Category Archives: Lenox Avenue

The Fourth Annual Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month starts February 15

Harlem Park to Park kicks off its fourth annual Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month tomorrow (Feb 15) with an impressive list of restaurant and retail establishments in Central Harlem. With food options like Ristorante Settepani’s Braised Monkfish, and the Chicken and Red Velvet Waffles at 67 Orange Street; along with services that include a week’s worth of Unlimited Led Classes from Land Yoga, and the popular Men’s Razor Relief Treatment at Harlem Skin Clinic, Harlemites and visitors alike can experience a variety of options and opportunities to sample Harlem’s finest offerings from February 15 – 28.

Twenty businesses are participating, including:

Restaurants
67 Orange Street, Bleu Violin, Chez Lucien, Chocolat Restaurant and Lounge, Corner Social, Cove Lounge, Harlem Food Bar, Harlem Tavern, Lenox Coffee, Moca Lounge, Native Restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, Ristorante Settepani, Sylvia’s/Sylvia’s Also Lounge

Retail Services
Brownstone Fitness, Doggedly Devoted, Franz James Floral Boutique, Harlem Flo – A Floral Boutique, Harlem Skin Clinic, Land Yoga

For more information about Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month and a full list of offerings, visit Harlem Park to Park on Facebook or link below for prix fixe menus and retail/service items.
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Harlem Shake goes viral, real Harlem Shake coming to Harlem at 124th and Lenox Avenue

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The Harlem Shake by New York deejay Baauer has gone viral twice over. It’s everywhere! While everyone is doing the Harlem Shake, don’t forget the Village of Harlem is actually getting a Harlem Shake, which will be a restaurant that will serve “burgers, shakes and good times, [the] Harlem way.” The restaurant will be located on the southwest corner of 124th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem. It’s in construction right now, but progress is being made and will open soon. Just follow them on Facebook or Twitter to view their progress.

And if you haven’t seen what the Harlem Shake looks like under water, here’s a view.

Tweet of the Week: Visit Grandmas Place in Harlem

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This weeks Tweet of the Week belongs to Grandmas Place in Harlem and @Schopgirl. Recently, I posted a photo on Instagram of Grandmas Place, located at 84 West 120th Street in Harlem, saying “there’s nothing better than Grandmas Place” to shop for great gifts for kids! Out of the blue, the owners daughter of Grandmas Place tweets back “that’s my mom! 40 plus years in education, literacy, and passion for toys and books.”

This is a classic example that when you tweet something out about Harlem, you are bound to come across family! Luv it!

To shop at Grandmas Place, take the 2/3 subway to either 116th or 125th Street. They’re located right behind Settepani!

And join us on Twitter to receive the latest information about Harlem!

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What to do in Harlem this Friday? Casa Frela Gallery, Harlem School of the Arts, Harlem Salsa, Harlem Bar Crawl

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There are several Harlem happenings taking place this Friday evening, Jan 25. They’re lined up below for your consideration.

Casa Frela Gallery will present the works of furniture artist Yoav S. Liberman from 8-10 pm. In addition to showing Yoav’s fantastic furniture pieces, he will also speak about the art pieces currently in the gallery, as well as an informal Q&A to follow. To attend this FREE event, RSVP to events@casafrela.com.

Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and Musical Director Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra will take the stage at the Harlem School of the Arts’ Winter Music Festival, located at 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue. This will be the first of several concerts presented by O’Farrill and the members of his jazz orchestra this year. This event starts at 6:30 pm and it is FREE.

Over on the Westside, it’s Harlem Salsa at Dinosaur BBQ, located 700 125th Street. One hour salsa classes are offered from 6-7 pm. Admittance for the evening is $10. See more details in picture below.

And the Harlem Bimonthly Bar Crawl continues on Lenox Avenue starting at 9 pm. Participating establishments for the 25th include: Les Ambassades Bar & Restaurant, Harlem Corner Social, Red Rooster Harlem, Cove Lounge, and Chez Lucienne.

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Celebrate Martin Luther King Day and President Obama’s Second Inauguration at Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem

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Lots to celebrate this coming Monday. And if you need a place to celebrate in Harlem, Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem, 310 Lenox Ave, is inviting us all over. In celebration of Martin Luther King Day and President Obama’s second inauguration, Ginny’s Supper Club will host two special events.

