JEZEBEL'S
Opening in 1983, just down the block from us on the corner of 9th Avenue and 45th Street was a well-hidden soul food restaurant named Jezebel's. You could walk right past it and never know it was there (although there was a bronze plaque near the door.)
But once inside, you were in a different world. The owner, Alberta Wright, had roots in creole and Cajun cooking as well as owning an antique store in Harlem. And she used her antiques to her advantage. When it first opened, every table was different, from the lace table cloths, the dishes that didn't match, the silverware, even the chairs, wicker or rot iron, among others (at some tables for four or more, you might be sitting in a porch swing suspended from the ceiling) and art and potted palms were everywhere, along with brightly colored fabrics draped at the windows. It was all eclectic, tasteful and a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds.
Soul food to the max...Charleston She-crab soup,
chicken and waffles, filet of red snapper with cornbread oyster stuffing, a spicy creole seafood
platter along with okra, plantains, grits, candied
yams and black eyed peas.....finishing with bread pudding or coconut flaked sweet potato pie. It was the hot spot back in the day.
So naturally, we went there on special occasions or when friends were in town. One time that is most vivid in my mind, Fabian's cousin, Clark, was visiting us from Auburn, Alabama and we decided it would be the place to dine on a Saturday night. (I made the reservations well in advance.) We arrived and were seated and ordered our cocktails. As my eyes scanned the room, I audibly gasped. Fabian and Clark both asked what was the matter. I couldn't speak. I just pointed. Across the room sitting in one of the porch swings was Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The rest of the night is a blur. But it was a delicious blur. And never attained again.
The restaurant shuddered it's doors in 2007 and sadly Ms. Wright passed away in 2015 at the age of 84. Below is a photo on the day of the closing with Ms. Wright near one of her porch swings.
But once inside, you were in a different world. The owner, Alberta Wright, had roots in creole and Cajun cooking as well as owning an antique store in Harlem. And she used her antiques to her advantage. When it first opened, every table was different, from the lace table cloths, the dishes that didn't match, the silverware, even the chairs, wicker or rot iron, among others (at some tables for four or more, you might be sitting in a porch swing suspended from the ceiling) and art and potted palms were everywhere, along with brightly colored fabrics draped at the windows. It was all eclectic, tasteful and a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds.
Soul food to the max...Charleston She-crab soup,
chicken and waffles, filet of red snapper with cornbread oyster stuffing, a spicy creole seafood
platter along with okra, plantains, grits, candied
yams and black eyed peas.....finishing with bread pudding or coconut flaked sweet potato pie. It was the hot spot back in the day.
So naturally, we went there on special occasions or when friends were in town. One time that is most vivid in my mind, Fabian's cousin, Clark, was visiting us from Auburn, Alabama and we decided it would be the place to dine on a Saturday night. (I made the reservations well in advance.) We arrived and were seated and ordered our cocktails. As my eyes scanned the room, I audibly gasped. Fabian and Clark both asked what was the matter. I couldn't speak. I just pointed. Across the room sitting in one of the porch swings was Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The rest of the night is a blur. But it was a delicious blur. And never attained again.
The restaurant shuddered it's doors in 2007 and sadly Ms. Wright passed away in 2015 at the age of 84. Below is a photo on the day of the closing with Ms. Wright near one of her porch swings.
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