Tag Archives: eating out

Escape to Montreal at Yatenga French Bistro and Bar in Harlem, new menu items added

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 2 comments

Jun 17, 2011 @ 0:19
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By HarlemGal
There is one place you will generally find us every other weekend and that’s at 20110616-115517.jpg
Yatenga French Bistro and Bar, located at 2269 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd (between West 133rd and 134th). Why? Because the French food is so darn good and reasonably priced. They have happy hour seven days a week up until 8 p.m. It’s right next to ShrineNYC, which offers live music seven days a week. And the couple who own Yatenga and Shrine are super cool, live in Harlem and have a beautiful family. We met them at the Ambassades Cafe launch recently and not too long ago bumped into them on streets of Harlem.

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The last bump in with Yatenga owners, they told us they have a new
summer menu! We said send it our way! And so they did! Some of the new items on the Yatenga summer menu include zaatar shrimps (grilled shrimps brochettes and cabbage salad), beet salad with arugula, orange and parmesan cheese, goat cheese terrine wrapped with zucchini and roasted peppers, French pate’ and tartine. These are all small plates. As for large plates, Yatenga in Harlem has added skate, this dish use to be a special and its the one 20110616-113549.jpg
I order all the time (love it), seafood pasta, and chicken milanaise. New sides include, sautéed asparagus and sautéed cauliflower and raisins. And for dessert, you can now order watermelon, parfait of the day, and crepe suzette

When we dine there, we always order the mussels and tuna tartare. The mussels have that perfect dipping sauce with bread and the mussel itself is actually always meaty. We like anything with avocado on it. At Yatenga, the tuna tartare is garnished with guacamole. It’s delicious and a different twist on tartare! For the main course, we always get skate, salmon en croute or steak. It’s a trade-off every other weekend on the large dishes. And sharing between us is a must.
We cannot stress enough how much we enjoy dining at Yatenga French Bistro. It’s a family run business. We think of and experience good French/Canadian food when we go there . And for us, it is our miniature escape to Montreal, but right here in Harlem!

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First look at Harlem Tavern’s cocktail list

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 2 comments

Jun 14, 2011 @ 9:00
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By HarlemGal
As promised through our Inside Harlem Tavern series, we have some additional information on their menu. We now turn to their cocktail list.

First up is the Banana Sidecar: Hennessy, 99 bananas, and fresh lemon juice. This drink will be shaken and served in a martini glass for $12.

While you’re sitting outside at the corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 116th Street, how about drinking a Harlem Sunset? This drink will include tequila, cherry liquor, and pineapple. Yummy. We like this drink already and plan on ordering it ASAP…cause it has Te-qui-la! And its $10.

Next, can you say these words really fast? Tavern Rum Runner. It is catchy…huh? This will be served on the rocks in a mason jar for $12.

And last but not least is the Scottish Mule, which will have gin, cucumber, and ginger beer all for $10.

All these cocktails sound de-li-cious! And if you don’t want a cocktail, no worries. Harlem Tavern plans on offering 20 beers on tap and 60 craft beers in the bottle; as well as a selection of frozen drinks!

So the area that was a gas station, will soon be an eating and drinking station for Harlem humanity! The transformation of this space and menu will be well received! We will all find out soon when we physically will be going Inside Harlem Tavern!

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Posted in Bars, business, Community, entertainment, Events, Harlem, Harlem Tavern, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurant row, restaurants, review, Uncategorized

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An exclusive look at Harlem Tavern’s menu, Inside Harlem Tavern

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 5 comments

Jun 12, 2011 @ 13:50
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By HarlemGal
As part of our series called Inside Harlem Tavern, we would like to give you a sneak peak at their menu. Take a look below.

In my view, the items on the menu are as diverse as the Harlem population it will soon cater to. If you want a pasta dish, it is on the menu or if you want steak, no problem they have that too. How about having fish while sitting outside on the corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 116th Street? Harlem Tavern will be offering that as well to its customers. What is even better than the food listed in their initial menu are the prices! All the items on Harlem Tavern’s menu are reasonably priced. There is nothing priced more than $21 dollars. I think they are playing it very smart by doing this. Harlem Tavern is clearly recognizing their demographic by starting off with this reasonable price point as opposed to other local establishment(s) that received unfavorable criticism for their menu being priced too high. Bad Horse Pizza went through this recently. They received some unfavorable comments online- at least on HCL- regarding their prices. Harlem Tavern is clearly sending a message to Harlemites with this menu: come on over, hang out inside or out and enjoy a good meal without braking the bank. If they stick to this price point, count on us hanging out there!

