Restaurants
Harlem Underground
Harlem Underground is the latest addition to chef Anthony Mair's soul food mini-empire, taking over the space from his previous Irie Food Joint and joining Richmond Street's Harlem Restaurant on the scene. I went by with some friends to satisfy a Sunday evening craving for something rich and comforting, and we weren't let down.
We started by sharing a plate of catfish Lafayette ($9), breaded and deep fried morsels of catfish served with barbeque sauce and jerk scallion mayonnaise for dipping. Catfish is about as mild a fish as you can get, so this dish is really about dipping deep fried breading, though the catfish did add some light, flaky texture.
The mains at Harlem Underground are all served a la carte (i.e. sides are ordered separately). We dove in and ordered a whole pile of them -- because having to choose between corn bread and deep fried pickles is a decision I hope I never have to make.
The corn bread ($4) was mildly sweet, dense and good. Deep fried dill pickles ($3.50) provided another opportunity to dip into some of that tasty scallion mayonnaise but were crunchy, sour and great on their own at a very reasonable price point. Big slices of candied yam ($5.50) were starchy and sweet, with awesome little bits of chewy caramelized sugar around the edges. We also tried the bacon mac and cheese ($6), which was creamy and satisfying. We split a bowl, but doing so strained the civility at our table as we got down to the last few bites.
For our mains, we couldn't resist trying Harlem Underground's take on fried chicken and waffles ($15), a dish so brazen in its contempt for health that it should come with an insurance rate hike. The fried chicken was perfectly executed -- juicy, tender meat covered in a thick, crispy batter -- served with some top-notch white chicken gravy and coriander-lime maple syrup. The waffles were a little on the cool side by the time we got them, so they didn't match the standard set by the chicken. Still, there's something about topping fluffy waffles with crispy fried chicken, gravy and syrup that is so wrong, and yet so very right.
The meat-and-waffles section of the menu also includes a pulled pork option ($15). The pork is served in a bowl with a liberal supply of caramelized onions. While the overall flavour was good, the meat was fatty and the bowl we received had a few bits of bone in it, which didn't make for a great overall experience with the dish.
The jambalaya ($19), on the other hand, was a third-deck home run. Man, it was good. The rice was packed with huge flavour and a spicy punch, not to mention the big chunks of crab, shrimp and chicken. The plate is topped with a filet of blackened catfish and four plump, tasty mussels, while vibrant red pepper and greens add texture.
Aside from a few qualms, our meal at Harlem Underground was full of big, bold, delicious food and friendly service. And while all that deep frying and gravy may not be great for the heart, it sure is good for the soul.
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Last Saturday at Harlem, my date and I sat for 30 minutes with nothing on our table. No water, no drinks, no menus. And no one had come to take our order. I had to get up and get menus myself. I finally flagged down a waitress and we ordered our food and drinks at the same time since we had had ample time to look at the menu and we figured it might take awhile given the service so far.
Our drinks took 15 minutes to arrive. And I had seen them sitting on the bar and had to flag down a waitress to ask if I could go grab them. We sat for another 45 minutes. No one came to check up on us. No one asked if we wanted another round of drinks. When someone finally came over, she informed us that she had forgotten to put in our food order. At this point, we decided to leave and go elsewhere. I was so disappointed and the whole process wasted nearly two hours of our night and put a damper on our plans for later on in the evening. Not to mention the fact that by this time, we were starving.
I have never in my life experienced service this deplorable. I was a waitress and bartender for 7 years and I know it takes two seconds to scan the room and see if anyone is sitting there with nothing on their table.
The worst part about it is this: I emailed them the next day with this list of complaints and they never even bothered to respond to my email. Goes to show how little they care about their patrons.
Pros
- nice vibe to the place. relaxed, comfortable atmosphere
- very friendly staff
- portions are large
Cons
- seriously slow service
- somewhat expensive
The food was average. It's worth trying but not good enough to go back for more. I'll check out the brunch one day, though, and I'll probably go back and try the dinner menu again in a while.
I'm not sure what the deal with the service is, it might be novice staff or just not enough of them.
Having said that, I fully expect that what this establishment ha done is rendered a new take on an old staple ex. "like my grandmas place" (what a huge complement!) which is fully expected and desired in my eyes.
I am thankful for your review and others like it. Now it's time for me to experince it first hand! : )
Life is short. Live big.
I was excited to try out Harlem with some friends on Saturday night. Sure, it was a packed night but that doen't excuse how terrible the service was. We sat there for 30 minutes before the waiter come over. Not even a drink order before then. Through the meal, the waiter lacked any personality and we felt rushed.
When the bill came, we figured out why the service was so terrible. There is a 15% gratuity charge automaticlly for groups. The server/owner does't care - they get a tip no matter how bad the service is.
Avocado-ginger hummus and spiced walnut paté with Harlem Crisps. Tasteless... it had a frozen bit in the middle and tasted bland ... complained, they brought us the spring rolls... some burnt and again, no taste. I was tempted to leave, but decided to try the mains.
Braised Beef Short Ribs - Seared and simmered in a rich thyme-molasses-scotch bonet pepper and vegetable stew. Served with collard greens and option of coconut rice and peas and Southern Fried Chicken - Crisp, tender and full of flavor. Served with collard greens and Mac-n-Cheese with a side order of coleslaw and corn bread. Everything was tasteless... no seasonings, no salt or even black pepper... the entire meal was awful. I got pure fat instead of meat from the braised ribs and the rice n peas tasted like we got the bottom of the pot and seemed like our food was microwaved as we tasted different temps through the food. The corn bread was tough and the coleslaw had mayo and cabbage, nothing else. I'm still waiting on the collard greens, although i did get carrots. I didn't even bother with dessert. Anyways, they gave us our food and pretty much forgot about us after. We went to pay the bill and i complained about the food some more and got a whoppin 10% off. No tip was given and the guy who ignored us, sorry, served us litterally BEGGED for a tip... I wasn't paying for bad food and tipping someone who pretty much ignored me. I've tried a few places from this review site and so far it's been sad... Imma have to ask friends for advice on where to have dinner... NEVER AGAIN HARLEM. A tip for HU... a lil salt goes a long way