It didn’t take very long for Marcus Samuellson’s restaurant to become the heart of Harlem’s social life, attracting everyone from celebrities to European tourists. The goal of Samuelsson’s kitchen is to turn out an upscale version of American comfort food, that he combines with the cooking of the various ethnic groups that populate the neighborhood, along with dishes that he enjoyed while growing up in Sweden. The result of this meshing of urban, rural and European flavors are a menu where dishes like dirt rice and shrimp, served with aged basmati, curry leaves and almonds, jerked bacon and eggs with brown beans and pikliz, and Helga’s Meatballs, served with lingonberries, braised cabbage and stewed dill potatoes, happily co-exist.