Have a look at the menu below and tell us what you think! And stay tuned for our next blog post called Inside Harlem Tavern.

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Golden Fried “Dirty Bird”
Lemon thyme gravy
$10
Smoked Mozzarella Fritters
Ricotta cheese, tomato basil sauce
$10
Bacon Fried Pickles
Chipotle sauce
$8
Trio of Sausages
Keilbasa, Merguez, Chorizo, 3 mustards
Flatbreads
Provençal Ratatouille
Chickpea puree, grilled Mediterranean vegetables
$9
Grilled Skirt Steak
Queso fresco, chimichurri, jalapeños
$14
Fried Green Tomato
Mozzarella, ricotta, basil arugula pesto
$10
The Boulevard Burger
Smoked gouda, BBQ pulled pork, Neuskes bacon, crispy onions, toasted brioche
$14
Cedar Planked Salmon
Olives, peppers, tomato confit, citrus herb vinaigrette
$20
Handmade Ratatouille Ravioli
Sunchoke walnut basil sauce
$14
Knickerbocker Glory Sundae $7
Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake $7

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Inside Harlem Tavern

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 5 comments

Jun 12, 2011 @ 12:48
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By HarlemGal
There is a lot of excitement building, on and offline, around Harlem Tavern, the latest establishment soon joining Harlem’s restaurant row. There is so much excitement that every where you turn either on local blogs or Facebook someone has new photos of Harlem Tavern evolving in their look. We haven’t seen this much excitement around one place since the rumors on Busboys and Poets trying to enter into the Harlem market.

We are excited as well about the opening of Harlem Tavern, located on the corner of West 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd. To celebrate the upcoming opening, we are going to be giving you an “inside look” at Harlem Tavern. What does this mean? You are going to be able to find out the little things, pre-opening, about this indoor/outdoor establishment that is owned and operated by…you guessed…Harlemites. Stay tune!

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Posted in Bars, business, Community, entertainment, Events, Harlem, Harlem Tavern, music, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurant row, restaurants, review

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Ambassades Buffet is open on Lenox Avenue in Harlem

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

May 22, 2011 @ 12:56

By HarlemGal
We stopped by yesterday (May 21) to check out the new and second location for Les Ambassades at 341 Lenox Avenue. The place is nice and spacious. It is much bigger than their first location in Harlem.

When you enter there is the take out counter to the right, which features crepes, smoothies, milkshakes, select hot food, pastries and breads, soft drinks and ice cream-all to go! If you want to sit down and eat, walk further in. There you will find a complete buffet of West African cuisine. The menu is included in the slideshow, which like their Frederick Douglass Blvd location is moderately priced. The different ideas we found on the menu are the crepes, smoothies and milkshakes. Most of the other items on the menu appeared identical to its FDB menu.

Unfortunately, we were not able to sample the food yesterday. I had a terrible cold and had to get downtown for a meet up. We were totally bummed that we did not get to eat. However, we have every intention of getting back to Ambassades Buffet on Lenox Ave to chow down on the African food. We are going for the crepes and the milkshakes! Take a look at the menu and tell us what do you from the menu?

To visit Ambassades Buffet at 341 Lenox Ave, take the 2/3 subway train to 125th! See you there!

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Harlem Tavern signage up and very visible

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

May 20, 2011 @ 7:45
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By HarlemGal
Take a walk along Frederick Douglass Blvd to the northwest corner of 116th Street and you will see big red letters that spell out “Harlem Tavern.” You can’t miss it! The signage went up yesterday! The folks at Harlem Tavern are working hard so that they can soon join, what we predicted and call “restaurant row” of Harlem, this coming June.
20110519-093428The upcoming Harlem restaurant and bar, and its workers have been nailing and hammering away day in and day out in preparation for their June 2011 opening, which we told you about a few weeks ago. They have made significant progress, according to these pics taken yesterday (May 19). If you walk by, you will also notice that French doors are in place along with their big bright red signage. At the pace they are working, they just might make their June deadline.

See how the progress  has been coming along for Harlem Tavern on their Facebook page! And while you are there, click on their “Like” button! I certainly did!

