Category Archives: business

Il Forno Pizza and Salad in Harlem aiming to open in two weeks

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Over the Fourth of July holiday, I caught up with Henock Kejela, the owner of Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant in Harlem and the soon to be Il Forno, a new pizza and salad place, that will be located at 135 West 116th Street, between FDB and ACP Blvd. Kejela told HarlemGal Inc that he is planning on opening his second eating establishment in Harlem in about two weeks. The main product at Il Forno will be fresh pizza made in a wood burning oven.

Kejela let us come inside to take pictures of the work in progress at Il Forno in Harlem. The pizza place is going to have a clean, crisp look. The walls and floors will be predominately white with subway tile on the side walls, and black and white circle tile for the floors. The only color in the place will be on the wood burning over, which was specially made in California and shipped to Harlem.

In my view, this pizza place will be well worth checking out when it opens. The Harlem community knows Kejela can deliver. Zoma, located on the southeast corner of FDB and 113th Street, has received outstanding reviews from the media and is one of the few dining establishments in Harlem that has a Michelin rating. With those kind of credentials, I can’t wait for Il Forno in Harlem to open! Stay tuned…

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Harlem Tavern reaches one year mark, a look back in photos and blog posts

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More than 12 months ago, the northwest corner on 116th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem was an abandoned gas station locked up in jail-like bars. Does anyone remember how this corner looked back in the day? Fast forward to today, this corner in Harlem is now a bustling section, decorated with red outdoor umbrellas, filled daily with Harlemites, who are dining inside or outside, and it’s now the permanent home of Harlem Tavern, the second beer garden to open in South Harlem after bier international.

Can’t remember how Harlem Tavern came together and reached its one-year milestone? No worries. Let’s wish Harlem Tavern happy anniversary by reflecting back in photos  and with some popular blog posts. Cheers!

Harlem couple invest in where they live creating Harlem Tavern-August 20, 2010

Inside Harlem Tavern-June 12, 2011

An exclusive look at Harlem Tavern’s menu-June 12, 2011

Harlem Tavern goes unisex with you know what!-June 17, 2011

A crowd descends on Harlem Tavern opening night-July 2, 2011

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The Park Wine Bar to open in Harlem, self serve bar will join Harlem’s restaurant row

The Park Wine Bar will be making its home in Harlem at 2080 Frederick Douglass Blvd, which is on Harlem’s restaurant row. According to its website, The Park Wine Bar will be “Harlem’s first and only self-serve wine bar. Patrons can choose between a taste, a half glass, or a full glass of wine.” The Park Wine Bar in Harlem plans to “stock several bottles of each wine in WineStations so if patrons can find something they love or can even take a bottle home.” All this info is on their website, click here to learn more.

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New Boutique Wine Shop and Art Gallery Opens in Harlem’s Hamilton Heights

The Harlem Wine Gallery has opened in Harlem’s Hamilton Heights, according to a news release sent to HarlemGal Inc yesterday. The Harlem Wine Gallery, which is located at St. Nicholas Avenue and 148th Street, is owned by entrepreneur Ken Forte. Forte’s vision for Harlem Wine Gallery was borne out of Forte’s long-held disappointment with the quality of retail stores in urban communities. Inside the new establishment, the racks are arranged by region, taste and cuisine. Harlem Wine Gallery will also have free tastings and events several times a week. Stop by Harlem Wine Gallery soon. Details are listed below!

Harlem Wine Gallery
752A St. Nicholas Avenue at 148th Street
New York, NY 10031
(212) 281-9463
Hours of Operation: Daily from 1 – 10pm

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Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem hangs rainbow flag showing pride

Melba’s Restaurant, located on the southwest corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 114th, wasted no time today in showing her pride outside her establishment. Her staff was up bright and early this morning (June 24)hanging the rainbow flag out front, which represents gay pride! Way to go Melba’s and Happy Gay Pride Day to all.
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Frederick Cafe Bistro takes credit cards

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I went by Frederick Cafe Bistro this morning (June 22) to get an iced latte and a blueberry muffin, and found out they take credit cards as another form of payment. I assumed the cafe only took cash because it is under the same ownership as bier international, which I believe they only take cash, so this was a nice surprise this morning to find out I can use my credit card at Frederick Cafe Bistro!

If you haven’t stopped by Frederick Cafe Bistro, it’s on the southeast corner of FDB and 114th Street! They offer delicious coffee, pastries and pressed sandwiches!

