Category Archives: food

Indulge in flan tasting in Harlem November 30-December 2

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and is ready for a busy Holiday Season. I know I am ready and one of the events I plan to check out this weekend, Nov 30-Dec 2, in Harlem is Flan Tasting! Yup, we can all indulge in all the flan we want from HerFlan.com at The Mink Building located at 1361 Amsterdam Avenue at West 127th Street. And the next best part, is that this event is FREE! SoHarlem.org has organized this event for one of its entrepreneurs, Sandra Hernandez, who has been creating rich tasting flan for more than a decade. All the details are listed below. See you there!

Sarku Japan and Sushi Express opens on 125th Street in Harlem

In a news release, Sarku Japan®, the largest Japanese Quick Service Restaurant chain in the U.S., announced yesterday that they opened a store on 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, this past weekend. Harlemites will be able to order from Sarku Japan® Teriyaki and Sushi Express “sizzling teriyaki and made-to-order sushi” that is traditionally found in mall food courts.

As to why Sarku Japan opened a store in Harlem, Harlem Franchisee, Vinny Vig said, “With the rise of Japanese quick service cuisine, I am confident that I’ve made a smart investment and am pleased to be offering the Harlem neighborhood a healthier alternative to traditional fast food.”

To learn more about Sarku Japan, click here.

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Evelyn’s Kitchen in East Harlem taking food and dessert orders for Thanksgiving Holiday

Need help in the kitchen for the Thanksgiving holiday? We hear Evelyn’s Kitchen in East Harlem can assist in both the food and dessert area. They are taking orders now for the Thanksgiving Holiday. All orders for Thanksgiving must be placed by Monday, November 19th. A 48 hours notice is required for all orders and pickup will be available until 10 pm on Wednesday, November 21st.

Evelyn’s Kitchen (EK) is a baked goods and catering company located at 2317 First Avenue in East Harlem. EK bakery creates delicious goodies right in East Harlem that can be picked up or shipped anywhere in the US. And they also have a cafe where walk ins can purchase a variety of “dangerously delicious desserts.”

To view and order from the holiday menu, go here. And to learn more about Evelyn’s Kitchen based in East Harlem, check out their website or Facebook page.

Evelyn’s Kitchen
2317 First Avenue, NYC 10035
646-476-7906
goodies@evelyns-kitchen.com

Looking for a new Harlem restaurant recommendation? Try Maison Harlem

If you’re looking for a new dining option in Harlem, here is a recommendation! Try Maison Harlem, located on the northwest corner of 127th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. The French bistro opened in Harlem three weeks ago and it already has received a shot out in The New York Times.

We went by Maison Harlem this past weekend for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by the place. First, Maison Harlem is very easy to get to. Take the AC BD Subway line to 125th. Get out of the 127th Street exit and you’re right there. Second, the decor of the place is very lovely. The place is filled with dark wood every where and has lots of windows that look out making it spacious. It appears it can seat up to 75 people or more. And last, the ambiance was incredible for only being open three weeks. Maison Harlem was packed with a diverse group of patrons and we went early to dine, say 7ish. I couldn’t believe how many people were there dining and drinking at the bar.

As for the food, it was delicious, but be prepared to eat meat. If that’s not your thing, you may want to hang out at the bar for drinks. The dishes I devoured were very rich and creamy, but that’s what you get with French cuisine. I had the Frisee Salad with crispy bacon and a poached egg. If you like fancy bacon, this is the place for you. The Frisee Salad had big cubed pieces of bacon on it making the dish slightly salty and tasty. For an entrée, I tried the Tagliatelle Carbonara. This dish has a creamy sauce, more bacon, and a raw egg left in a half shell. The pasta dish was fun and different to eat because you had to take the raw egg out of its shell, whisk it up and mix in the pasta. And for desert, I had the Pina Colada Parfait. This was a light tasting desert and much-needed after I O.D. on fancy bacon. The service was fair, but a tad off. I chalk this up to the place being brand new and the staff working on their groove. I am confident the service will improve.

Overall, I am definitely going back to Maison Harlem. This place is going to have the same people watching/ambiance crowd that Red Rooster Harlem and Corner Social have. Maison Harlem is positioned to offer up a good time and a delicious meal. It has location, good food and ambiance. Can’t ask for more than that. Check it out soon!

Maison Harlem
341 St. Nicholas Avenue (127th Street)
212-222-9224/212-222-9220

Savann Turkish Restaurant coming to Harlem, joining restaurant row

The restaurant scene on Harlem’s restaurant row is about to get more diverse. A very reliable source and long time reader passed along some juicy info! Apparently, the sponsor of 2280 Frederick Douglass Condominium, you know the place that was rumored to be in discussion with Busboys and Poets, but passed on sealing the deal with the DC-based chain, has recently signed a lease with the owners of Savann, a turkish restaurant that use to be located on the upper west side. This new Harlem restaurant will keep the same name and the menu will be similar, according to a source on the restaurant side familiar with the lease. Savann will rent part, not all, of the retail/commercial space that is near Harlem Flo.

