Harlem game-changing restaurants the Red Rooster along with 5 & Diamond made some headlines in the news this week. The New York Times has now interviewed Marcus Samuelsson on the upcoming Red Rooster opening next month at Lenox, just north of 125th Street (with more details on food):
LINK. New York magazine also announced that 5 & Diamond has confirmed that Bouley alum David Martinez has replaced David Santos (who replaced Ryan Skeen) as the head chef at the restaurant on FDB/8th Avenue and 112th Street. The cuisine is now switching from Portuguese inspired to Spanish inflected:
LINK.
Harlem game-changing restaurants the Red Rooster along with 5 & Diamond made some headlines in the news this week. The New York Times has now interviewed Marcus Samuelsson on the upcoming Red Rooster opening next month at Lenox, just north of 125th Street (with more details on food): LINK. New York magazine also announced that 5 & Diamond has confirmed that Bouley alum David Martinez has replaced David Santos (who replaced Ryan Skeen) as the head chef at the restaurant on FDB/8th Avenue and 112th Street. The cuisine is now switching from Portuguese inspired to Spanish inflected: LINK.
From Portuguese-inspired to Spanish inflected? What? Too nuanced for me and of course I read that as Spanish infected.
ReplyDeleteso did I, Sanou's mum!
ReplyDeleteAt least the burger is still on the menu. Hope they're still using the LaFreida meat. mmmmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteVery fair and accessible prices proposed for Red Rooster.
ReplyDeleteGame changer is the correct term, Red Rooster will raise the bar for what is possible in Harlem, and central Harlem as well, not the just the outer reaches of greater Harlem as we have seen but right in the geographical and cultural center of Harlem, namely 125th and Lenox. The prices sound reasonable and the menu very interesting. I’m sure Marcus Samuelson will ensure the final product will meet the high standards of the many critics that will descend on Red Rooster. Red rooster will also attract new visitors to Harlem who would have otherwise never visited Harlem, this will be a huge boost for putting Harlem on the map and on more peoples radar. As I have stated before, Red Rooster will predictably attract the anger of a few who will only be happy to see more ghetto in Harlem, sad but true, so he should ignore those few. Again, game changer for Harlem dining and a big boost for Central and greater Harlem.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Marcus is heavy on "image & branding". Spin the narrative Marcus! PR handlers feed interviewers press release material of the story they want told...before interviews. Why does Marcus want it published this restaurant is costing $2 Million to get up and running? What's that about? (1) I am sure it's not true, and rule #1 in PR is fudge a number, make it clean, neat, & easy to define, the truth and facts be damned, the sound bite number is the focus for media to run with it. Hence not 1.4, not 2.2, not 1.8, a nice neat even perfect $2Million on the dot.
ReplyDeleteMy point is it's not necessary and only published to further the narrative, build the hype, blah blah blah. Dino BBQ does not Press Release how much their new spot (Opening Sept 22 btw) cost. Who does this and why? It's Marcus saying, "Be Impressed With Me". Why stop their Marcus? Tell us the salaries of the Chefs and other employees, Nightly tweet the days profits, I'm more interested in those numbers than an artificial fudged number for pure media consumption and hype.
"Mr. Samuelsson is betting that Red Rooster will be a magnet for young, striving African, Caribbean, Latin — and yes, white — Harlem, as well as the neighborhood’s venerables" - Article.
Oh brother....with no mention of tourist, right? No, this place will be like the most successful Harlem restaurants, the lion's share of revenues will be from NON-HARLEMITES. It will be like Sylvia's and Dinosaur, the money pouring in will be from Tourist and others that do not live in Harlem. Marcus can't say that because does fit in the narrative he's marketing, the image he's contriving of being soooo local and for locals.....it's a too honest and purely profit driven model.
Marcus, he spins this keeping it local priority so heavily, he has to get his plates locally, blah blah blah....I would like to know if he's consistent and uses local banks, insurance agents, etc. on the financial side of Red Rooster. I highly doubt it.....
Hey Reynolds93--It's going to cost $2 million to move Dinosaur BBQ across the street.
ReplyDeletehttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/pork-project-in-harlem-moves-along-but-not-far/
@Reynolds93. What is with you and the animus toward this man? Of course he has a big pr push going. He'd be foolish not to! Damn, my brother. Lighten up already. You go after this guy with venom more appropriate for slumlordcrackaddictchilabuserswhohatecats.
ReplyDeleteYou don't wanna eat there don't eat there.
@Reynolds93 -
ReplyDeleteit's "why stop THERE" not "their". just shows what a know-nothing blowhard you really are.
@Reynolds93:
ReplyDeleteO.K., I get it.
You feel that Mr. Samuelsson is selling his celebrity thru P.R. hype to make it seem like he is providing a class or sophistication that Harlem alegedly lacks but does not. This irritates you.
The upside of this if his hustle can get tourist dough here that's good for the neighborhood. If his hustle can get increased foot traffic with money here that's good for the neighborhood too.
Personally if R.R. becomes destination dining around here at worst that will make it all the more easier for ME to get a yellow cab at 125 and Lenox.
So even if the man is a pathological liar his pathological lying will make the neighborhood better if it works, so I'm rooting for him.
Its called pragmatisism. You should try it sometime.
@Henry. Hey--no name calling! Don't make me come over there!
ReplyDeleteI've made an executive decision to simply allow myself to be entertained by Reynolds93's tirades against "manufactured PR" and any narratives that fail to meet his standard for authenticity. The predictability lends a certain comforting sense of order to this blog, and to the world it inhabits.
ReplyDeleteOf course, with the volume of new developments in Harlem likely to yield a bumper crop of "media spin" in the months and years ahead -- I hope he's trolling us for the long haul.
@Sanou's Mum - you're right. I'll go to the corner for a time out.
ReplyDelete