I finally got reservations to Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem. The restaurant has been open for over a year now, and it’s still a little difficult to get reservations during prime time. This would lead you to believe that the food is so delicious people just can’t stay away. However, in line with many other reviews of Red Rooster, I found the ambiance and service to be nice, but the food a bit lackluster… We started off with crab cakes and cornbread as appetizers. The crab cakes were flavorful and delicious. The cornbread was served with a whipped butter and a tomato jam. The tomato jam had a “unique” flavor, but it wasn’t bad. I preferred the cornbread with just the whipped butter. Hubby and I were very excited about what was to come since the first course started off so promising… However, we were both disappointed with our entrees–the Fried Yardbird (fried chicken) and the Blackened Catfish. I felt that despite the eclectic use of garnishes, the food was terribly bland. Our waiter told us these were the most popular dishes, so I can’t imagine anything else on the menu tastes better.
In spite of our intuition, we decided to order dessert– Sweet Potato Doughnuts. Yet again, this dish lacked flavor. If “sweet potato” had not been in the name, I never would have known it was an ingredient. It was basically yeast rolls will sugar sprinkled on top.
At the end of the meal, I looked at my hubby and said “I should’ve had a V-8!”
Have you been to Red Rooster? How was your experience?