Strictly Roots

I live in the New York area, but I rarely make it up to Harlem. There are lots of fantastic resturants in the area which are incentives for me to venture uptown, but that long subway ride just seems too far...especially where there are so many other closer options. (Okay so maybe the subway ride doesn't actually take that long, particularly on the express train-but it sure seems far when I'm on the lower east side). Well anyway, yesterday I finally made it and I decided to try something new. Instead of my usual Ethiopian fare, like at Zoma (oh it was soooo hard to walk by this place and not go in), I figured I'd give a new place a shot.

(I didn't take a photo of the outside because the street was crowded and I didn't want to look like a tourist-next time I'll just do it...probably)

I decided to try Strictly Roots. It's an all vegan Carribean restaurant on 123rd and Adam Clayton Powell. The decor is modest but the guy behind the counter was very friendly and inviting. Here they have a hot bar with prepared foods and a seperate menu you can order from. Since I was famished when I got there I decided to get food from the hot bar.

When there you can choose between a "half order" and a "full order" of each item so I decided to get half orders so I could try several things.  I ordered the greens, cabbage, mashed potatoes and a tofu stirfry. The tofu stirfry was by far my favorite. It was really flavorful and had onions and greens mixed in it in a tomato based sauce. The mashed potatoes were also pretty good, although a little standard, but I found the greens and the cabage to be a little bland but they were better after I spiced them up with some hot sauce (luckily they had some on the table).

My bf ordered a veggie burger and fries which I loved. (actually I kinda wished I had ordered one for myself after trying it).

But here's what you need to know. The veggie burger was really greasy but in a way that really appeals to me. It also had fried onions and lettuce and tomato on a wheat bun. Plus the fries were fantastic. Also greasy, these fries remind me of the ones I used to get at Checkers when I was a kid.

The prices are pretty affordable, the meal came to about $21 and that included a fresh juice. All around this was a pleasant dining experience. I'm still not sure how often I'll actually make it to Harlem, but when I go, this can certainly be a contender...