Category Archives: Lenox Avenue

Central Park Conservancy and Jazzmobile present: Harlem Meer Social Hour

On August 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., locals have the opportunity to meet the musicians during Harlem Meer Social Hour, a Central Park Conservancy & Jazzmobile Collaboration. East Harlem native, percussionist Steven Kroon and West Harlem resident, trombonist Craig Harris will discuss their creative process, presence and influence of other cultures in their music.
So come out and meet the musicians who create beautiful music at the Dana Discovery Center, located inside Central Park at 110th Street between Lenox and 5th Avenue.

The Money Series examines how East Harlem spends their money

In our Money Series,  it has covered spending habits for the Harlem areas of 10027 and 10030. The Money Series continues with the focus on East Harlem. The zip code used to come with the data for this segment of Harlem is 10029.

The top three household spending areas for the 10029 area of Harlem resulted in shopping ranking first, health & family is second, followed by house & home. If you compare spending for 10029 with 10027 and 10030, 10029 ranks identical to 10027 in the areas of health & family and house & home. Each of these spending categories ranked second and third out of the top three spending categories versus 10030, these categories ranked first and second. The interesting fact out of all three zip codes was that 10027 was the only part of Harlem that had food and drinks in the top three spending categories. Food & drink did not even rank in the top three for 10029 and 10030.

On a 12 month average, household spending for 10029 includes: $461 for shopping. Next is health & family totaling $452. Most of the spending in this area is dedicated to school & child care and insurance. House & home follows with a total of $432 with the majority of this portion going toward utilities.

If 10029, 10027 and 10030 are compared in their shared ranking areas, which are health & family and house & home, 10030 spends the most on health and family at $798 versus 10027 spends $552 and 10029 spends $452. In house & home, 10027 spends the most at $472 followed by 10030 spends $434 and 10029 spends $432.

All figures are created from an online money management tool and based on ages from 18 to 65 years of age and above, all households (married with kids or without, male or female single with kids or without), and income starting at $20,000 to $125k and above.

Stay tuned as the Money Series will look into spending habits of Harlem residents versus other parts of Manhattan.

Guess who received an A grading in Harlem?


It was only a matter of time before Red Rooster in Harlem would receive the top grading from NYC Department of Health. This past week, Marcus Samuelsson took to twitter to enthusiastically announce that his establishment on Lenox Avenue received an A grading from a C. In a July 10 post I mentioned how it was not going to take long for Marcus and his team to make that change and it certainly didn’t take long.

So if anyone out there was actually hesitating to go to Red Rooster in Harlem because of its previous health grade rating, which I seriously doubt there was, you can now head on over to the Rooster in Harlem and dine at a place with an A grading. I was at Red Rooster last weekend with a guest from Atlanta. We went over there after the Harlem Week kick off event. We had dirty shrimp and rice, oysters and Helga’s meatballs. And as always, it was perfection!

Marcus Samuelsson makes Vanity Fair‘s 2011 International Best-Dressed List

20110803-121113.jpg

20110803-121154.jpg
Vanity Fair announced their 2011 International Best-Dressed List today and our very own Harlemite made the list of best dressed men, Marcus Samuelsson. Marcus is in good company on the coveted list. Justin Timberlake is named, along with actor Colin Firth, Armie Hammer who starred in The Social Network, Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos and more. See complete list below!

Marcus is having a very good year! Along with the Vanity Fair Best Dressed List, his Harlem restaurant on Lenox Avenue is not even a year old and it’s a happening place. The New York Times has blessed him with several raving reviews on him, such as chef profiles, restaurant reviews and where to hang uptown, i.e. Red Rooster. New York Magazine lists his place on their website in the Most Buzzed About Restaurant in Manhattan. There are several awards he has won this past year. The list goes on and on. Oh, and of course it does not hurt that he has a stunning wife by his side, Maya!

I last caught up with Marcus at the Macy’s Food Truck event this past Sunday to kick off Harlem Week! And come to think of it, he was looking pretty stylish at that event while out there serving catfish sandwiches with sweet potato fries! Can you blame him for looking good! He knows people are watching. He might as well give us all something else to look at other than his delicious food!

