Black Oak Nights – New York

Interested in an afterwork spot that can reinsert the soul into your New York City lifestyle after 10 hours of work has sucked the energy right out of you? Well, try anyone of these establishments, as they are sure to comfort your afterwork quest for relaxation and a peaceful mind before you have to get up and go back to work all over again!

Tillman’s – 165 W. 26^th Street, New York, NY
How can someone go to Tillman’s and not like it? It’s one of the best experiences in all of New York City, and there is no doubt that it’s a place where anyone can fit in. The music selection is on point, with both new and old musical choices from the hip-hop, R&B and soul genres. They even have the occasional live performance at Tillman’s. Of course, the weekend DJs (such as Qool Marv) add some true class to the joint, with an onslaught of Neo soul, Afro-beat and underground hip-hop. Tillman’s is also a great place to just chill. With swinging barriers that give each patron or party a since of privacy, it’s wise to come with a partner or a group of people if you’re interested in stirring up conversation. As for the food, it’s first rate—what you might call—gourmet soul food. In fact, “The Mack” (macaroni and cheese), which is made with sage, peas, mascarpone, bacon and bread crumbs, is reason enough to come to Tillman’s. Read the rest of this entry »

B. Smith’s

320 W. 46^th Street
New York, NY 10036

Barbara Smith, dubbed “the black Martha Stewart,” is far more than the cooking and preening white counterpart, but she is also the epitome of what the young people of her race aspire to be. She has turned herself into a brand name with both her cooking and style menus and her syndicated television show.

As for her restaurant, B. Smith’s, it’s located in the heart of the Theater District, serves up her world class cuisine to an abundance of theatergoing clientele every night. Even more customary are the patrons from across New York City who are long-time lovers of soul food. It is one of the most prominent and widely revered black owned restaurants in the New York City area. Hey, it is one of the better restaurants period!

Some of the more soulful delights of your dining experience here are a part of the appetizer menu. B. Smith’s Braise of Black-eyed Peas and Greens soup is about as hearty and tasty as soups come. And her stuffed snow crab claw with mixed seafood and spicy mango salsa will make you forget about ordering an entrée.

That is until you realize that you can you can appropriate platters like A Tumble of Field Greens and Grilled Vegetarian Ribs for you vegans. For the carnivore in you, there are plenty of soul food selections. The Southern Style Fried Chicken, although common, is as spectacular as it is recognizable. It is served with caramelized sweet potatoes and southern style greens that make you want to go back to your roots and sop it all up with a biscuit.

B. Smith’s Swamp Thing dish, with sautéed shrimp, scallops, and crawfish cooked in a Dijon cream sauce with southern style greens makes your moth water before you even finish describing it.

Some of the other succulent sounding and tasting dishes at B. Smith’s include, Curried Crisped Oysters, Fried Green Tomatoes, Algiers Seared Salmon, Thai-spice Wings, Corn Flour Crusted Calamari, and So Slow Roast Dry Rub Buttah Ribs. The list of notable sides includes, Pigeon Peas & Rice, Fried Sweet Plantains, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

As for the service and atmosphere, naturally, customers are often pleased with their dining experiences at B. Smith’s restaurant. The service is exquisite and the set up is extremely glamorous, designed to accommodate the pre-theater crowd. It is also a great place for kids and special occasions.

The prices are about what you expect for the Theater District; anywhere from $17-$34. However, there is a Prix-Fixe Menu that is only $19.95 at lunchtime.

Sylvia’s Restaurant of Harlem
328 Lenox Avenue
New York, NY 10027-3711

Located in the heart of Harlem at 328 Lenox Avenue (at 127^th Street), Sylvia’s Restaurant is the spot to be if you are a New Yorker looking for a nice plate of soul food. Everyone goes there, from parents and their children to daters and college students. And while the food is good, it’s the atmosphere that brings most people back. With delicate music, elaborate tables, and both a bar and a sit-at-counter, Sylvia’s is a warm restaurant with plenty of character.

Founded in 1962 by Sylvia Woods, Sylvia’s Restaurant started off in a small luncheonette in Harlem. She purchased that locale by borrowing money from her mother who had to mortgage her farm in order to do it.

Since then, the restaurant has boomed into internationally known restaurant. It is owned by Sylvia and the members of her family who take a hands-on-approach in the operating and management of the restaurant.

The new location at 328 Lenox is no luncheonette. It is a spacious and comfortable space with several rooms, including a separate room for private parties, and an adjacent building for special events.