If you are not unfamiliar with the former Savann, read here for more info.

And stay tune, Savann Turkish Restaurant plans to open in late 2013!

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Harlem’s Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar to host ‘Gay-borhood Mixer’ November 12

Harlem is a very diverse community that is inclusive of all people. Lido Harlem, located on the southeast corner of 117th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd., enjoys and succeeds at serving up fine dishes  to all walks of life.  They recognize-and I agree with them-there appears to be a growing presence of the gay community in South Harlem. To cater to this particular demographic, they are hosting their first Harlem LGBT Community Mixer on November 12 from 9 pm to 11 pm with an extended happy hour that will feature drink specials!

I raise my glass to Lido Harlem for organizing this mixer.  We all know they are not the first to cater to the gay community in Harlem. Billies Black, Natives Restaurant and more have always catered and welcomed the LGBT Community of Harlem long before most of us moved here. However,  for Lido Harlem to do this, I say why not and go for it!

Gay-Borhood Mixer
November 12, 2012  |  9pm-11pm
Lido Harlem
2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd @ 117th
646.490.8575

A look back in photos at this year’s East Harlem Harvest Festival

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On October 27, the business community of East Harlem organized their first Harlem Harvest Festival. I attended and had a fabulous time from drinking SugarHill Beer for FREE (Yum), to watching to 212Green perform and walking up and down La Marqueta trying out the different food treats. It was a wonderful time at the East Harlem Harvest Festival and glad to hear the organizers plan on doing this a couple of times a year! Given that, I definitely plan to head back!

Seasoned Vegan signs lease at 55 St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, aims to open January 2013


The owners of Seasoned Vegan recently notified their KickStarter backers via email that “after much hard work, preparation and long anticipation” they have signed a lease for restaurant space at 55 St. Nicholas Avenue, right at the corner of 113th Street. The note states they “used the money from KickStarter for the down payment… and that they plan to open at their new location in Harlem in January 2013.”

Congrats to Brenda and Aaron. As always, looking forward to another dining option in Harlem.

What’s open today in Harlem during Sandy?

Most of us are home today in Harlem bracing for the arrival of Sandy. Some Harlem business have posted notices on Facebook or Twitter saying they are open today.

So far the businesses who have said they’re open are: Astor Row Cafe on Lenox Avenue and 130th, Lenox Coffee at 60 West 129th Street, The Chipped Cup at 3610 Broadway, Dunkin Donuts on FDB between 113th and 114th Street, Il Cafe Latte on Lenox Ave and 119th Street, Frederick’s Cafe & Bistro on FDB and 114th, East Harlem Cafe at 1651 Lexington Avenue, Patsy’s Pizza at 2287 First Avenue will be open today from 11 am to 11 pm, Chez Lucienne on Lenox Avenue, Harlem Tavern on 116th Street and FDB, and Red Rooster Harlem on 125th and Lenox Avenue is open for lunch. They will make a decision about dinner later depending on storm conditions.

If you know of any other Harlem businesses that are open today, October 29, please tell us! Stay safe and dry Harlem! 20121029-091047.jpg 20121029-091102.jpg 20121029-091142.jpg

Reminder: East Harlem Harvest Festival October 27 from noon to 6 pm

It’s Thursday and I am already thinking about the weekend. I am planning on heading on over to the eastside of Harlem, 116th Street and Park Avenue, for its first Harlem Harvest Festival. The event celebrates East Harlem’s restaurants, bakeries and vendors of La Marqueta public market.

Several restaurants will be participating where one can purchase small bites from Agua Fresca, Kiosk, Hot Bread Kitchen, Soul Fixins’, Creole Restaurant and Music Supper Club, Evelyn’s Kitchen, Luca Bosco, Corbin Hill Farm, Spaha Cafe, Tanto Sabor, El Kallejon Botanas Bar, East Harlem Cafe, Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, Coco Le Vu and Nafi’s Hot Pepper Condiments.

There will be Beer Flights available in the Beer Garden at Urban Garden Center and there will be a Make Your Own Brew Workshop hosted by Celeste Beatty, the founder of Sugar Hill Beer of the Harlem Brewing Company. The Children’s Zone at Urban Garden Center will have a cooking demo by Culinaria Festival, face painting, pumpkin carving and the Cutie Patooties workshop. Dimitri Gatanas of Urban Garden Center will be hosting garden related workshops like How to Build Your Own Terrarium and “Plants in Suspension” Dimitri’s version of the Japanese art of Kokedama.

Hope you can join in on the fun. The event starts at noon October 27 and will end at 6 pm. So plenty of time to head on over to La Marqueta at East 116th Street and Park Avenue. See you there!