Thursday, March 6, 2008

Eating Fried Shrimp With Mase in Harlem World.



125th Street was very good to me this past weekend. Fried shrimps and exclusive uptowns. What could be better bitch? Sticking with Harlem- what soundtrack had that track?

For years I've been driving past A Taste of Seafood, originally on the SE corner of 125th and Madison. A tiny spot that always had a line snaking out the door. In October of '07 they moved across 125th to a larger 2-floor establishment with tons of seating. Knowing I could snatch a seat and enjoy the meal, I hit it for the first time Saturday. Don't be fooled though, the line is still there. Probably waited 10-15 minutes to place the order, and waited an additional 10 minutes for the scrimps.



The menu here is a little more extensive then Famous Fish on 145th. You have a choice of whiting, red snapper, catfish, porgies and shrimp. Being my first time, I had to try the shrimp. If they pass the shrimp test then we good. I ordered the shrimp with 1 side (mac and cheese), sweet tea, and banana pudding. Came to $20, but Mr. Betha handled it, charging it to the game. Good looking Mase. "Come follow me," Jesus said, "And I will make you fishers of men." That's on the menu- true story.

I was a little surprised when the tray came and there were only 6 shrimp. It's not that there wasn't enough food, I just expected smaller shrimp, maybe 36/40, these were more like 16/20. That shit don't matter. What matters is that these were super fresh, moist, and meaty. The batter was salty, a bit too salty. My pool of tartar and hot sauce cut the saltiness. The mac and cheese was serious. Extra cheddar on top with a nice firm bite.



I don't see banana pudding that often, but when I do, I go in. Pudding, sliced bananas and nilla wafers- a beautiful collabo. I had to take it to go since the shrimp and mac n cheese had the kid stuffed. Several hours later in the crib it was still delicious.

Fueled up, now it was time to cop kicks. I heard that House of Hoops, the new exclusive basketball only Foot Locker offshoot, was dropping some forces. They carry some rare shit, the only spot in the US selling certain kicks. Originally they were carrying only b-ball kicks and player exclusives, but they recently started dropping forces and dunks.



Turns out they released a set of all black air force 1s with a different colored midsole and heel tab for each. Nice premium leather with a nubuck swoosh. Mad simple, but so fresh. I saw pics of the mustard yellow and black wine pairs and wasn't that moved. When I walked in and saw the olive/army green pair sitting there I got tingles. It's been so long since I walked into a store and hadn't seen the shoe in advance. The element of surprise is part of the fun. The internet's fucking things up. Copped the 11.5 and kept it moving. Usually I begin my "I hate copping kicks" litany, but fuck that. These are buttahs. Sticking with the times, I rather refer to them as wavy. Ask Max B.Had to talk myself out of going back Sunday to cop the black with cool gray pair.

A Taste of Seafood
59 E. 125th St. between Madison and Park Ave.
NY, NY 10035
212-831-5584
www.atasteofseafood.com
Mon-Thurs 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am 10 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm

House of Hoops
268 W 125th St. between Adam Clayton Powell & Frederick Douglass Blvd.
NY, NY 10027
212-316-1667

5 comments:

buckemdown said...

How do you expect me to post here more often when you keep blogging about seafood and sneaks? It's amazing we've remained friends this long.

HowFresh said...

The transition to kobe beef and tight shirts is tough. But I'm sure as shit working on it.

Unknown said...

Don't forget a blazer with your tight shirt.

What's that next to the banana pudding?!

buckemdown said...

"Don't forget a blazer with your tight shirt."

In due time yougin', in due time.

EverybodyAndTheyMomma said...

fresh forces