Red Rooster

125th Street in Harlem has long been known as the “main street” in Harlem. The legendary Apollo theater is located there and I haven’t been there since my friend and TWM commenter, Biff was in town back in 2010. It’s time for an overdue visit to look and explore around 125th Street in Harlem, so it’s uptown we go!

And here we are at 125th St. a.k.a. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Let's take a look around.

I don't get to Harlem much, that's one of the things I like about doing this blog. It forces me to get outside of my comfort zone and take a look at things and neighborhoods in New York I normally wouldn't take the time to go to. I've never really walked around 125th street and imagined it would have a lot of Harlem-flavored stores, mom and pop shops, soul food diners, but when I got here that wasn't the case. It's pretty much just one chain store after another. There's the odd wig shop and hair weave/braid salon, but outside of that, pretty much all gentrified chain stores. Pretty disappointing. I wanted to get a shot of the Apollo Theater sign, but decided that would be a better shot for the nighttime. So I needed to improvise and salvage this Harlem post. And my one rule of thumb when a blog gets stuck—get thee to a bar toot sweet! There's one restaurant/bar that opened up about a year ago called The Red Rooster on Lenox and the couple times I've tried to go to the bar it's been packed. It's just about 5:00 PM now, so let's ditch these chains on 125th street and check it out.

And here we are, The Red Rooster. Let's go see if there's a spot at the bar to sit and wash the memory of those chain stores away.

Look at this, plenty of seats available at the circular bar in the front room, let's go snag a stool.

And here's friendly bartender Virgil with a bottle of Red Stripe, things are looking up!

Cheers from the Red Rooster in Harlem.

There's a wall of bottles and glasses behind the bar, separating it from the dining room.

The bar has a wooden base and a shiny copper top.

Okay, some time has gone by, Virgil's day shift is over and as the early evening sets in, Santiago takes over at the bar.

As you can see, the bar is starting to fill up now. I'm glad I've got my seat all locked away!

There's a group of women down at the end of the bar that have been laughing, taking pictures and having a good time. I have a feeling they're visiting from out of town. Let's go say hi and see if I'm right.

And I was right! They're here all the way from the other side of the country, Los Angeles. They've all been to New York before, but this was their first time in the Red Rooster. From left: Renee, Monica, Alice and Jomel. A lovely group of pretty women!

Here's the dining room behind the bar. It's a spacious and open area.

Here's the kitchen in the back of the dining room. Looks like they're gearing up for a busy night.

When I return to the bar, it's all filled up, luckily I've still got my space. Here's a shot to my right...

And to my left. This is a popular place!

And now the lovely Tiffany has come on board to bartend. No offense to Virgil or Santiago, but she's definitely the prettiest of the trio of bartenders on duty tonight!

Okay, time for dinner, I need something to soak up the beers I've had or I won't make it out the door.

I got the Mac and Cheese which comes with a salad. It looks great!

The Mac and Cheese has collard greens in it which gives it a nice soul food touch. Really delicious!

Wow, that hit the spot! Sylvia's is still my favorite Harlem restaurant, but this ranks a close number two.

Ah, night has fallen and it's out the door we go!

The sign looks a lot better at night, all lit up.

Okay, time to go get that shot of the Apollo Theater sign.

Here's a painting on a roll down gate on 125th Street, sure beats a Dunkin' Donut sign!

And here's the Apollo Theater sign, all aglow. There's a sidewalk shed covering the lower portion of the sign, so I just took the neon portion.

And I thought this would be a fitting closing shot, a woman on the corner in a Statue of Liberty outfit! Goodnight and see you all tomorrow!

Further Reading: Wikipedia, New York Magazine and Harlem World (bad news in this link!)

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

Otto's Shrunken Head

Okay, I feel like I’m going full circle with this post. I’m meeting some friends at Otto’s Shrunken Head tonight, the very first bar I went to on my 365 bar crawl. It’s hard to believe, but it was over two years ago on a Sunday evening that I started that beer-fueled journey. I’ve been back since, but never on a Sunday. I’m looking forward to taking a step back in time! And I’m hoping that Lani Ford is bartending, she has the dubious honor of being the first bartender on this bar crawl, let’s go see!

Otto's is a straight line down 14th Street. It's not always such a straight line on the way home!

And here we are at Otto's Shrunken Head, I love their neon sign!

Every Sunday at Otto's Frank Wood hosts the popular, "Wind Down Sunday," that hosts a good number of bands and there's no cover. It's a great deal and a fun night.

Tiki carved heads are on display in the front window.

And here we are inside Otto's. It's always nice and dark in here with a bit of a green glow. A nice little oasis.

And here's Lani! Lani's a musician and songwriter and has a new band called, Tania and the Revolutionaries.

Here's the new CD, check out some of the tunes and more information here: Tania and the Revolutionaries.

A shot of some of the lit-up bottles behind the bar.

The view from my perch at the bar.

A hula goddess hangs on the wall in the front of the bar.

And here's the host of the evening, the legendary Frank Wood! I told him that Clacky sends his regards from Australia and he said to say hello, so hello to Clacky from Frank Wood! Then he told me to stop stalking him via my blogs!

Then Goggla and Ed showed up, Ed was a llttle camera shy, so I took a solo shot of Goggla. Then she gave me a gift...

