Food

1569 Lexington Avenue off 100th Street
212/348.0200
$25 for two, without drinks, without tip
♥

For brunch one Sunday, we took the bus to the east side of Harlem and sat at the bar of Food. We watched ice skating on one TV and that weird game of stone and broom called curling on the other. Jewel also happened to be playing from their satellite radio. Food is a restaurant that seems out of place in the El Barrio area of the upper east side but it’s also one of the sure signs that the neighborhood is really changing. Space and rent prices are two of the reasons why businesses are opening uptown. They are also trying to reach those customers who have moved up for the same reasons. No one could have imagined two Asian people being served by a French man in Harlem just a few years ago.

Whether these changes are accepted or not, what we ordered were enough to start our day right: turkey burger with fries and huevos rancheros with bacon and beans. They were good, not exceptional, but the ritual of brunch is always better than the meal itself. I’m just glad Food makes it easier for us uptowners to partake in it.