Category Archives: New York

Want to know NYC health inspection grades on Harlem restaurants in one click? Try BiteScore

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Maison Harlem, the French bistro located on 127th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, recently posted a picture on Facebook of their sanitary inspection grade they received from New York City’s Health Inspection Department. It was good news. The new Harlem restaurant received a big fat “A.” Now what if you wanted to keep track of that grade, know their rating, and every time their graded by the NYC Health Inspection. BiteScore allows users to conveniently access restaurant health inspections when ordering food, making reservations, and browsing reviews online. Currently integrated with Seamless, OpenTable, Zagat and MenuPages users are able to view current health ratings when accessing restaurant pages.

To test how BiteScore works, I choose Red Rooster Harlem as the guinea pig. I went to the search function at the top right hand corner of the page. Hit return and the restaurants current grade is posted. Click on the highlighted area of the restaurants’ name and it shows their rating and grading history by the health inspection department.

Check out BiteScore and comment here on whether this online tool is useful in knowing how Harlem restaurants make the grade.

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This weeks HGTV Selling NY to feature Harlem again

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A real estate broker has given us the heads up that Harlem real estate and Harlem’s restaurant row will be featured in this weeks edition of HGTV Selling NY. The broker and two of her clients, who are looking to purchase their first home together, venture into Harlem to look at apartments in the neighborhood. In the course of the episode, the clients receive a tour of Harlem restaurants and shops to show them that everything they have become used to downtown can be found right here in Harlem, specifically along Frederick Douglass Blvd.

Check out the TV show this Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 pm.

Harlem’s Make My Cake makes a cameo on Season Finale of NBC’s 30 Rock

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It’s a known fact to some of us locals in Harlem that actress, author, comedian Tina Fey has always liked the sweet delicious goods from Harlem’s Make My Cake. Tina Fey has been ordering cakes from Make My Cake in Harlem for years for things like wrap parties. I believe a Harlem local even works on her production staff, wink, wink. But back to my point. Tina Fey is so loyal to the Harlem product that she included them in the last episode of her TV hit series, 30 Rock. Just look at Make My Cake’s Facebook page for all the details.

And sorry to hear Tina Fey’s TV show ended, but Make My Cake in Harlem is here to stay! If you want to try one of their delectables, head to 121A St. Nicholas Avenue at 116th Street or call 212-932-0833.
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Attend the Athena Film Festival in West Harlem, four academy award nominated films to be featured

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Now in its third year, the Athena Film Festival, a celebration of women in feature films, documentaries and shorts that highlight women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world will be held in West Harlem at Barnard College from Feb. 7-10. The four-day festival, which includes conversations with directors and Hollywood stars and workshops for filmmakers, has built a reputation as one of the most prestigious festivals of its kind that focuses on women and leadership. The following are big highlights of the Festival.

FOUR ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED FILMS:
BRAVE: Saturday, February 9 at 12PM
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Director Brenda Chapman will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD: Saturday, February 9 at 6PM
Directed by: Benh Zeitlin
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center

INOCENTE: Sunday, February 10 at 3PM
Directed by: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Producer Yael Melamede will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening.

THE INVISIBLE WAR: Sunday, February 10 at 12PM
Directed by: Kirby Dick
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL100 Diana Center
Executive Producers Maria Cuomo Cole and Regina Kulik Scully will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening.

4 PREMIERES:
GRANNY’S GOT GAME: Friday, February 8 at 6PM (World Premiere)
Directed by: Angela Alford
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Director Angela Alford and Team Captain, Judy Barton will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

WOMEN AREN’T FUNNY: Saturday, February 9 at 9PM (World Premiere)
Directed by: Bonnie McFarlane
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Director Bonnie McFarlane will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

I STAND CORRECTED: Saturday, February 9 at 9PM (NY Premiere)
Directed by: Andrea Meyerson
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Director/Executive Producer Andrea Meyerson and film subject Jennifer Leitham will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening

FAST GIRLS: Sunday, February 10 at 3PM (US Premiere)
Directed by: Regan Hall
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center

SNEAK PREVIEW & CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
BRAVE MISS WORLD: Sunday, February 10 at 6PM
Directed By: Cecilia Peck
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Q&A Cecilia Peck (Director) & Inbal Lessner (Producer/Editor) will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

For additional information, please visit: http://athenafilmfestival.com/.

Harvist Restaurant in Harlem featured in NY Mag, set to open this week

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Who is going to go check out Harlem’s latest restaurant called Harvist? We are! According to New York Magazine, its opening this week inside My Image Studios Harlem at 46 West 116th Street. MIST tells us via Twitter that they’re opening this Thursday for dinner. Cassandra Quinlan-Ashford will be the chef. She plans on serving dishes, such as shrimp and grits, red-velvet soufflé, berbere filet mignon, osso buco and a raw-kale salad. Yummy!

Harvist is located at 46 West 116th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenue. Call 646-738-3050 for reservations.

And to learn more about Harvist Restaurant, go here.

Dr. Mehmet Oz to visit Harlem Children’s Zone for ‘Brush Up Smile Zone’

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According to a media advisory, the TV doctors are coming to Harlem. Actually the real ones, not the TV actors who play doctors on TV. This coming Thursday, Jan 24, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Jonathan B. Levine, who is a national oral health expert and regular contributor on “The Dr. Oz Show,” will join more than 300 kids (ages K-12) at the Harlem Children’s Zone to host a special themed event, “Brush Up Smile Zone!” The event will include a variety of fun and educational activities that spread the message about the importance of good oral health-as it relates to overall health.

jj1Oral-B is the corporate sponsor. Through a charitable partnership, Oral-B and Dr. Levine’s GLO Good Foundation are educating Americans on the importance of having good oral health. They will be visiting select areas throughout the country. The first stop is starting right here in Harlem on January 24th.

This event is happening from 4:30 to 6 pm at the Countee Cullen Community Center, PS 194, which is located at 244 West 144th Street between Frederick Douglass Blvd and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

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.

VH1’s Love & Hip Hop filming at Harlem Food Bar tonight, Jan 15

Walking along Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem tonight, I noticed a bunch of TV cameras inside and outside Harlem Food Bar, which is on FDB between 113th and 114th Street. This is the scoop. VH1 is at Harlem Food Bar this evening taping the Love & Hip Hop reality show.

VH1 was also at Harlem Food Bar not too long ago filming Black Ink Crew – not to mention Cedric French Bistro as well.

Harlem is even more popular with the entertainment industry. Every time you turn, the film and TV industry is in our Harlem backyard filming/taping something. Pretty cool.

As for tonight, Harlem Food Bar is open to the public, not just to the reality show, so stop on by order some food and have a drink! Cheers!

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Award winning Wafels & Dinges food truck visiting Harlem tonight, Jan 14

Wafels & Dinges, a Belgian food truck, just sent us an email saying they are planning a visit to Harlem tonight, Jan 14. Around 6 pm, they will be serving up some of their waffle specialties on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 118th and 119th Street.

According to their email, Wafels & Dinges serves up one of the best Belgian waffles in NYC by winning the “Best Midtown Sweet” Award for three years in a row, ZAGAT’s “Best Food Truck” in 2010 and 2011, Winner of the 2009 NYC VENDY AWARDS and a Winner of “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” on the Food Network.

To learn more about Wafels & Dinges, visit their website.

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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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