Harlem Tavern: Restaurant

I just visited the Harlem Tavern, located in 116th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard.  

This one is a though one to review. 

Why? Having a love hate moment.  

First impression :

Upon arrival we revived a nice welcome. 

The locale is nicely decorated. 

We had a reservation, and we were quickly seated. 

My husband was looking for parking and they didn't make us wait until all parties arrived, which a lot of restaurants do and I truly hate. 

Our waiter came over quickly. He was very nice ( and tall). The table was served water right away, which was nice since a lot of restaurants won't serve it without a request. 

The mimosas came out. Great!!!

Cafe, very good. Good java. 

Calamari (appetizer)- nicely fried. Crunchy  and golden. Not oily. The sauces were decent, nothing impressive. 

Took a trip to the bathroom. Plain and clean. 

The menu. The brunch menu has a decent selection of entrees for $14.95. The price includes coffee, soft drinks, juices, and ONE Mimosa or BloodyMary. The dishes offered and the normal brunch meals; steak and eggs, omlettes, French toast, salads. There was a Gumbo listed, which is different. 

I been trying to cut down on my meat, I decided to get a veggie dish. Portabella mushroom burger. It came with mozzarella cheese, zucchini, and a pesto sauce. 

We waited about 20 minutes for our food.  Not bad. 

I get my dish. Looks delish. 

I went for the fries. Cold !!!

My husband just swapped mine for his. 

Then I was going to it my burger and I got really confused. 

I called the waiter and asked if my burger was a cold or hot dish ? He confirmed, it was a hot dish. 

Some how, it managed to come out ice cold. 

I watched everyone eat their meal, while I had fries. Then everybody finished. Still waiting. My dish finally came out. I just asked to have it wrapped up. 

I decided to visit the restroom again. 

I saw my husband sign the bill. I thought it was a lite high, but didn't look. I just wanted to leave. 

Once we got in the car, I mentioned to him that the bill was high. He gave me the receipt. 

Gratuity was included- they include it for parties of 5 or more, which is fine, I just didn't know that a 3 year old counted towards the 5. 

Then there it was. They charged us twice for the portabella mushroom burger ( the burger that arrived at the same time, we were ready ). 

I returned to the restaurant. The manager  was nice. She said, I just need to credit you for the burger. I said yes, + tax and gratuity. 

She returned to explain to me that because it was a split bill ( 2 credit cards were used), the system automatically credit the other card. 

So, I asked her was, "so, I am still paying for my burger twice?"  

She said she would try again and if it didn't work, she offered a $20.00 giftcard, which to me wasn't ideal, but I said fine. 

On the 2nd try she was able to properly adjust. But then advised both payments would be pending on my card, until the reversal goes through. 

My final thoughts:

Location- accessible

Decor- decent 

Service- above average

A plus--

Food- umm... Didn't get to eat. 

My friend good a fancy cheese/ham/egg sandwich and was upset. On the menu it did not say it had blue cheese. She doesn't like blue cheese. 

Her sweet potatoes fries were cold. 

My fries were cold. 

My burger was very cold. It resembled leaving the fridge, more than the grill. 

Final veridict:

Nay.  Won't be returning. Overall experience was poor. 

Here are some pictures of the food:

That was my cold burger. 

My husbands dish

Yummy mimosa