As mentioned earlier, the clientele at Sylvia’s spans across all ages and, but it also encompasses people of different backgrounds, celebredom and cultures. Famous people such as Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, and Magic Johnson have appeared at the famed restaurant.

Finally, the menu! Sylvia’s offers up an array of soul foods that are hard to find throughout New York City. They offer American and soul food at all times of the day. Some breakfast specials include Salmon Cakes & Eggs and Country Style Slab Bacon. And in the evening, you can select from all sorts of dishes like the Smothered Fried Chicken, Tasty Carolina Grilled Fish, Chicken & Waffles, and Chicken Livers.

Sylvia’s also has daily specials that include Stewed Chicken and Dumplings on Monday. On Tuesdays and Wednesday, you can try the Meat Loaf with Sylvia’s Secret Sauce. And on Thursdays, there are the Stewed Turkey Wings.

Sylvia’s side orders are so special that they patrons select them individual of the entrée. Most people will recommend the Okra & Tomato Gumbo, Cowpeas & Rice and of course, they make one scintillating dish of Macaroni & Cheese that is second to none.

But there’s plenty more selections to choose from, so take a trip over to Lenox Avenue and sit down and enjoy a truly soulful experience.

Amy Ruth’s
113 W. 116^th Street
New York, NY 10026

As a young collegiate attending Columbia University on the Upper West Side of New York, I had practically given into the idea that I would not be able to frequent the foods of my childhood in area where Asian cuisine and pizza parlors were all the rage; especially among a community centered around such a liberal college. Of course, I was aware that Harlem wasn’t more than 10 blocks and a couple of avenues over, but even then, that didn’t guarantee me a nice home-cooked meal; and walking that distance in the bitter cold was not an amusing thought. Being from the South, I was accustomed to having easy access to black-owned restaurants serving food from black culture, but apparently, the access wasn’t so easy in Morningside Heights.

It was not long before some upperclassmen introduced me to Amy Ruth’s, a black-owned restaurant founded by Carl Redding, a former employed chef who decided to open his own restaurant when he found it apparent that getting high-end chef position was not fair game for a black chef.

Amy Ruth’s was only quick walk across Morningside Park or a $5 cab ride at worst. So when I got in, my friends took note of how I was grinning from ear to ear. When I sat down, I was immediately greeted by the most amiable of waiters. They were not dressed in some fancy uniforms, but they looked nice; they looked like me. My particular waiter on that night was very easygoing and really wanted my friends and me to enjoy our first time at Amy Ruth’s. After getting our drink orders, someone immediately returned with a couple baskets of cornbread. The cornbread was just as if my Grandmother had made it; moist and firm, yet it crumbled at the touch of my tongue. I am more of a ravenous eater, but after my first bite of that Amy Ruth’s cornbread, I decided that I was going to savor every last bite I had in that establishment.

The drinks were something you cannot get at any other restaurant. Growing up in low-income communities, I certainly had my share of kool-aid. You could even say I was something of a connoisseur. So you can only imagine my delight when I saw that Amy Ruth’s menu had an array of kool-aid flavors, including a flavor of the day for every day of the week. My friends and I jumped on this opportunity, and when the kool-aid returned we were very excited considering most of us had probably not had kool-aid in some time.

The time we spent waiting for our food, although short, was quite entertaining. Many of us were full off the unlimited refills of their delectable cornbread. That mixed with sugar-aided kool-aid combined to fill up our stomachs with relative ease. We talked and enjoyed ourselves in the mist of what was a very comfortable set-up, filled with sociable people from Harlem’s black community. There were plenty of young people, old people, singles, couples, families, and churchgoers enjoying their food and the atmosphere, for what seemed to be almost like a tradition for most of them. There were several birthday parties, celebrations and a special event up stairs during our visit. All of this made Amy Ruth’s an extremely fun place to be.

When our food arrived, the collection of Southern-style goodies was amazing. Even though it was 7 o’clock, our table was filled with an array of breakfast dishes, including chicken & waffles, waffles with fried shrimp and waffles with fried catfish. Us dinner-goers enjoyed entrees like lump meat, short ribs, salmon croquettes, smothered pork chops, and braised chitlins. The sides included string beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, collard greens, cabbage, candied yams, okra and plenty more.

All and all, my first time at Amy Ruth’s was one that has inspired me to continue making the trek up to Harlem, 2 years after I moved way south of Columbia and almost 6 years since the first time I dined in this wonderful black-owned establishment.