A Rooster to Please All

It might be raining and there might be road construction outside my apartment that places the imagination in Baghdad or perhaps Kabul (Was that a roadside bomb I just heard?), but nothing, not even an unrelenting jackhammer, can dampen my enthusiasm about Harlem's current resurgence. There are too many exciting new developments to cover in even a week's worth of posts. But let's give it a shot and start with Marcus Samuelsson's new venture: Red Rooster, in construction as we speak on Lennox between 125th and 126th. My first (two) question(s) is: What the hell are Helga's meatballs, and what's she doing peddling them in Central Harlem?

Red Rooster is being constructed next door to Chez Lucienne, a well-received French bistro operated by Daniel Boulud acolytes Jerome Bougherdani and chef Thomas Obaton. (Lucienne moved into space previously occupied by Slice of Harlem.) Fraud's had a hard time wrapping his arms and head around the Red Rooster concept. When discussing it, Samuelsson is ever-effusive and charismatic but vague and, well, a bit unfocused. He looks forward to introducing "Harlem through food" with "farm-to-table fresh food" and "fried chicken and collared greens" and "Southern meets Northern-style dishes" with some Jewish- and Italian-American ones thrown in for good measure and, oh yeah, there'll be a speakeasy in the basement too. Oh, and a storefront bakery and grocery... And live music!

Red Rooster was the name of an erstwhile speakeasy in Harlem (occasioned, apparently, by none other than Adam Clayton Powell) located around 137th and Lennox. Notwithstanding Sameulsson's frequent protestations of fidelity to Harlem's legacy, methinks the 140-seat dining space will be of a slightly different flavor than any neighborhood predecessors, even if the china is local and reminiscent of a bygone era.

Fraud recently bumped into Samuelsson at a bar. The Top Chef appeared sullen and preoccupied, in stark contrast to the media images of the happy-go-lucky chef with a perpetually beaming ear-to-ear mega-smile. Maybe that's to be expected when the concept of your reportedly $2 million restaurant concept is strangely amorphous and the build-out is not only behind schedule but, by the looks of it (see below), light years away from the latest announced October opening date. I probably wouldn't be able to finish my beer either.

(Fraud wonders if Samuelsson made a strategic mistake locating the restaurant on Lennox rather than FDB below 125th, the avenue quickly becoming New Harlem's restaurant/bar row. Then again, the section of Lennox Red Rooster will occupy harbors, like the aforementioned stretch of FDB, several new residential developments that can serve as feeders. Plus, its proximity to Sylvia's and Lennox Lounge connects it to the psyche of Old Harlem in a way that none of the new spots on FDB do. Further, Samuelsson is a bonafide celebrity, not just an irascible Tweeting sensation like Ryan Skeen, formerly of 5 & Diamond--in fact, Skeen's middle name is actually Formerlyof... With celebrity comes freedom. Freedom from needing to dickride on FDB's considerable foot traffic and critical mass of dining establishments. At the outset Red Rooster will become a destination place for adventurous downtowners scouting the next wilderness, not just a charming neighborhood haunt for Harlemites. On the other hand, it's hard to envision Lennox taking on the downtown trajectory of FDB. It's easy to project the latter's long-term viability. But Lennox, unlike FDB, is just too damn wide to assume the cozy charm reminiscent of downtown's hoods and Columbia's not next door. Once the newness wears off, what's Red Rooster and Lennox to do? It's a close question.)

Well, here's Fraud wishing the admirably ambitious Samuelsson the best of luck. The bastard's gonna need it. My dude.




Red Rooster
310 Lennox Avenue bet. 125th/126th Sts.

Chez Lucienne
308 Lennox Avenue
212.289.5555