BEST HARLEM RESTAURANT 2014: RED ROOSTER

Some solid contenders have come in for Best New Restaurant for the year but nothing has quite wowed us yet so we will hold off on that title until January since restaurants sometimes take time to hit their stride.  In the meantime, this is a good moment to call out the overall winner for Best Harlem Restaurant  2014 which is Red Rooster on Lenox by 125th Street.  This month marks the 4th Anniversary of Marcus Samuelsson's revolutionary gem on Harlem's most famous avenue and the venue still sparkles even brighter.  Newer offerings such as the Harlem Chowder have been winning raves with jaded uptowners as of late and proof of this point is that the early evening hours are always packed on a regular basis (which is something other restaurants have a hard time doing in Harlem).  The bar scene here is hands down the best out of any establishment uptown and live music can often be heard either at brunch on the weekends or at an almost seemingly impromptu jazz jam on a week night which gets folks dancing on the floor of the well appointed space.

Then there is also Ginny's Supper Club which is the spectacular speakeasy in the basement level which is the only club in Harlem that captures the glamour of the Harlem Renaissance since the Lenox Lounge met its demise a couple of years ago.  If anyone asks the Bespoke team on a must-visit spot in Harlem when time is short, we alway recommend Red Rooster.  With such great success, now a more affordable new eatery by Chef Samuelsson will be opening soon on 116th Street and HB expects to be dining at that new establishment even more often in 2015: LINK