…Archive for the ‘restaurant’ Category…

Charles’ Pan Fried Chicken

You know how sometimes you read a restaurant review and it literally calls your name? No? That’s weird… Happens to me ALL THE TIME. I saw a review for Charles Pan Fried Chicken and knew that we were meant to be together.

All you can eat fried chicken in Harlem? Yes, please!

I went with my trusty side-kick, Leslie. Theoretically, we should have been able to walk there from her temporary apartment but that unfortunately didn’t end up working out. We started walking on a highway towards Yankee Stadium and panicked because we thought we might get left for dead and no one would find us for weeks. We decided it may be a good idea to look up directions but Leslie didn’t want to take out her brand new iPhone because she didn’t want to get mugged, so of course, she made me take out MY phone. Apparently my life is worth less than hers. So to make a long and ridiculous story short, we ended up going back and forth across a bridge (we later found out we were on the right track) several times, burning many many calories, and then finally decided to just take a cab 9 blocks.

It was worth it. (See pictures)

I particularly liked the barbeque beef We got all you can drink lemonade and a piece of corn bread as well! #win All of the food was amazing and generously seasoned. (There were a lot more options than pictured) The service was also great. There’s limited seating though, so if you want to take your food on the go, you can get a large plate for about $10.

For a $15 buffet, it’s definitely a good deal. Especially if you can put away a lot of food. I told Amy about it and she ended up going a few weeks later with her dad. Positive reviews all around. Amy recommends the smothered chicken.

If you’re in the neighborhood or just want to eat a ridiculous amount of food, I definitely recommend Charles’ Chicken.

Margot Restaurant

After Leslie and I stuffed our faces at a baby shower, we decided that we wanted MORE food, so we perused on Yelp for some good eats. (this is why we are friends)

I found Margot Restaurant, which was nearby and therefore would take very little time to get to my door, and gave it a try since it had gotten some good reviews. We had been joking about fried chicken for the last…oh…two months, so the fact that it had fried chicken on the menu was clearly a huge draw.

Here’s the spread:

… for two people… who JUST ATE.

The fried chicken was, as expected, delicious. With some lime juice, it was perfection.

Here was the pepper steak that came highly recommended. It was… meh. Good but not anything to write home about, although I suppose that’s essentially what I’m doing.

The man on the phone INSISTED I get this rice and peas dish. Thank goodness I listened because it was my favorite out of everything we got. Salty and delicious with a hint of… lime juice? Divine. I ate it for two more meals.

Excuse the blurry picture. I was VERY excited to eat it.

We also got some straight-forward rice and beans, which were also very good. I think all of this food came to be just $22 so it was definitely a win.

If you’re ever in Harlem (which for most of you will be never), you should give it a try – although I hear the actual restaurant is pretty small and has very little seating. So… if you’re ever at my apartment, let’s order from Margot again. Consider this your invitation

Recipe

A couple weeks ago, I went to Recipe with a couple friends. I had been hearing good things about this Upper West Side restaurant so I decided to “stop by” on a Saturday evening to see if they had a table for three and they basically laughed in my face. This place is tiny so if you don’t have reservations at least a few days ahead, you probably need to go elsewhere…

We sat down at a tiny table (the other tiny tables were just about a foot away from ours) (note to self: don’t go during flu season) and were handed these cute little guys:

Of course, Leslie immediately broke her little clothespin. Typical

We started with a bread basket that came with honey and butter. We all know that aside from dessert, my favorite part of the meal is the bread so I was a little disappointed when we had to pay $3 for this bread basket but ah well. It obviously didn’t break the bank. And the bread was warm and delicious and fresh!

Oh, yes.

Abby and Leslie both got two appetizers but I went for the Braised Duck Leg & Shaved Foie Gras Torchon with lentils, swiss chard, kale, in a caramel duck jus.

At least that’s what the menu said but I can tell you that I definitely had duck… it was definitely braised…. and came with this wild rice with kale, corn, and snap peas. Yum!

Also, how is it okay that duck is pink? Isn’t it basically like a chicken? Did I just lose 30 readers by saying that because I actually know nothing about food??

Oh, well.

I couldn’t finish my portion but I will tell you, that the sauce was divine and I’m pretty sure all of the rice/veggies mixture was consumed.

Leslie and Abby were happy with their dishes, too. I think Abby had either a pumpkin or butternut squash soup and a foie gras plate and Leslie had a salad and this amazing tomato tart with cheese, sitting on top of a thick slice of chewy bread.

The service was friendly and it’s a great, casual atmosphere. I definitely recommend it for a date

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