aimed at me or any of my friends who live in the neighborhood. Are we not the intended audience for such advertisement?  If not, are we the intended patron?

 I think that we can agree that Harlem is not remote in terms of geography.  Any person who has ever ridden the A train between 125th and 59th Street knows how closely connected we are in terms of space.  However, anyone who has ever ridden the A train and witnessed the look of panic on the face of a passenger who has just realized they were on an express train rather than a local ("next stop 125th Street!) recognizes that the distance is about perceptions of race and cultural difference.

Talking and writing about race is difficult, and for some, beside the point.   According to a recent New York Post article on The Cecil, "It’s easy to lose sight that what we have here is a nice new place to eat, not a cause for racial and socioeconomic disquisitions." However, when writers use language that depicts Harlem as foreign and exotic, by extension black and Latino Harlemites are being  portrayed as slightly less than American.  This is something that cannot be ignored, regardless of how good the food is.

I remember reading Toni Morrison talking about reading certain books and knowing that they were not written with her in mind because they explained things that would not have to been explained to a black woman.  Much of the writing about the Harlem restaurant scene is clearly not written with me in mind; many of these articles and posts seem like an underground railroad of sorts designed to let whites know what locations are safe to visit in Harlem.

Restaurants are businesses.  I understand that it makes sense to advertise to those who have money and are willing to spend it. However, we must change the perception that whites are the only ones in New York who can do that.

Photo: The New York Post