A Gumby shot glass! Too cool! We Ottomized him with a monkey and an umbrella.

Time to break him in, Lani pours a shot of tequila in Gumby.

Cheers! Hey...you can't turn your back on that Frank Wood guy for a second!

A tiki mask and shelves of tiki mugs.

Wow, I was going to check out some of the bands, but it's standing room only.

So it's back to the front half of the bar.

I love the vintage cash register at the bar.

Some Tiki albums decorates this section of the wall in the bar.

Eric showed up and I introduced him to Frank.

Check out Eric's Mars Bar shirt, too cool! It's designed by NYC artist, Sergy and it's a design he originally put on the outside of the Mars Bar. Here's some photos of Sergey in action: EV Grieve. If you'd like a shirt, you can get one here, but you better hurry, there's a limited amount available. All profits from the shirts are going to a non profit charity.

And the party's complete as Lindsay, Shawn and the Duncester show up!

Meanwhile, back at the bar, it appears Gumby needs to build up a little tolerance!

So I took him home to join the rest of the Gumby family. See you all tomorrow!

Otto’s Shrunken Head
538 East 14th St. (Near Avenue A)
212-228-2240

Further Reading: Tiki Central, Village Voice and critiki.

Tania and the Revolutionaries

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Photo by Shawn Chittle!

Shawn sent me this photo. A Peoria Emporium in New York? Well, there's 7-Elevens on every corner now, so why not! Thanks for the photo, Shawn!

Saturday Night Cheeseburger

Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Starring the Old Homestead Steakhouse and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher! And now, please welcome our host, the Old Homestead Steakhouse!

Okay, as you see it's still light out and that's because we're headed out early. While bopping around the internet I found the following lunch special at The Old Homestead Steakhouse, check it out below.

All that for 22 bucks? It looks too good to be true, but it's only available from 1 PM to 4 PM, so today's Saturday Night Cheeseburger is actually happening in the afternoon. I went to the Old Homestead Steakhouse for the 365 bar crawl, I wonder if I'll see any familiar faces. It's only about five blocks away, so we'll see soon.

And here we are. The Old Homestead Steakhouse is a classic place, it's been on the block since 1868.

And check it out, "The Triumvirate of Beer Royalty," sounds good to me!

And so it's through the gold-leafed doors we go.

There's a small dining area overlooking the street in the front room as you enter.

And then there's the bar area, hey, I think I see a familiar face!

It's Robinson, the bartender who I met on my trip from the 365 bars dinner. He remembered me and said he had followed along on the bar trek. It was nice to catch up with him.

And Robert came up to say hello, he remembered me as well. This was a real reunion at the Old Homestead!

Looking up, I realized they had tin ceiling, I don't think I noticed that when I was here before. This is really a classic place.

Here's the long and somewhat narrow dining room. The fact that it's this crowded at three in the afternoon is a testament to how great the food and atmosphere is here.

Here's a shot of the other end of the highly polished wooden bar.

And as I return to my seat, the table is set. Saturday Night Cheeseburger is about to begin!

And here's the first course, a Caesar salad. Lots of grated cheese and crisp lettuce, a perfect starter.

And here's the main course, three mini burgers, with different toppings on assorted fresh rolls. They look fantastic!

Delicious and the roll is bakery fresh.

The Tater Tots are homemade and really crispy. I used them as a Palate cleanser between burgers.

Wow, that was a perfect meal. I'm full, but not stuffed and the burgers were top-notch. And the whole thing was just 22 bucks, best deal in the city.

Okay, one last look at the cow and we're off. Moo York, Moo York. See you tomorrow!

My Meal
I found the “Burger Diamonds” lunch special on the Old Homestead Steakhouse and it looked like a great deal for 22 bucks and it did not disappoint. What the special offers is three mini burgers: one made of Kobe beef, another chopped filet mignon and the last but not least chopped sirloin, they all have different toppings and you also get a Caeser salad and an order of Tater Tots, plus your choice of a beer or a glass of wine. So I ordered it an first up was the Caeser salad and it was crispy with fresh grated parmesan cheese and just the right amount of freshly made dressing. Then came the main course. The burgers were more like meatballs  and each one had its own unique taste and toppings. And the Tater Tots were really crispy and served as a good Palate cleanser between burgers.

The Old Homestead Steakhouse has been in this location for over a century and is a legendary and classic New York spot. In addition to 11 different cuts of steak, Old Homestead also offers: The Empire Cut of Prime Rib on the Bone; Colorado Rack of Lamb; Chilean Sea Bass and four styles of burgers. There’s also a raw bar and a large selection of appetizers including: Truffle Mac and Cheese; Crispy Kobe Bacon; Truffle Buttered Baked Potato and Oscar’s Buttermilk Onion Rings.

Cheeseburger Rating
Four Wimpy’s, great cheeseburgers and a great deal!

Old Homestead Steakhouse
56 Ninth Ave. (Near 15th St.)
212-242-9040

Further Reading: Time Out New York, TV Food Maps and Shecky’s.

Polk salad Annie polk salad Annie,
Everybody said it was a shame,
Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang.
(A mean, vicious woman.)

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Photo by Gene Rubbico!

The BBC were out in full force last night in Baltimore. Gene took this shot of Terry outside of the bar. I love that the sign just says, "Bar." Perfect! Great shot, Gene, thanks for sending it in!