Hot Spot!

Harlem Restaurant

Whenever I meet up with Sharon—one of my food-obsessed friends—we like to hit restaurants that we’ve heard about, but haven’t had the chance to fully experience. The latest restaurant on our illustrious list is Harlem Restaurant , a restaurant that mixes traditional American soul food with the heat of the Islands.

I read about the eclectic restaurant in an issue of Sway magazine. I made a mental note of it, as I was dying to try their food. I was also quite curious in the setup of the restaurant. Owners Carl Cassell (who is a talented artist) and DJ Carl Allen wanted to recreate the feel of the Harlem Renaissance by mixing good food, art and entertainment.

When I told Sharon about the restaurant, she was sold in a matter of seconds. All I did was read off a few dishes from their online menu and I could practically hear the girl salivating on the phone! We quickly decided on a date and time and made our way downtown.

With a bit of hesitation, Sharon and I sloooowly entered the restaurant. We weren’t sure if we were in the right spot as the décor had a slight South Asian flair. However, our doubts were laid to rest when we sauntered in and smelled the sweet aromas of jerk seasonings and scotch bonnets which seemed to dance in the air.

The restaurant is a little small, but has a cozy, homey feel (*it literally smells like my house on a Saturday afternoon!). While Sharon and I perused the mouthwatering menu, we couldn’t help but gaze at the funky artwork that adorned the walls. This was the kind of place that we were completely looking for! We were hoping the food was just as good.

We decided to start the meal with an order of fried plantains and guava ketchup. I grew up in a West Indian household, so fried plantains is nothing new. Sharon and I were curious about the guava ketchup that was served as a dipping sauce. Let me tell y’all, both were amazing! The guava ketchup wasn’t really a “tomato ketchup”. It was more of a sweet dip that went well with the plantains.

Being friends for a long time, our tastes are pretty similar. So similar, that we ordered the same meal—The Harlem sandwich.

Sharon and I are not really sandwich people, but the ingredients in this sandwich sounded way too delicious to ignore—jerked chicken salad, black forest ham, avocado, mango mustard and melting cheese on a challah bread! Damn! I think we were close to eating the menu!

When it arrived to the table, we stared at it for a good 5 minutes. We practically examined all the layers. With that first bite we were in heaven. It tasted fantastic. My fave thing about the sandwich was the jerked chicken salad layer. It was incredible. It was nice and spicy and had a little kick. I tried to eat the whole thing, it was way too big and I had to leave a portion of it on my plate. It was good though.

I am so happy that I finally had the chance to eat at this restaurant. The food was great, the service was great and I will no doubt be back to try the dinner menu.

Michelle