Red Rooster

Harlem, New York, United States

Red Rooster

Red Rooster is an American restaurant located in Harlem, NYC. It was very busy and it seemed like a very popular place. For some reason, lots of people stopped outside the restaurant to take photographs of it. The big 'claim to fame' for the restaurant, supposedly, is how diverse the crowd is. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary though. The food was all OK, although more expensive than you'd expect.

Dress

Red Rooster had a slightly upscale vibe. Smart casual dress is appropriate.

Cost

Most entrees were between $20-$35.

Reservations

Unfortunately reservations were not available for the time we were looking for, but they suggested we just walk in. There was a 45-minute wait when we arrived.

Items Ordered

Corn Bread

Corn Bread

The $5 corn bread (for two pieces) seemed like a way for the restaurant to bump up the average sale size by $2.50/person. It was OK corn bread, but was fairly bland tasting. Mesa Grill, another restaurant in NYC, provides free corn bread that is much better.

Dirty Rice & Shrimp

Dirty Rice & Shrimp

The dirty rice was a small dish of rice with grilled shrimp in it. The shrimp were nicely charred, which gave them a nice flavor. The rice was also lightly seasoned and was quite nice.

Yams & Sweet Potato Puree

Yams & Sweet Potato Puree

The sweet potato puree was mediocre. The horseradish gave them a weird flavor, and the texture was also weird - they seemed too watery. It also wasn't very sweet, even though the menu said they had maple syrup in them.

Mac & Greens

Mac & Greens

The mac & greens were probably the best item we ordered here. It was two small dishes - the dish on the left was a small salad (that even had a piece of okra in it). It was lightly dressed with a sweet dressing. The mac & cheese (on the right) was very cheesy, topped with bread crumbs, and baked. There was enough cheese and cream in it to guarantee that it was very tasty. It was a pretty heavy meal, but quite good.

Chicken Brunswick

Chicken Brunswick

The chicken was disappointing. It was OK, but there were hardly any lima beans, mushrooms, or tomatoes in it. It was mostly just two large chicken legs in a light tomato-based sauce that didn't have too much flavor. The chicken brunswick was a pretty disappointing meal.