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Posted in Bars, business, Community, Harlem, Harlem Tavern, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurant row, restaurants

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Honeycomb Burgers to join Harlem’s restaurant row

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 1 comment

May 9, 2011 @ 11:58

By HarlemGal
The block on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 119th and 120th appears to be filling up with places to dine pushing this part of Harlem along as restaurant row. First there was Moca, which was really the pioneer in dining in that specific space, then Chocolat, followed by Bad Horse Pizza and now we are getting a burger joint called Honeycomb Burgers. Could this be the half answer to our diner prayers? Several readers here on HCL have been pleading to the blog universe asking for diner in Harlem! Maybe this is partially it? Also, the Cupcake Suite Cupcakery has been trying to open in that block as well, but got derailed due to investor challenges.
As for who is behind Honeycomb Burgers, we are hearing chatter that a local/seasoned restaurateur is involved. Hmmm… We’ll wait until the burger is ready before we comment further!


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UPDATE: Lido in Harlem misses signage date, next goal to open before Valentine’s Day

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Feb 4, 2011 @ 7:30

By HarlemGal
As I approach my third year of blogging about Harlem, I am starting to learn new restaurants opening in Harlem approach deadlines similar to how I do: I will aim for a certain date and it will get done a few days after. It happens, right? As with the case with Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, located at 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., who hung up a big sign recently saying “Opening February 1.” Obviously that date passed, however the objective is the same for Lido in Harlem and that is to open for business soon.

I spoke with Susannah, a Harlem resident and proprietor of Lido, and she said they are now aiming to open before Valentine’s Day where Harlemites will be able to order from a delectable, Italian menu! I was also had the opportunity to walk inside Lido (sorry no pics) and the place is coming together. It’s going to look great! The color scheme is based on light greens with white molding in select areas. The bar appeared to be concrete-like, not wooded, larger than before, and its on the left side when you walk in. Brushed silver light fixtures will illuminate the restaurant. Their website is up with limited information.

And of course, I had to ask Susannah why they named the restaurant Lido. She told me it’s named after Venice Lido in Italy, “a skinny island between the lagoon and the Adriatic, with hotels and beaches.”

So stay tuned for more info, such as who will be the chef and what will be the price point of the menu!

Have a great weekend!

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Three Harlem restaurants make Michelin ‘Bib Gourmand’ best places under $40 list

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 2 comments

Sep 29, 2010 @ 16:24

By HarlemGal
Michelin “Bib Gourmand” restaurant picks under $40 for New York City were recently announced. Two Harlem restaurants made the list again and one new Harlem restaurant was added. El Paso Taqueria, located at 1642 Lexington Avenue or 237 E. 116th Street or 64 E. 97th Street, made the list for the very first time! Congrats to the Spanish Harlem restaurant known for cooking and serving good Mexican food!
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, located in the West Harlem area and Zoma, located on the southeast corner of 113th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. made the list again! Good for them!
In total three restaurants made the list. Click here to see the complete list. Who else from Harlem do you think should have made the list of best restaurants under $40?

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Busboys and Poets plan to expand into Harlem

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 1 comment

Aug 10, 2010 @ 12:00
By HarlemGal
While apartment hunting throughout Harlem with a good friend this past weekend, I stumbled across some interesting information. A sales representative at 2280 Frederick Douglass Blvd., one of the new condo buildings built from the ground up in West Harlem, made a point to say to the potential buyer that their retail space was in contract with Busboys and Poets from Washington, D.C., a restaurant, bookstore, fair trade market and gathering place where people can discuss issues of importance.

The 2280 FDB sales rep was emphatic to the potential buyer about how their retail space was taken. They said Busboys and Poets is moving into their large retail space and then a florist is moving into the smaller part where the sales office currently resides. The florist will move in after the majority of apartment sales are complete.

When I heard this information, I was dumbfounded. I did not know who Busboys and Poets was even though I lived in D.C. for many years. That’s because I was long gone from D.C. when Busboys and Poets opened, which was in 2005. My friend, who was looking to buy an apartment in Harlem, knew of them and said it was a good business to come to Harlem. Interesting stuff.

So I called over to the press office of Busboys and Poets to see what the deal was and the person who answered the phone confirmed they do have plans to open another restaurant outside of the Beltway and into Harlem. However, the individual could not confirm the exact location, say when or if an agreement was signed for the first level retail space at 2280 FDB, nor say exactly when Busboys and Poets will open for business in Harlem. They had to direct me to the owner for further clarification, which I reached out to but he was not available for comment.

If all this checks out, looks like Busboys and Poets will be joining many other restaurant establishments, who have decided to make Frederick Douglass Blvd. their home! Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned!

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