Category Archives: NYC

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

OzProfile.jpg
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

15-atlg
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!

20130115-203341.jpg

20130115-203404.jpg

20130115-203418.jpg

20130115-203432.jpg

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.

20130114-103432.jpg

Read full statement on Lenox Lounge brand continuing in Harlem

20130106-224653.jpg
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.

Lenox Lounge Statement 010313

First look at rendering of upcoming Harlem restaurant, Vinateria

Vinateria for HG photo
A few months ago we told you about the upcoming Harlem restaurant, Vinateria, which will be located at 2211 Frederick Douglass Blvd. and 119th Street. This Harlem blog has an update with a FIRST look at the rendering of Vinateria! Take a look above! This is how Vinateria will eventually look. Pretty cool…huh? I have seen the inside of Vinateria Harlem and what I can tell you is that this new restaurant will have a nice big chocolatety/brown bar to the right when you walk in with gold-plated hanging sconces over it. The rest of the place is in full construction, but it is coming along.

HG photo 20121220-202621.jpgYvette, the owner and another Harlem resident who is investing in where they live, tells this blog she is aiming to open in the first business quarter of 2013. The owner also notes that her dining establishment will not just be a wine bar. They are building a full service kitchen inside as you read this blog post. So no more thinking of this place as a wine bar. It will be a complete restaurant with indoor seating for 57 people. Yvette described her new upcoming Harlem eatery as more of a ‘Vino y Cocina’ (Wine and Kitchen) that will serve “inspired seasonal cuisine centered on the marriage of wine and food in its most complementary expression.”

“We will offer a wine list hand-tailored by our in-house wine connoisseur and designed to complement our skillfully prepared menu. The food will be every bit as interesting as the wine and will tantalize with more than a few twists and turns on comfort food favorites that range from appetizers available at our bar to main courses and deserts,” says Yvette.

Their website is coming soon as well. Here is their landing page.

So there you have it.The first look at Vinateria in Harlem! Mark your calendars! Vinateria is coming to Harlem’s restaurant row soon!

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

20121220-102247.jpg
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.

Harlem Local and Designer Rod Keenan lands in The Wall Street Journal

I was flipping through The Wall Street Journal’s Greater New York section yesterday…and wha-la saw Harlem local and hat maker Rod Keenan smack dab right there in the middle of the paper. Apparently, he attended the NY Botanical Garden’s annual fundraiser for children’s programs. Fancy stuff!

If you’re not familiar with Keenan’s products, his hats are high-end and generally sold at affluent places, such as Barney’s New York. And he has a large celebrity clientele, which is another indicator that these hats don’t come cheap.

If you have a subscription to the WSJ, click here for the link. If not, my quick photos of the hardcopy will have to do! See ya around!

20121219-115408.jpg

20121219-115418.jpg

20121219-115425.jpg

Registration for Harlem School of the Arts Spring classes begin now

Listen up parents, grandparents, etc! The Harlem School of the Arts registration for Spring After-School Programs starts pronto! HSA After School Programs offers several classes in music, dance, theatre, visual arts & musical theatre. Classes fill up quickly so register right away , i.e. before February 2nd. To learn more, refer to graphic below or go here.

20121219-095324.jpg

Latest Manhattan Rental Market Report, how does Harlem make out?

HG Photo IMG_1842

I came across an interesting clip from Brick Underground about renting or selling during the Winter months, which then lead me to a Manhattan rental report and from there I tripped over housing stats about Harlem. If you’re an owner of property in Harlem, you’ll enjoy this news. If you’re a person looking to rent in the Harlem area, this is info could be bad news for your endeavor.

According to the 2012 November issue of Manhattan Rental Market Report, “Harlem is the only neighborhood that saw increases,” which is unusual because during the cold season the real estate market typically slows down for both selling and renting; and numbers are flat. But not for renting in Harlem. The numbers are up, according to this report. Here are the Harlem stats:

Non-Doorman Studios (3.1%)
Doorman Studios (4.4%)
Non-Doorman One-Bedrooms (3.5%)
Doorman One-Bedrooms (2.6%)
Non-Doorman Two-Bedrooms (2.0%)
Doorman Two-Bedrooms (1.2%)

To learn more about the Manhattan Rental Market Report, go here.