Saturday, June 20, 2009

Central Harlem, 126th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue

I need to wrap this up tonight; I've been on it over 4 weeks, for god's sake. No wait a minute, one week of that was inactive due to vacation. Well, even three weeks is too long. Anyway, yesterday, I went on a new walk, in a new area for this blog: the meatpacking district! To visit the brand new High Line.

But in the excitement of the new, I cannot neglect the old. Below are two from the last block on 126th Street, and then I'll show you where I finally found dinner.



Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge




Mary Sargent © 2009 …… click to enlarge




You may remember I was looking for a place to have dinner and not having any luck.


Mary Sargent © 2009 ……….. click to enlarge

But here, what's this up ahead? Lenox Avenue and restaurants, primary among them, Sylvia's, the old-time famous Harlem soul food place. I haven't been there since the 80s when I went with a black man and we were treated a tad frostily. Twenty-four years later, maybe it's time to give it another chance. I enter. I see many large groups of white folks. In fact it looks like Sylvia's is the Harlem restaurant for white people. Not that there weren't any black people, but they were definitely outnumbered. I was very graciously shown to a table, alone in my singleness.

It is time for a drink, I think, looking over the cocktail list. Cocktails seemed safer than wine. I order a strawberry daiquiri, it seems like a good match for soul food.



Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Omigod, here it comes; it's topped with whipped cream and a cherry! I am mortified. Luckily, no one is paying any attention to me. I order a fried pork chop, candied yams and pickled beets. Whyyyy didn't I order collard greens, blackeyed peas, mashed potatoes, anything, but candied yams? The candied yams were triple sweet with some sort of non-yam taste to them. Pickled beets are pretty much pickled beets. The pork chop, however, makes everything worthwhile. I almost never eat pork anymore since it's gotten so lean and dry and tasteless, but I had a feeling Sylvia might know where to get some unevolved pork. She did. It was great. I would go back there just for that pork chop.


See map.

8 comments:

flyinglady said...

Hmm, what do you call that pretty drink?

Mary Sargent said...

THEY called it a strawberry daiquiri, but I have never seen a strawberry daiquiri or, for that matter, any kind of cocktail, with whipped cream and a cherry.

flyinglady said...

It's mighty purty. The cherry looks like it's suspended in a cloud.

flyinglady said...

Oh, and now I want a pork chop too.

Cee said...

I had an Aunt Sylvia who never cooked pork.

flyinglady said...

Hey Cee,

My mother used to cook pork for us and then would sit at the table and say she was going to be sick because it was treif. Sigh ...

hbs said...

A mighty pretty drink. but it shouldn't pack much whallop. I think I was 18 before I realized that REAL drinks weren't pretty, just filled with alcohol.

Anonymous said...

I'll have a Maker's Mark please.