I was fortunate enough to be invited to an event at Saveur's Test Kitchen featuring chef Marcus Samuelsson.
He previewed dishes of his soon-to-be-opened Harlem restaurant Streetbird Rotisserie.
Everything he served at Saveur was deliciously spicy and flavorful: 1st course: Bird Broth/ 2nd course: Crispy Chicken w/ Peanut Scallion, Hot Wings, Roasted Chicken w/ Spice Shake, Veggie Fried Rice, Sho'Nuff Noodles, Rotisserie Vegetables/3rd course: Sweet Dog
I was there with my friend Jen T Hong. We enjoyed the food as much as we did Marcus' stories about the sauces displayed on the table, one bowl was labeled "Man with a Headband" and another "G-Cowboy" and so Marcus explained...
The first customer who came into the Mexican restaurant that Marcus had taken over ( El Maguey Y La Tuna in LES where he hosted a Streetbird pop up) was a really cute 65 year old Chinese guy who wearing a ridiculous headband and thus the ginger scallion sauce was named after him..."Man with a Headband."
The other sauce on the table was labeled "G-cowboy" named after the second customer who walked in. According to Marcus "He was a black cowboy and I'm from Sweden and what do we love about America that we don't get in Sweden? Black cowboys."
And there you go folks. Marcus is not only an amazing chef but one cool dude with great energy and lots of fun stories. I feel lucky to have been there that night for a chance to hear & taste each tale.
