A Lunch Adventure

Yesterday, Misha and I met up for lunch in Harlem. We originally planned to go to Tea and Things of that Kind, a new tea place/restaurant on Adam Clayton Powell and 137th, but when we met there at 1pm it was closed. For some bizarre reason, they open at 2pm on Friday. YET, on Thursday they open at 11am. And on the other days there are different opening times. *sigh* So, we couldn't eat there and proceeded down the street to check out a Mexican place.

On the way to the Mexican place we passed by a soul food place, Mischelle's, that looked clean and had a little seating area. We thought, this might be promising, but decided to keep walking further down the street. We got to the Mexican place, and they were closed too! *shaking my head*

We kept walking and came across Muddy Waters Cafe. It was cute in the sleek, modern dark brown wood and stainless steel kind of way, but seemed more appropriate for grabbing a quick bite, or enjoying a coffee, not for sitting down and having a chatty lunch. The menu wasn't that extensive either, so we decided to move further down the street, but noted the cafe as a place to check out. I need to make more of an effort to leave my desk for lunch, so I think I'll be checking out Muddy Waters soon.

We proceeded down the street, and decided to check the times for Gospel Uptown. Of course, they too were closed for lunch, but we got a good look at their menu and added it to a list of places to check out.

So after covering over 10 blocks of Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, we decided to return to Michelle's. There were some lunch deals listed for $6, but I didn't like the side items and one option just came with dark meat chicken, so I had to choose something else. I opted for the Fried Chicken Breast with Macaroni and Cheese and Collard Greens ~$13. Misha chose Fried Tilapia with Rice and Peas and Collard Greens ~$14.

We took our seat and proceeded to wait...and wait...and wait. I wasn't starving, but if I had been, I would have be truly angered by the wait. I was just annoyed this time. Take out orders were heading out the door, so we assumed they must have had a lot of those to do, which was why ours was taking so long But they weren't out picking the collard greens from the garden, or making home made pasta for the Mac and Cheese, so what was the hold up? It doesn't take that long to fry fish and chicken.

Our food finally arrived and the first thing I noted was that for $13 I should have had more mac and cheese on my plate. But fine, I probably didn't need much more than what was given and would likely still be satisfied. I cut into my first piece of chicken and found it to be ok. It wasn't dry, but the batter wasn't that flavorful. Misha noted that collard greens looked a little dry and after we sampled them we realized that also had NO FLAVOR. The greens tasted like they had just been cooked in plain water and that's it. Where was the seasoning??? My mac and cheese was ok, but also tasted very simple -- like only one cheese had been used, plus the pasta was a little too soft. I tried Misha's Tilapia and it tasted just like Flounder to me. I had never had Tilapia before, so maybe it's similar, but I hoped they weren't trying to pull a fast one. Anyway, we did our best to spruce up the food with hot sauce, ketchup, and salt and pepper, but that was only a temporary fix. And then, I cut into my second piece of chicken breast and what did I see??...PINK and BLOODY JUICES!!!! ILLLLL!!!! I showed it to Misha and she confirmed...it looked pink. Why? Why? Why? So on top of their food being bland, they were trying to give their patrons salmonella poisoning too.

I got up and showed them my chicken. They took it away and proposed giving me a new piece. I said I didn't have any time to wait and just wanted my Mac and Cheese. The front desk person came back again and asked me if I had 12 minutes. I said No and that I had waited enough as it was. Then they offered to give me fish...I said fine. Out comes the fried catfish, which at that point I didn't even want and it was bland as hell too! I mean, come on Mischelle (who, by the way, wasn't back there cooking, though I believe she made an appearance and apparently is the person who drops off the take-out order) get your act together. Catfish batter should have some seasoning, and chicken should be cooked!!

I finished my side items. Misha picked at, but left the majority of her food on the plate and we bounced., completely unsatisfied and borderline disgusted. During the meal Misha made the astute comment that while it seems that every black person could feasibly open a Soul food restaurant just on the basis of their being black, that does not mean they actually know how to cook Soul food. And that if Soul food restaurants like Mischelle's persist, people might begin to think that their constitutes GOOD Soul food.

To the owner(s) and chef(s) of Mischelle's in Harlem, 1st, you are not Harlem's Finest Soul Food Bistro and 2nd, I, I who barely cook, could show you how to do Soul Food. At the very least I should be your taste tester, Lord knows y'all need one.

