Reader tips have been coming in on the new seafood takeout joint that replaces the shuttered Just Wingin It store at FDB/8th Avenue and now it appears that said establishment has opened. We walked by this week and saw that the eatery was indeed open and another reader sent in the above photo this past Monday. A few folks were eating inside which had seating available but the main attraction here is apparently the high tech ordering systems which features iPads. Has anyone tried Harlem Savour yet?
I want to like this place, but it's too expensive! For this to be a takeout/counter place, the LEAST expensive lunch/dinner menu item is $15. Sides are $5 each a la cart and so not worth it. Their mac and cheese drips with grease, their potato salad is watery and they deep fry their broccoli. When I asked for yams, they gave me mac and cheese despite my correcting them during the numerous times they confirmed my order. My friend asked for his fish sauteed, but they gave him a deep fried one anyway. Maybe it's because they just opened, but they didn't seem to have it together at all. Too many bells and whistles... who cares about iPads and special filtered water, just give us good and not overpriced food.
ReplyDeleteI must be missing something—what is the big attraction of ordering on an iPad?
ReplyDeleteWe live around the corner and stopped by to order food and support local...., until we saw the outrageous pricing on the menu and walked right out. And from what we saw being served to the other customers, didn't seem worth it, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reviews! I will not be making a trip to this Seafood Place for a meal.
ReplyDelete$15 for the cheapest item? I don't understand why places open that don't seem to do basic market research first. A casual-looking walk-in place like that cannot support those kinds of prices. Hope they learn quickly before they fold, as so many other places in the neighborhood have. Remember that children's shoe store on Lenox? Followed by that high end boutique?
ReplyDeleteWalked in two nights ago to check it out and walked right out. The incredibly loud radio was competing with the incredibly loud TV showing cartoons. This environment was certainly not inviting for sitting and perusing the menu, let alone waiting for an order to be filled. There seemed to be only one person at the cash register and didn't see anyone in the kitchen, so things were moving very very slowly. I didn't even get to see a menu ... but seeing the above comments makes me feel like I didn't miss much. Too bad ... I would love to have another eating option, and particularly seafood, nearby.
ReplyDeleteAs a contrast, I hope everyone check out the Orange Peel (over on Manhattan Ave. bet 116 and 117th). I did last weekend and was really pleasantly surprised: this is what a take-out place should be. The prices were reasonable, the person behind the counter friendly, the food is not anything super-fancy, but what I got was delicious. I particularly loved the fresh OJ, as did my two year old son (who is *not* a fruit eater). All in all, a very pleasant experience.
Agreed! I take TKD nearby, and walked by the new big shiny "H" - I went in to get a menu, thinking I'd go grab some dinner after my TKD class. Then I looked at the prices! I don't understand - they clearly haven't done much research. I'd be OK paying that much for a nice sit-down meal for a special occasion, but for take-out grub, no thanks.
ReplyDeleteTheir menu isn't even that big - no soups or sandwiches. I hope they revamp things, or they'll be gone soon.
I know that Harlem Tavern is not what people think of when they think a place to eat, but they seem to have done it right. Why can these new places not learn from that. Moderate pricing, good fare and you will have success. Harlem is starving for good places and yet these places keep opening with these crazy ideas and most close just as quickly.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the base cost is really high and that is why they feel that they need to have higher prices. However if you bring the prices down a bit you will possibly have more foot traffic which should balance things out.
My 2 cents
walked by a bit after 2, granted after the lunch rush, but it was totally empty except for a despondent looking waitress.
ReplyDeleteI'm mystified by this place. It seems to be trying for a sleek, modern look but the seafood offerings aren't much different from the chicken/shrimp/pizza places, caribbean places, or the big fish market at 116/Lenox - it's just more expensive.
ReplyDeleteThere's no reason for all these new businesses to reinvent the wheel - just follow the basics of what works in more commercially established areas - put in a thai, indian or mexican place or (like we all are pleading for) a diner!
In my opinion there are very few places who get it right in Harlem. Five and Diamond, Yatenga, Cedric, Melba's and Ambassades are clearly the class of the neighborhood in my opinion. But I don't understand why places on FDB feel like they need to have prices that are better suited for places further downtown. I don't mind paying a little extra for food (like at Cedric) but the price matches both the quality of the food and the tone of the restaurant. I walked by this place the other day, I'm still confused as to why the name is nowhere on the front of the place.
ReplyDeleteI heard from a very very good source that the old Karrot space is being turned into a Sushi restaurant. Cross fingers!!!!
ReplyDeleteMost Seafood places in Harlem hover around those price points and had been profitable for years
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