It's as if Ligaya Mishan is using this column as a way to sharpen her writing skills. She is wrong too often to have any real knowledge of food or respect for the truth, for that matter. Why bother Hungry City? By comparison, Yelp suffices.
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Sorry, but the food described in the review is NOT traditional Liberian food. It seems like the owner/chef has taken elements of food eaten in Liberia, such as the leaves of the sweet potato, and transformed the ingredients for American tastebuds. Plus the name of the restaurant "Serengeti" is the name of a wild animal park in Eastern Africa, whereas Liberia is in West Africa. Tea is also not a common drink in Liberia. Tea drinking is more common in Eastern and Southern Africa. Given that many Americans have limited knowledge of Africa, the reviewer should have explained some of these distinctions.
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I am dumbfounded by this review and it really makes me want to go eat there BUT we had a wildly horrible experience eating here just last week. One of the worst meals I've had in years - anywhere, truly. The nice gentleman who served us was overburdened as he seemed to be do everything while some helpers could have assisted The food took over an hour and a half to arrive. The fish was beyond overcooked and almost inedible but I was so starving at that point that I ate it. The jolof rice tasted like Uncle Ben's. There were pluses: delicious bread with a wonderful dipping oil. We begged for more while we were waiting endlessly for our meal but it never came. Another plus were the teas at the end which were unique and delicious. The decor is also nice. Sadly, many of the items mentioned in this review were not available when we ate there. I really wanted to love it and love the tea shop but was super disappointed and won't be back. The next day I had a delicious meal at Renaissance Harlem (also African-owned) with delicious food, fantastic service and better prices. They deserve such a positive review as this one.
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Live and learn. That is one reason I usually go back to restaurants where I enjoy both the food and service. There is no excuse for either one being bad. Talk to the manager first, If it does not help, let all your friends know, and STOP going there again. That may fix, if not it will go out of business by its own doing.
Lee P.: I have not eaten at this place, but I had a similar negative experience at another "Hungry City" restaurant, in that the food--of an ethnicity with which I'm well familiar--was mediocre at best. That experience led me to a much closer reading of these write-ups. What I discovered in parsing them is that the romance of the backstory appears to play a huge role, enough to cause Ms. Mishan to gloss over what would be considered major flaws in a more mainstream place. You expected a modicum of expediency in service and quality in cooking, neither an unreasonable hope for a place that takes money to feed customers, and were disappointed on both; this review says: "Time bends here; a meal might take four hours, even when the dining room is empty. The kitchen is still finding its footing — or, perhaps, you are being asked to pause and learn a different pace of life."
I do not fault the restaurateurs promoted in the column. They surely must be doing the best they can. And they probably fuss over the dishes to be photographed in ways they may not over regular plates. My own experience elsewhere was at odds with the slide show, too. (I've been at photo shoots for other, "mainstream" restaurants, and everyone wants to make the food look especially enticing.) But I no longer make the special trip to eat at Hungry City restaurants.
Caveat lector.
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@ Suzanne Fass Upper Upper Manhattan
You wrote, "... the romance of the backstory appears to play a huge role, enough to cause Ms. Mishan to gloss over what would be considered major flaws in a more mainstream place". -- I do not know, whether I am allowed to say this, but I find Ms. Mishan's reporting, as if it were more motivated by social ethno-regional sentiments, than by an analysis of the cuisine.
Great review, and a great new addition to Harlem. In Spain, where I was recently, a tasting menu is anywhere from $50 to $100, and that's not New York!!!!
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I'll bet the food tastes as good as it looks in these beautiful photos.
Heading that way real soon.
Sure, I'll call ahead con mucho gusto.
Don't change a thing.
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sounds wonderful; please give us the name of the woman who inspired the chef; just saying grandma does not give me a flavor of the woman who gave him the memories; will plan to visit when in NY;
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Lovely review, but a tasting menu for $65, yikes. The hefty price, even if ingredients are more rarified, doesn't seem to correspond with the appeal of having one's grandma or grandpa coming over for conversation, unless it's a very wealthy grandma and grandpa.
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@ Christopher P. NY, NY
Do not forget the rule of thumb, when visiting a restaurant written-up in a paper: do not worry about the prices, close your eye and enjoy the food.
If you visit this restaurant, please tell other readers what Serengeti in Tanzania has to do with Liberia.
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Christopher P.: Are you objecting to the price because you think "ethnic" food = cheap food? $65 is VERY reasonable for a tasting menu made with difficult-to-source ingredients. You need to read Pete Wells's review to get an idea of how favorably this compares with, say, an "ethnic" French menu.
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@ Suzanne Fass Upper Upper Manhattan
I love your reference to an "ethnic" French menu!
It is the only way to rub against the grain the politically correct pharisees who associate "ethnic" with the cuisine of the remote continents.
I love the tea store and can't wait to try the new place- thank you for writing a great story!
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