My culinary Harlem quest carries on and I hope to continue to avoid food poisoning along the way...sheesh. :/

Harlem Days

As many of you know, I now work uptown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.  Since moving back to NY in 2005, This is the first time I've worked outside of the midtown/40s blocks.  There were some adjustments made to my commute and I had to get an unlimited metro card again (not happy about that added expense) but overall, I'm happy to be working up there.

I came across my grandparents' birth certificates and saw that my great-grandparents, lived in the same area, and at one point, down the block, from the Schomburg.  My grandparents were Harlemites up until my father and uncle were toddlers, before they moved on up to Mt. V, so it seems appropriate that I'm getting to know the area that my dad's side of the family called home for a good portion of their lives.

The first way that I am trying to get to know Harlem is through my stomach. So I'm just going to talk food ...

Harlem is a VERY dangerous place for food, especially, if you like Soul or West Indian food.  I feel like you can't walk two blocks without encountering a Soul, Fried Chicken or West Indian place...cuisines that I happen to really enjoy.  When I'm feeling hungry and I haven't brought my lunch to work, I have to resist the urge to get macaroni and cheese or a beef pattie, and I'm frequently left craving a Cosi Sandwich or soup from Hale and Hearty.  But then again, I manage to get a sandwich for $5 bucks or a whole meal from one of the soul food buffet places (not Mannas...I'm through with them...see below) and spend at a maximum $6, so it's balances out, sort of.

These lunch time challenges made me eager to find good lunch places in the Harlem area, and if I'm trying out lunch, I should find good dinner places too!  (I'll talk about dinner in a later posts) This quest to explore Harlem began when I started working up there in November and continues today, so I'm going to bring you up to speed.

Oui, Oui Crepes and Pizza - They had just opened when I stopped by in November, and I wanted a crepe, but the guy who makes the crepes wasn't there.  So I got a slice of pizza.  It was mediocre, but now that they've been open for awhile I'm going to check them out again soon.  Hopefully the crepe maker will be there.

Spoonbread - I've gone there multiple times.  The first time I got the chicken salad sandwich, fries, a slice of cake and punch.  Based on that order, I hope you understand why I say it's dangerous to have lunch in Harlem.  The sandwich was really delicious and tasted like my mom's chicken salad.  I don't remember the cake and the punch was just spruced up fruit punch.  But the two other times I've gone to Spoonbread they haven't even had the chicken salad.   How hard is it to have chicken salad everyday?  And if it's difficult, make it a special, not a regular menu item.

Manna's - Probably the most prevalent Soul Food buffet franchise in Harlem has a location down the street from the Schomburg.  On the whole their food is fine, but I got their macaroni and cheese twice and both times it was SWEET.  Mac and cheese  should NOT be sweet.  So I'm done with them.

Jacob's - I heard from one of our volunteers that Jacob's was opened by a guy who was a chef for Manna's.  It's another soul food buffet place.  I was nervous that their mac and cheese was going to be sweet, but it wasn't so they are my go-to buffet place.

Trattoria Amici - Misha and I made a lunch date and strolled down Lenox and paused by the door to consider this place.  At first we thought it was closed, but an eager young guy, who actually was the chef, greeted us with a smile and convinced us that the restaurant was indeed open.  I got the penne a la vodka and thought it was really tasty.  I wish it were a bit cheaper, but it was good.  I've gone back a few other times because the chef, Modu, is friendly and they have $5 drinks during happy hour.  I'm not eating cheese right now, so I need to stay away from Italian places, but I'll go back at another time for lunch and try something different. 

88 Chinese Restaurant - I hadn't had Chinese in a while and needed something without cheese. My colleague recommended this place and I was pleased with what they offered.  The lunch special is good.  For $5 I got my usual, Broccoli with Garlic Sauce and plain Fried Rice, and Chicken with Rice Soup.  I wasn't blown away, but I certainly wasn't disappointed.  It wasn't oily and had a nice sauce.  When I'm in the mood for Chinese I will turn to them.

Oh and there is a place across the street in Harlem Hospital.  I was a little nervous about eating there, because I didn't expect anything in the hospital to taste good.  But they make very very delicious grilled chicken wraps. I  round out my sandwich by adding some onion rings from a Halal truck that manages to park itself right in front of the Schomburg everyday.  A grilled chicken wrap with a side of onion rings...yum yum yum yum yum...my preferred lunch time meal.


Ok, those are all of the places I've visited for lunch.  For all of this week I'm going to be brown bagging it to work, but there are many more eateries to try.  Slowly by surely I'll get to know the neighborhood, one meal at a time.  :)