20110803-121208.jpg

Island Salad aiming to open their second location in Harlem August 6


A reader has tipped off HarlemGal about how Island Salad, the Caribbean-themed salad bar and beverage place at 125th & Madison Ave, is set to open its second Harlem location at 131st and Lenox Avenue this coming Saturday, August 6. According to our reader, Island Salad “is very, very, very good and that this is great news for Harlem.” This chica could not agree more.

I also spoke with the manager over at Island Salad yesterday, Tuesday, and he said if by chance they needed to move their opening day of August 6, it would be Monday, August 8th and no later.

So there ya go! An HG reader tipping us off to good news to share with all! Harlemites are the best!

Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, the Queen of Soul Food turns 49


Sylvia’s Restaurant, located at 328 Lenox Avenue, is letting all her friends know, Facebook friends that is, that the Queen of Soul Food, is celebrating her 49th Anniversary. She is inviting everyone over August 1 for a free community breakfast from 8-10 a.m! There will be live music and Southern-style breakfast for all those that stop by! Long, live the Queen of Soul Food!

Happy Anniversary Sylvia’s Restaurant!

Closing of Harlem’s St. Nick’s Pub still unknown

There is has been absolutely no drips or drabs of information about why Harlem’s St. Nick’s Pub, located at 773 St. Nicholas Ave.,  has been closed. It’s been like this for awhile…until now. According to NearSay.com, they are reporting there was an email from the NYC Health Department’s press secretary noting that St. Nick’s Pub was inspected and ordered to close back on February 16 for operating with an expired permit. Furthermore, the article states St. Nick’s owner met with a representative from the health department soon after in which the owner was informed “of outstanding fines for past violations that needed to be paid in order to reopen the establishment.”

Given this information, I guess the fines have not been paid or St. Nick’s would be open.  I sure hope this gets resolved soon. I want St. Nick’s Pub to be around for many more years to come!

‘Mama I Want to Sing’ will be singing longer in Harlem, musical gets extended


The lovely and amazing Vy Higginsen announced recently that Mama I Want to Sing:The Next Generation gets to sing a bit longer right here in Harlem. “The longest running off-Broadway black musical in theater history” is playing at the Dempsey Theater, located at 127 West 126th Street. Dates have been extended to the end of the year. Mama I Want to Sing is about a talented young gospel singer who embraces secular music despite the strong objections of her mother.

To order tickets, go to Smarttix.com

A Midsummers Night Picnic in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park

The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association (MMPCIA) is holding their annual A Midsummer Night’s Picnic in the Park in Harlem today, July 19, in Marcus Garvey Park. This is the time when MMPCIA says thank you to its current member and welcomes new members.

The Summer Picnic is free to existing members and to those who want to join or renew their membership. There is an additional cost of $10 for family of members and friends who are not quite ready to join. Children 12 and under are free.

If you decide to attend this event today,please RSVP and register your dish ASAP by e-mailing: membership@mmpcia.org.

The potluck picnic is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Enter Marcus Garvey Park in the SW corner, near the  West 120th Street entrance. For more information, click here.

Macy’s Chefs A-Go-Go Food Truck with Harlem’s own, Marcus Samuelsson

20110715-083413.jpg
I came across an advertisement in The New York Times-dining section this week talking about Macy’s first-ever food truck featuring Chef Marcus Samuelsson. With anything that says “first-ever,” I inquired further to see what’s up with our fellow Harlemite. This is the deal. “Macy’s Chefs A-Go-Go,” a national food truck tour showcasing the Macy’s Culinary Council, is rolling into New York City this month with two stops. One of those two stops is happening in Harlem!

On Sunday, July 31 Marcus Samuelsson, who owns Red Rooster Harlem and resides in the area, will be at 126th Street and Riverside Drive from noon to 4 p.m. on Macy’s Chefs A-Go-Go Food Truck cooking his signature recipes and dishes for those that pass by the food truck for FREE! That’s right! The food Marcus will be cooking on the food truck will be given out for free! I don’t know exactly what Marcus will be cooking yet. However once I find out, I will pass along!

So if you haven’t tasted Marcus Samuelsson’s fabulous food creations before, now is your chance…and for free! All you have to do is go by Macy’s first-ever food truck on July 31, which will be parked with Marcus inside at 126th and Riverside Drive.

For those interested in the first stop of the Macy’s Food Truck, it is happening this weekend, July 16, downtown at Union Square’s Farmers Market with Chef Todd English.

See you at the Macy’s Food Truck in Harlem!

20110715-083428.jpg