The first is an inauguration watching party at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 21st. Guests can order from Marcus Samuelsson’s acclaimed upstairs restaurant and Red Rooster Harlem, while watching a live-feed of the inauguration downstairs at Ginny’s Supper Club. In 2011, the President Obama held a swanky fundraiser at Red Rooster Harlem and in 2009, Marcus Samuelsson was chosen to cook the Obama Administration’s first State Dinner.

The celebration of Dr. King’s dream continues into the evening of January 21st, with a two-set special performance by Amanda Brown of The Voice. Brown’s performance will be complemented by excerpts of Dr. King’s iconic “I have a Dream” speech. Ginny’s small plates and playful cocktails will round out the celebratory evening. Guests can make reservations by calling 212-421-3821 in advance. There is no cover. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Black Comic Book Festival happening today at the Schomberg in Harlem

This is for all the comic book fans out there in Harlem! Today from 10 AM to 4 PM, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, blacksupermen_1located at 515 Lenox Ave at 135th Street, is hosting The Black Comic Book Festival today, Jan 12.

The Black Comic Book Festival is a gathering for young people who enjoy reading about the rich tradition of black superheroes. The festival will feature a screening of the film “White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books”; a pop-up art exhibition of “Black Kirby”- a visual homage to the legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby by artists John Jennings (SUNY Buffalo) and Stacey Robinson; panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and exhibit tables with premiere black comic book artists from across the country. This event is free. Registration is required. All ages welcome. Go here to learn more.

And a big thanks to the reader who sent in this information! Much appreciated!

Christmas tree literally lights up Harlem’s Cedric French Bistro

On the online look out to see how the filming of Black Ink Crew went at Harlem’s Cedric French Bistro and Bar and BAM…I came across their posting that said their Christmas tree caught on fire and burned some of their roof. Yikes! If the filming of the VH1 reality show continued as planned, they would have caught this incident on camera, which can make some good TV visuals. On a serious note though, no one was hurt in or around the Harlem restaurant, which is very good news. Whew!
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VH1’s Black Ink Crew filming at Harlem’s Cedric French Bistro and Bar tonight

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Did you watch the Season Premiere of Black Ink Crew last night? It is a new reality series featuring “the only black-owned and operated tattoo parlor in the heart of Harlem at 113th St. and Lenox Ave.” If you missed it, it is showing again tonight at 8 pm, Jan 8.

And if you want to see the cast of Black Ink Crew being filmed in Harlem, pass on by Cedric French Bistro at 185 St. Nicholas Avenue and 119th Street tonight. VH1 is filming there tonight, according to Cedric’s Facebook page.

To learn more about Black Ink Crew from Harlem, go to its website, but ignore the big fat typo they have in the first paragraph. They spelled Lenox Ave with two n’s not one. It happens…

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Read full statement on Lenox Lounge brand continuing in Harlem

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Back from holiday vacation and going through gazillion emails on Harlem. The big Harlem story that happened over the holidays was the continuing saga on Harlem’s Lenox Lounge. Several news outlets reported recently on how the Lenox Lounge brand will continue by moving a few blocks up on Lenox Avenue in Harlem-333 Lenox Ave to be exact. Stories were generated due to Alvin Reed’s peeps releasing a statement on January 3. This blog did receive the full statement Jan 3 while on vacation and wanted to share it in its entity.

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Lenox Lounge will be renamed Notar Jazz Club, Richie Notar and Alvin Reed finally cross paths

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If anyone thinks there is a grain of hope left for Lenox Lounge in Harlem, forget about it! Read the latest article from The NY Daily News. Richie Notar is now publicly speaking about his plans for the vintage Harlem establishment. Notar told Community Board 10 “he does not want to change much.” However, Notar confirms he will change the name to Notar Jazz Club.

By the way, Notar and Alvin Reed crossed paths for the first time according to the article. That had to be interesting.

After reading the article, all I could think about is “what a pity that Notar does not see any value in saving the Lenox Lounge brand?” There are plenty of smart business people who have taken on well-known brands and successfully lifted those brands higher. Say Fiat? Say Izod? How about Puma? Guess Richie Notar is a play-it-safe-kind-of-a-businessman?

The good things coming out of this story is that Notar plans to hire Franco the Great to do a mural and Harlemites will continue to have a jazz club to patron, which won’t be the same only the structure will exist. Buh-humbug.