The Clever Root

Winter / Spring 2016

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W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 | 5 7 LIDO An early settler on the street, Lido stands out as somewhat of an anomaly: an Italian- themed restaurant with a British-born society caterer helming the kitchen. But Ex- ecutive Chef Serena Bass proves that even traditional fare plays well on the block. "In my experience people want food that's a little bit familiar and better than they've ever had it before," she says. The bob-haired Bass has catered events for A-list celebrities and blue-chip companies, ran a popular nightclub in the Chelsea Hotel and, along the way, picked up a James Beard Foundation award. Susan- nah Koteen, a co-owner of Lido, who used to work for Bass, said she wanted to have a restaurant reflecting Harlem's second renaissance. "It's the kind of place I wanted in the neighborhood—it's pretty and clean and we work hard to make it competitive with any restaurant in the city and we have ap- petite for it," Koteen said. Bass says her top priority is not alienat- ing customers. "My aim for the restaurant is to please everybody . . . but I get inven- tive," she said. "It's not a very, very Italian restaurant—we push that envelope around a lot. We'll have a panino with short ribs, pickled onions and horseradish mayon- naise—it's like English Sunday lunch gone wrong, gone Italian," she said with a laugh. Her tastes are eclectic and usu- ally driven by what she sees in the Fort Greene (Brooklyn) market near her home. This fall she was on a jag with carpaccio of red and yellow beets with blue cheese. "Whatever I see, I'm going to find a way to incorporate it." Lido, 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd. Ragu of roasted duck, root vegetables and porcini on crisp polenta square. ANGEL OF HARLEM Joining the fusion train is Angel of Harlem, the second local restaurant by Anahi Angelone, who owns the nearby Corner Social pub. At Angel, she combined Caribbean and Latin influences, and recruited Chef Cassandra Quinlan-Ashford, formerly of Tabla—Danny Meyer's former temple of haute Indian cuisine—and Skylark, an upscale gastropub, for an elevated tapas menu to comple- ment the savvy cocktail program. Angelone, who is Argentine-born, said she was influenced by the diversity of culture in Harlem. "Coming to Harlem, I met so many amazing people from the islands—Trinidad and Jamaica and Cuba . . . [but] there was no real place in Harlem where you could have Latin or Caribbean food," she said. "Now it's the cool thing to do—hang out in Harlem, and the quality of what we're putting out there is better than what you could find even two years ago." Despite working with a myriad of flavors and textures, Chef Quinlan-Ashford said she likes to keep it "simple, real and sexy." The open kitchen, she noted, helps keep the staff connected to its clientele, and keeps them honest about their ingredients. "I like the main ingredients to speak for themselves. You should be able to taste the prawns and the orange zest and every ingredient—generally, no more than five—and five is a lot. I definitely like to keep things seasonal, somewhat comforting and personal." When asked what trend she's like to see to away, she said, "Fusion. I don't understand it." She laughed, and reached for a chip to dip in her simple guacamole. Angel of Harlem, 2272 Frederick Douglass Blvd. Owner Anahi Angelone (right) with Chef Cassandra Quinlan-Ashford at Angel of Harlem. Guacamole made with roasted jalapeños, tomato, onion and lime, and topped with queso fresco and smoked paprika. Served with plantain chips. Pepper prawns with cilantro, garlic and house-made Scotch bonnet sauce, served with plantain chips. ■cr

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