Category Archives: New York

Take a look at Harlem Food Bar’s drink and food menu

Harlem Food Bar is officially opening this evening (May 25), it’s a soft launch, and HarlemGal has the menus. Take a look! The most expensive items are $18 and that’s for steak or salmon. The shared plates run from $5 to $8.

As for drinks, prices will start at $7 a glass and will range to $24 for a carafe of wine. The most expensive drink item is French sparkling champagne for $85.

Overall, the menu is inexpensive, which adds to the price point diversity along restaurant row, i.e. Frederick Douglass Blvd. All the items are offered at modest rates and my bet is Harlemites are going to respond well!

Save the Date: Annual Mount Morris Park House Tour is June 10

For more than 20 years the community of Mount Morris Park has been opening its doors and inviting New Yorkers and visitors from around the world to come in and see all the beautiful homes that are in Harlem. The tradition continues with the annual Mount Morris Park House Tour, which is set for June 10.  The schedule is listed below and tickets are now available at the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association. Click here to purchase tickets.

11 AM to 4 PM: Follow the Self-Guided Tour of Homes at your leisure. Guests will visit 10 venues including inside brownstone homes, urban live/work apartments and landmark churches.

1 PM and 3 PM: Join the Architectural Walking Tour and explore this historic neighborhood’s rich architectural detail and history.

Noon and 2 PM: Inside Historic Harlem begins with Yale-trained architect and historian, John Reddick.

‘Across the Universe’ star and singer buys home in Harlem

One of my favorite movies is Across the Universe by Julie Taymor and I really enjoyed the performance in the film by the actress and singer who played Sexy Sadie, which was Dana Fuchs. The New York Times reported this past weekend that Fuchs, a well-known and highly established singer and musician, has made Harlem her home. Fuchs recently purchased a 1500 square foot, three bedroom apartment with her companion at Fifth on the Park in Harlem. The article states Fuchs was a drawn to Fifth on the Park in Harlem because of the amazing views. “With big windows overlooking so much greenery, I was just wowed,” Fuchs told the Times.

If you have never heard Dana Fuchs’ music before, check out the video below. And now that I know Fuchs lives in Harlem, I will silently wish that she and her band will one day perform live in Harlem. Wouldn’t that be so cool?

Harlem Food Bar mural on display for passerby’s

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Harlem Food Bar is working hard toward its opening day, which is expected in a few weeks. Yesterday, they were busy interviewing job applicants. While they were screening potential employees, Harlem Food Bar had the entire place on display for passerby’s. When walking by HFB, which is located on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 113th and 114th Street, one can quickly see a giant colorful mural on display in the back.

The mural is very interesting and will draw you in. It has a nice big picture of Malcolm X with a picture of President Barack Obama close by. The mural has the word HARLEM in bright big red letters coupled with the name of the place abbreviated as HFB. There is a stenciled cow on the mural, which I interpret as there will be meat served. There is also a nice big bar to the right of the establishment. It will hold plenty of Harlemites who want to grab a drink or wait for a seat to eat.

Again, Harlem Food Bar expected to open in a few weeks. Stay tuned here!

Marcus Samuelsson and Maya Gate Haile of Harlem featured in June issue of Vogue magazine

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I was flipping through my digital copy of Vogue-June 2012 edition and came across a sharp-looking photo of Marcus Samuelsson and his wife Maya, who reside in Harlem. They are in the most recent issue of Vogue because the mag is featuring Marcus’ latest book titled Yes, Chef, a memoir. (I didn’t even know Marcus had a memoir out until now. I guess he does not want to do an autobiography?) The Vogue writer characterizes the book as “moving and sometimes harrowing.”

To read an excerpt of Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson, purchase the June edition of Vogue magazine or to read the entire book, pre-order online. It is coming out next month!

Chris Noth of Sex and the City stops by the Corner Social in Harlem

If you’re not on twitter and following fellow Harlemites or Harlem businesses, such as the Corner Social located on Lenox Ave and 126th Street in Harlem, this blogger highly recommends it. Why? This particular social networking tool always seems to have interesting news about what’s going on in Harlem. For example, Corner Social, formally known as Lenox Social, tweeted last night that Chris Noth, the actor famous for playing Big on Sex and the City, did some socializing last night (May 13) in Harlem at…where else? You guessed it, Corner Social! That’s very cool! I guess Chris Noth knows some of the owners of restaurants in Harlem since he’s in the business as well, or maybe he likes coming uptown to hang because it’s just as fun, if not more, than being downtown.

