I had some success figuring out the location of John Grisham’s imaginary Camino Island novel’s setting. That June 13th blog, my most popular so far, has had over 5000 views. And now he’s done it again with another new best-seller, The Rooster Bar, about students in a sub-par law school buried in debt.
While I didn’t make a special trip to D.C. where Grisham’s new legal thriller takes place, I did find a Rooster Bar. This one’s in Harlem aka the upper upper east side of NYC. And it’s not a hidden dive bar, but a trendy food and watering hole, the Red Rooster!
The Elusive Rooster Bar Found!
This bar-restaurant combo, opened in 2010 by the Ethiopian-born and Swedish-raised Chef Marcus Samuelsson, has been a hot spot ever since. With such a unique background and cultural mix, visualize crab fritters, Helga’s Swedish meatballs, blackened catfish, and collared greens on the menu. A culinary adventure with the ease of the 2/3/5 subway station at 125th Street right outside the door.
Another Rooster Sighting On the Bar
And if you’re in the mood for music, a live jazz venue is downstairs. Ginny’s Supper Club, plush with great acoustics, serves food from the open kitchen upstairs. If future bands are half as good as the one we heard Thursday night, I’d have to give it a high-five recommendation.
The Red Rooster is crowded, especially at night, but you can book reservations via OpenTable. Here’s a link to their website. Red Rooster Harlem
My novel Aquavit doesn’t include a visit to the Red Rooster or a Rooster Bar. But there are scenes taking place at NYC restaurants and bars with the names slightly changed – a guessing game for readers familiar with the city. And there’s a few more favorite dining stops in Copenhagen, Denmark. Getting hungry or thirty? Head to Harlem, or for zero calories, check out my novel: Aquavit
KAREN STENSGAARD 