A Taste of Harlem Part Two

(Warning, do not read an empty stomach.)  My first visit to Harlem featured the sights and tastes of this legendary neighborhood during the Taste Harlem food and culture tour and I had to re-visit the experience with my husband.  The tour includes two and half hours of eating, sight-seeing and historical facts provided by owner Jackie Orange and it is not for the faint-hearted.  So many flavors, visions and sounds are packed into the tour that you need a few hours afterwards just to process it all.  It kicks off with Amy Ruth's Soul Food restaurant and the requisite chicken and waffles, a dish created in New York during the Harlem Renaissance.

Next, we sampled Senegalese cuisine at Les Ambassades, a chic and popular eatery in the Little Senegal area of Harlem.

Grilled tillapia and couscous was the taste treat and as you can see, it was a whole lot more than just a taste.

Senegalese food is one of my personal favorites so while my husband scarfed down the tillapia, I sipped on my favorite drink, tangy bissap juice, which is called sorrel in the Caribbean and Jamaica agua fresca in Mexico.

Next, we strolled to Tropical Grill Dominican Restaurant although everybody was moving pretty slowly by this point.

We sampled a passion fruit shake (another favorite) with yellow rice and grilled chicken. I actually only sipped on the shake but the food was good, according to my husband.

To top off visits to Lee Lee's bakery for rugelah and stops to view public art, we wound up the tour at Jacob Soul Food restaurant.

Oxtails, collard greens, sweet potatoes and mac n' cheese were the samplings for this spot. I just looked at it, my hubby said it was also all good.  I'd like to tell you that we took a nap after all of this but we headed to Central Park to see a performance of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Hey, it's New York, sleeping is not allowed.