Chef Marcus Samuelsson Brings Red Rooster Favorites To Overtown
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - After months of delays, Chef Marcus Samuelsson's newest Red Rooster restaurant has opened in South Florida.
Samuelsson's flagship Red Rooster is in Harlem and there's another in London.
The latest opening in Overtown is housed in the former "Clyde Killen's Pool Hall," a notable hot spot in the 1960s.
"For us to open in the historical pool hall in Overtown, it's really something that's been our goal for the last four years. We gathered our staff, we lost staff, we were able to hold onto the staff. Wow, we're here and we're excited about the opportunity to serve," Samuelsson said.
The original plan was to open in March, then June, then more coronavirus pandemic delays. In the meantime, Samuelsson teamed up with Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen and his executive chef Tristen Epps. In total, they served some 15 thousand meals for Miamians in need.
"I really felt like you know we couldn't have anticipated what would happen during 2020 but that we did become part of Miami food community, restaurant community, in a completely different way than we ever imagined. I'm grateful to the team and led by Chef Tristan and Martin and I'm so excited to open Red Rooster Overtown," said Samuelsson.
The two-story restaurant includes a 209-seat main dining room, a huge outdoor garden patio, and a terrace.
"The great thing about being in Overtown is we have a lot of outdoor space. We have a gorgeous patio that we have, and we have a retractable roof so there's a lot of space and we wipe it down properly," he said.
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Executive Chef Epps prepares some of Red Rooster favorites including grilled Yellowtail Snapper with charred gooseberry salsa, avocado, and scattered herbs and Red Rooster's signature fried yardbird with dark meat chicken, sour orange hot honey, baked pigeon peas, hot sauce, and pickles.
"The food is really southern-inspired, right. It's African-American cooking at its core, obviously, with southern tradition but also low country. Chef Tristan is from the Carolinas so a lot of that, but a lot of Florida flavors and the islands like Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas," Samuelsson explained.
Samuelsson, who calls New York and Sweden home, is overjoyed to finally be here in Overtown.
"We definitely were very specific on opening in Overtown. It's a historical, extremely important part of Miami for particularly the African-American community. For us, to be part of that and be part of creating jobs not just during COVID, but anytime to create jobs in Overtown, is something that we're excited about. We're blessed and privileged to be able to open and we're grateful for that," Samuelsson said.
Red Rooster Overtown is open everyday for dinner beginning at 5 p.m.
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