If you haven’t stopped by the Corner Social in Harlem, better hurry up now. Once celebs start showing up, dining establishments almost always experience a spike in attendance. I am going back this week, pronto! See you there!

100 free trees available May 6 through Urban Garden Center in Spanish Harlem


Spanish Harlem’s Urban Garden Center is turning one and they are celebrating in style by giving away that item which has furnished humanity with two of life’s essentials: food and oxygen. On Sunday, May 6, Urban Garden Center, in partnership with Million Trees NYC and New York Restoration Project, will be giving away 100 trees for free starting at 10 am.

To receive a free tree, register online here. Signing up with the form will ensure a tree of the species you chose and will be available between 10 am to noon on Sunday, May 6. Please note: trees will weigh between 25-50 pounds and are between 4’-10’ in height depending on species. Make the appropriate arrangements for the transportation of your tree before heading to Spanish Harlem.

And later on in the afternoon on May 6, Urban Garden Center will continue celebrating their one year anniversary with free food, refreshments, music, workshops and more. So stop on by!

Happy Birthday Urban Garden Center!

Urban Garden Center is located at 1640 Park Avenue @116 street. Free Parking available at 117th & Park Avenue and its only 1 block from 6 train or 3 blocks from 2/3 train.

Phone: 646-872-3991
Office: 646-672-0100 (Mon. to Friday 9-5)
E-Mail: Info@urbangardennyc.com

Street Games is happening April 28 in Spanish Harlem

The 5th annual Street Games will be taking place April 28 at Thomas Jefferson Park in Spanish Harlem, which is located at 114th Street off of 1st Avenue. Street Games celebrates games from the ’60s and ’70s by introducing them to a new generation of kids. This event is FREE and open to all ages, and will feature classic activities for abilities, including:

  • Stickball
  • Pogo Sticks
  • Hula Hoops
  • Double-Dutch
  • Hippity Hop
  • Yo-Yo’s
  • Skateboarding Clinics
  • Learn to Ride Your Bike
  • Disney Zone
  • Knicks Groove Truck
  • Street Hockey
  • Sky Bounce Youth Handball Tournament – NEW!
  • Soap Box Derby – NEW!
  • Red Bulls Skills Challenge – NEW!

The event will also feature performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Industrial Rhythm! And Street Games will happen rain or shine! See details below!

Street Games
Saturday, April 28, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson Park, Spanish Harlem in Manhattan
114th Street off of 1st Avenue

Cooper-Hewitt Design Center coming to Harlem, opening date planned for May 12

According to The Wall Street Journal, The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will open a storefront space May 12 in Harlem. The Cooper-Hewitt Design Center will be at 111 Central Park North and “will allow the museum’s educators to conduct other free workshops for children, teenagers and adults.”

Cooper-Hewitt signed a four-year lease for the Central Park North space located at the base of Harlem and which has an express subway stop, the 2/3 to 110th Street. To learn more, click here.20120423-090922.jpg

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The Village of Harlem stars in NYC 22, watch Sunday evening April 15 on CBS

Do you recognize the scenery in the photos above? If you live in Central Harlem, you should recognize the location. That is our Harlem in the background and its starring in a new television series called NYC 22. It was previously called The Rookie. I guess that name did not test well in focus groups.

NYC 22, which is a drama about a fictional police precinct in Harlem, is receiving a lot of press right now. Mainly because the TV show premieres this Sunday , April 15 on CBS, and it has huge names behind it, such as executive producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. However, what is really interesting about NYC 22, and one of the many reasons why I plan to watch the show and hopefully you will too, is that it was created by a Harlemite. The creator is Richard Price, who lives in Harlem according to The New York Times. Price has resided in Harlem since 2008.

Price told the Times he “made the rapidly changing neighborhood of Harlem an important element of the show, drawing creative fuel from its churning mix of longtime residents and gentrifiers, families and hoodlums, cultural landmarks and upstart bistros.”

If you want to learn more about NYC 22, read the reviews in The Los Angeles Times and NY Times.

NYC 22 is on CBS, Sunday nights at 10 pm.