Harlem cuisine is soul food cuisine. In the Afro-American neighborhood of New York there are two places to eat and taste typical and incredible dishes.
When I was in New York for ten days, I decided to stay in the neighborhood of Harlem. While it used to be almost risky to think of staying in Harlem, today it is one super quiet area, especially the southernmost part that borders with Hyde Park. I was right there, close to the green of the park and enough inside the neighborhood to breathe the atmosphere. I have to be honest, if I went back I would make the same choice. Not only are houses cheaper in Harlem, I had a rented apartment, but being close to the subway stops you can get anywhere in less than half an hour. The ten-day NYC itinerary I followed was detailed in a separate post, if you're wondering.
In Harlem I happened to eat out, especially in the evening when I came home dead tired, and I found some very nice places that I want to recommend.
First of all the kitchen, suol food. Soul food cuisine is there cuisine of afro americans, the term is from the 60s and recalls the poor kitchens of blacks in America, but reworked with the richer and more caloric ingredients of North American kitchens. Personally I found this cuisine excellent and if I had discovered it earlier I would have eaten more often in these restaurants. If you are in Harlem one night, I recommend one of these two restaurants, both tried by me.
Amy Ruth's
I went to this little place in the morning for Sunday brunch. I tell you right away that to eat here not only you don't have to have breakfast, but you must also be hungry. The portions are gigantic and the food is nice heavy. That said the atmosphere is authentic and the service friendly, I felt like I was in a movie. The typical dish, also to be taken in the morning (brace yourselves) is the sweet waffle served with fried chicken. Yes, you read that right, a calorie bomb with a not bad taste, indeed excellent.
Chicken and fried fish were delicious, with crispy breading and an inside like butter, almost melted in your mouth. Then you can't miss the eggs, here they make them in all versions, but the scrambled ones are the most requested and you will also see it in the tables around you. Even though Amy Ruth's is now in all the travel guides, I didn't find many tourists, either because Harlem is not yet a tourist area at best or I don't know for what other reason, but I found this place quite authentic and I recommend it to anyone who decides to explore the Harlem area.
Silvia's Restaurant
I convinced myself to go to this restaurant in Harlem on the last or maybe the penultimate night in New York. Unlike the first one, which is a little more basic, here you can eat seriously, it's a real restaurant. It is said that Barack Obama came here to eat during one of his visits to the city and if he did, a jump can be done. The place is a bit formal, but no special dress is required. You might queue up a bit, especially on weekends, but it goes fast and after you order everything will arrive in minutes. The menu is rich, also in this case. Water, bread and butter will be brought to your table right away, so you can start eating something. There were three of us and I have to be honest, all three took different things and all three dishes were excellent and very abundant, you certainly won't go away hungry, on the contrary.
If you want to do something right, you prefer Silvia on Saturday night or Friday night, you will find many families and you can enjoy the atmosphere of the place to the fullest.
