The Red Rooster  is a restaurant/bar located in Harlem.  It’s owned by award-winning Chef Marcus Samuelsson, an Ethiopian-born chef who learned to cook from his adoptive Swedish grandmother.   The restaurant is named after a legendary speakeasy in Harlem.  It serves traditional American, Scandinavian, seafood and southern/soul food.  I haven’t eaten there yet.  Maybe one of these days, I’ll have a chance to go inside.

Happy New York Monday!

Paz

Recipe posted in the window.

Located near 125th Street/Lenox Avenue.

Over the weekend, I went to visit a longtime friend who I hadn’t seen in a few years.   Our reunion was long overdue and I traveled to Port Jefferson, Long Island to spend some time with her.   Originally from Turkey, my friend and her husband own a restaurant that serves Mediterranean food.  Guess where we had lunch?   Yes, at her restaurant called ‘The Mediterranean Kitchen’. 

The restaurant was very cozy and welcoming and the staff, friendly. 

There was a section for the diners to eat.

In the back of the restaurant, there was a section for food products, trinkets,

and other decorative items from Turkey, for those interested in purchasing them.   

For sale.

Jewelry from Turkey.

Do you see the Evil Eye here?

Black Tea from Turkey.

More black tea from Turkey.

Tea biscuits to go with the above. 

Canned stuffed egg plants.

Green Olives.

Decorative bowl and vase.

Hot Roasted Eggplants.

I believe this is eggplant.

More canned and jarred goods from Turkey.

I also forgot to take a photo of our dessert — a Portakal cake, an orange and cocoa cake with orange flavored icing.  Oh my gosh!  It was delicious with tea.   I tell you, sometimes, one forgets the camera when enjoying good food.

I also took home a dish of lamb souvlaki served on bulger pilaf.

Preparing some Turkish tea.

Menu from the Mediterranean Kitchen.

Hummus (mashed chickpeas).

Babaganoush (eggplant).

Tabouleh.

Pita chips.

Falafels.  OMG!  These falafels were to die for!  So, good!

Greek salad.

Paz

Sra of When My Soup Came Alive is in town and we got to hang out with each other.  Lots of fun.

For lunch, we stopped at Cuban restaurant, Havana Central at The West End.  There are three locations for this restaurant — Times Square, Union Square and The West End (on the Upper West Side).  We went to the one on the West Side and chose  appetizer samplers.  However, the restaurant serves a wide range of foods on its menu and on certain days there’s free live Latin music.  Too bad we missed the live music.  Next time.  Right, Sra?

Havana Central at The West End

2911 Broadway (between 113th & 114th Street)

212-662-8830

www.havanacentral.com

Corn-on-the-cob (rubbed in cheese and Cuban spices) and a shrimp empanada

Tostones con Salsa Chimichurri sauce (Fried green plantains with Chimichurri sauce) and Chorizo (Smoked Latin sausage).

Maduros and Chicharrones (Fried sweet plantain and chicken pieces)

For dessert, we shared Flan, a caramel custard.  I’ve been planning on making flan for a very long time.

I have a very nice recipe from Simply Recipes.  One of these days, I’ll find some time to make it.  One of these days.

Brick oven behind bar of  Sezz Medi´restaurant.

A few months ago, when I met with Dan of Salt Shaker, on his visit to New York, we walked by a restaurant, which I’d passed a million times but never paid attention.   Years ago, it used to be the site of an Ethiopian restaurant.  When that establishment closed, the Italian restaurant, Sezz Medi´ sprang up in its place.   I never looked at the restaurant, although I noticed that it always seemed busy.

Dan told me about how they had really good pizza there.  Made in a wood-fired brick oven.  He told me a story about how the owners,  brought the bricks from Italy, piece by piece, in their luggage when they were unable to bring the oven as a whole into the country.

Intrigued, I tried Sezz Medi´‘s pizza a few weeks later.   I was pleasantly surprised with my pizza.  I’d ordered a Margherita pizza, made from tomato, mozzarella and basil and it was good.  Another time I went with a friend and ordered the Ortolana pizza, made with eggplant, peppers, zucchini, tomato and mozzarella.  This was also good.  They serve about 15 different types of pizzas and other Italian dishes.

Trying their pizza and dishes should keep me busy for a while.

Paz

Sezz Medi´

1260 Amsterdam Avenue (West 122nd Street)

www.sezzmedi.com

Brick oven behind bar at Sezz Medi´

 Diners enjoying their diner at Sezz Medi´