Marcus Samuelsson to host Harlem Community Day June 25

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I am convinced that someone has cloned Marcus Samuelsson, celebrity chef/owner of Red Rooster Harlem and Ginny’s Supper Club. He is everywhere! I recently saw him at the New York City Coalition Against Hunger Spring Gala, where he was honored for his work on hunger issues, and then we all saw him and his wife Maya in the June issue of Vogue,the glamorous fashion magazine. Next up for Marcus is community day in Harlem. The Harlem resident will host a Harlem Community Day on Monday, June 25, in support of his forthcoming memoir, Yes, Chef.

The neighborhood-focused day will be held from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Marcus Garvey Park at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater (123rdStreet and Mount Morris Park West) and is free to the public.

Yes, Chef, is due out on June 26. It describes Marcus’ love for Harlem and his gratitude towards the Harlem community. In continuing to put the spot light on Harlem, Marcus has chosen to launch Yes, Chef at Marcus Garvey Park a day before the book’s national release. He will introduce the book with a fun-filled roster of activities and offerings that celebrate the residents, organizations and businesses of the neighborhood. Events will include cooking demonstrations, dance and musical performances, a greenmarket showcase, a yoga class, food and beverages, and a special Q and A with Marcus about Yes, Chef.

Doggedly Devoted coming to Harlem with plans to open in July

A doggie daycare and training center is coming to Harlem and it is aiming to open the first week in July. Doggedly Devoted will be located at 1400 Fifth Avenue, between 115th and 116th Street, in Harlem. They will accommodate small and large dogs in cage-free, social daycare. Potential clients can call or email to have their dog’s interview done this month before it opens in July.

Contact details are:
Phone: 646-450-2053
Email: info@doggedlydevoted.com or
Web

Let’s help kickstart Seasoned Vegan in Harlem

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Who was inspired by the recent  New York Daily News article about The Beeners and their effort to open Harlem’s first full-service, vegan soul food restaurant? I certainly was! According to the article, Chef Brenda Beener and her son Aaron (mother and son), plan to open their vegan restaurant in August on Frederick Douglass Blvd. near 116th St., which is also known as Harlem’s restaurant row. But before they can open their establishment there is some major financing they must have in place, around $250k. The Beeners have turned to Kickstarter.com (and to us) to help them reach that sum.

There are various donation levels on their Kickstarter page from $5 to $500. If you are interested in helping Seasoned Vegan in Harlem become a reality, make your donation here.

Is Jado Sushi in Harlem starting off in the community on the wrong foot?

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It has been really fun and exciting lately to blog about some of the recent openings happening in Harlem, such as The Corner Social, Harlem Food Bar and Frederick Cafe Bistro. All these places have opened with such positive fanfare and the management behind these establishments are a delight to work with. However, there is one dining establishment on Frederick Douglass Blvd that is getting ready to open and I am finding it difficult to rave about. I am contemplating not evening dining there. Why? You may or may not know that there’s been an ongoing conflict between the owner of Jado Sushi, which is located in The Douglass Condo retail space (2118 FDB), and the owner of Land Yoga, which has been established in The Douglass for almost a year now and is Jado’s neighbor to the right.

According to online reports, Land Yoga in Harlem has been respectfully asking Jado Sushi, which is owned by the same person who owns The Winery on 116th Street, to kindly sound proof the restaurant so that it does not affect the environment of the yoga studio. Those multiple requests to Jado Sushi have been ignored to date, according to Land Yoga. HarlemGal Inc contacted The Winery asking for comment about Land Yoga’s request to sound proof and they did not respond.

Another reason I am blogging about this now is ’cause multiple readers have asked, why have you not mentioned anything about Jado Sushi in Harlem on your blog? Well, this is why. I am aware of the conflict going on between Jado and Land Yoga in Harlem.

For conversation sake, I have even asked Harlem business owner(s) about this and most have informally commented it is the responsibility of Jado Sushi  to sound proof the place since they are coming into a retail area that has already been established, apartments above the Jado space will more than likely complain about the noise below so it’s best to sound proof now rather than later and its the politically correct thing to do. Most of the businesses on FDB support each other. Yesterday, I read that the owner of Melba’s stopped by Harlem Food Bar recently to show her support. That’s classy!

Personally, I am not clear on why Jado Sushi would not want to sound proof the place now versus wait until later like when more complaints potentially come in or this get’s escalated into a potential legal matter. Then again, maybe it’s not Jado’s responsibility to sound proof their place or is it? Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Should Jado Sushi in Harlem sound proof its place to accommodate Land Yoga?

And as for dining at Jado Sushi, at the moment I don’t want to even think about going there when it opens knowing this conflict is nowhere near a resolution and that I might be interrupting someone’s yoga practice-if Jado is not sound proofed. It doesn’t feel right as a long time practicing yogi. That’s another reason why I can’t get excited about this place and starting to believe that Jado Sushi just might be starting off in Harlem on the wrong foot leading to an uneventful opening.