EAT: FIRST LOOK AT BELLE ON 7TH AVENUE

The food scene in the 130s on Adam Clayton Powell by the Strivers Row district has another notable arrival with the soft opening of Bell just north of 138th Street.  This intimate 12-seater is a chef's table eatery with a long bar facing the kitchen and diners can now drop by to see what's cooking for brunch on Saturdays or Sundays.  Check out the first review after the jump.

Three courses for $30 is the weekend special and we started out with the crab hash topped with a perfectly cooked poached egg. Crab is easy to mess up since the freshness is a factor and this offering was probably one of the better ones we have tried out uptown.  There was probably a bit too much Hollandaise sauce for our particular taste but the hearty appetizer was nevertheless a satisfying dish to begin with for the afternoon.

Next up was a plate of 4 petite waffles with boneless fried chicken set on top of each served up with a side of spiced maple syrup.  Everything was more than perfect with some great flavors coming through on the crispy chicken but the portion felt a little bit like a starter instead of the second course.  With that said, we could have had one large plate of this southern style classic and would have been happy for the rest of the week. There was also a biscuit and gravy special for the day which we will probably try out the next time around if it comes up on the menu.

Our final plate at Belle was the churros which is the Spanish style fried dough served up with a rich chocolate sauce. This was the perfect size for us for desert which was surprisingly not too sweet and all came together nicely when dipped in the chocolate.  We definitely look forward to trying out what else is on the menu and those in Central Harlem should check out Belle on the weekends until the restaurant comes up with dinners service by the end of the month.