Tag Archives: Lenox Avenue

It’s the Harlem re-shuffle says UK-based The Independent

Our beloved Harlem is featured bright and big again in the media, but this time in the UK’s travel section of The Independent. According to the article the reporter/ photographer visited Harlem recently and took direction from Thelma Golden, the Director of Studio Museum Harlem, on what to see in Harlem.

Per Golden’s instructions, Chris Coplans stayed at The Aloft Harlem and he raves about it in the article. He also went to the Apollo Theater, El Museo del Barrio, Studio Museum Harlem, and more. Golden encouraged the reporter to visit the Duke Ellington sculpture and to try Senegalese food at Les Ambassades.

What’s interesting about this article is the reporter covered a lot of Harlem ground-from East to West. He also gives Lenox Avenue big props by saying, “If 125th St is the traditional Harlem, then Lenox Avenue between 125th and 126th is very much the emerging “New Harlem”, with an arty vibe and “Village” sidewalk culture.”

To read the full article, click here. To see additional photos on Harlem from the reporter, go here.

Harlem’s Tonnie’s Minis to hold First Annual Customer Appreciation Day


Tonnie’s Minis, Harlem’s delicious cup cake shop at 264 Lenox Avenue, is dedicating a day to say “Thanks” to their customers.  They are holding their First Annual Customer Appreciation Day and it’s happening this coming Saturday, August 27. The event starts at noon and goes to 9:00 p.m. Check out details on their facebook page.

Should be a fun event. I saw where someone said they can’t wait to try the cupcake shots. Yummy! If that’s the kind of shots they will be having at this event, I am so there. See you at Tonnie’s Minis in Harlem this Saturday!

See ‘Freeing Silvia Baraldini’ tonight at Maysles Cinema in Harlem

The director of Changing Face of Harlem has informed us that there is an interesting film playing tonight at the Maysles Cinema, located at 343 Lenox Avenue. For one night only, see award-winning Freeing Silvia Baraldini tonight, July 6th, at 7 p.m.

The film is about an Italian national who was arrested in the 80’s and sentenced to 43 years in prison in part for her participation in helping to free a Black Panther from prison.

To read more about the film and purchase tickets, go to Maysles Cinema.

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Settepani in Harlem confirms it will open Settepani Brick Oven

May 10, 2011 @ 15:42
By HarlemGal
Back in October 2010, we had heard that Harlem’s Settepani Italian Restaurant, located at 196 Lenox Avenue, was opening up a pizza place. We now have confirmation via DNAInfo that Settepani is in fact opening up Settepani Brick Oven a block away (West 119th and Lenox Ave) from their flagship restaurant. The article states the owners are opening up the pizza place as “an effort to continue the growth on Lenox Ave.” Leah Abraham states that Settepani Brick Oven will also bake breads and make their own gelato! Yummy! I could go for that!

If you recall the first Settepani offered baked goods prior to their renovation a few years ago, along with deserts. Looks like Settepani is returning back to its core product and ambiance. Good for them! Now let’s wait to hear when Settepani Brick Oven in Harlem opens. Should be soon given they confirmed they received their liquor license!

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Experience: Harlem hosts bar and restaurant crawl

Oct 18, 2010 @ 13:52

By HarlemGal
Have you ever wanted to check out several drinking and eating establishments in Harlem in one night but never had the time? You’ve read about Harlem’s booming restaurant row on Frederick Douglass Boulevard in various publications and wondered what’s it like? Well, now you have the opportunity to see and experience several fine dining establishments all in one night at Experience: Harlem Bar & Restaurant Crawl taking place the evening of October 28 from 6 PM to 10 PM. Experience: Harlem, one of the early pioneers in promoting all things positive about Harlem, has rounded up some of Harlem’s best restaurant and drinking places for this event. They are: Mojo, 5 & Diamond, Melba’s, Questan’s, 67 Orange, and more! Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets.

Red Rooster in Harlem named restaurant to watch this Fall

Sep 1, 2010 @ 17:30
By HarlemGal
Harlem’s Red Rooster, owned by celebrity chef and Harlemite Marcus Samuelsson, was named one of 15 new restaurants to watch this Fall by The Wall Street Journal.
Red Rooster, which is scheduled to open in October at 310 Lenox Ave, was the only uptown restaurant that made list. What’s interesting in the article is the restaurant description. It says the place will seat 90 and hours will be from breakfast to late night, with no menu costing more than $25. Does that mean starters could be $24.50 or plates at $24.75? I hope not! Also, Samuelsson could be aiming to be cheaper than 5 and Diamond, which is a pricey place for Harlem, but the food lives up to those prices in my view. Who knows what’s Samuelsson’s price point strategy? At some point will find out.
See below who made the list of places to watch this fall!

Lenox Avenue corner in Harlem becoming a pharmacy?

Aug 11, 2010 @ 10:28
By HarlemGal
Has anyone noticed the construction taking place on the southwest corner of Lenox Avenue and 116th Street? This was another interesting tidbit I stumbled across over the weekend, however, not as interesting to date as the sales rep at 2280 FDB talking about Busboys and Poets moving into their space.
The sign says it’s becoming a pharmacy. Does anyone know if it’s going to be a locally owned pharmacy or one of those mammoth businesses, such as a CVS or Walgreens? It had all those stapled notices on the plywood, but I don’t know how to read or interpret all those legal fliers. Does anyone know what’s up? Diganos!

Need a place to brunch in Harlem? Try Il Caffe Latte

Jul 18, 2010 @ 10:16

By HarlemGal
On Twitter, we are sometimes asked “where should I go for brunch in Harlem?” We provide several options in our tweets. However, at the top of HarlemGal’s list I respond with “go to Il Caffe Latte at 189 Lenox Avenue.” It’s located between 119th and 120th Street on Lenox Ave, also known as Malcolm X Blvd.
The reason why I like this place so much is because it feels like I am going to family home for breakfast. It’s not big and it’s not small. It’s comfortable. When you approach Il Caffe Latte it has a wide store front with a giant squared window. That setting alone is inviting. It allows you to immediately peak in at a distance from the sidewalk. From there, you can see in and what you’ll discover are plenty of people inside enjoying themselves.
I went on a Saturday afternoon before three and ordered the Make Your Own Omelette with salad, along with multi-grain toast and iced coffee. It was absolutely the best cause the omelette was nice, big and fluffy stuffed with spinach, mushrooms and cheese. Yum! And the toast was authentic multi-grain bread with real butter, not margarine. Sometimes you can go to a restaurant and the bread is lacking. Not here, I liked my grained bread at Il Caffe Latte. And to top it all off, the iced coffee was served in a well-sized shake glass. I believe it was a pint size. So I had plenty to quench my thirst and stock up on the caffeine. Oh…and another wonderful attribute of Il Caffe Latte, I only spent about $13 dollars. Not bad for an enjoyable brunch in Harlem.

So if your asking that familiar question “where should I go for brunch in Harlem?” Try Il Caffe Latte in Harlem. But go early cause when I went to this place it was busy right up until the end of brunch, which is around three o’clock. People kept coming in and out. That was the only downside, which is manageable!

See you at brunch in Harlem.

Il Caffe Latte
189 Lenox Ave.
(between 119th St & 120th St)
New York, NY 10026
(212) 222-2241

Emmitt Smith Harlem project receives green light, high end grocery store and hotel expected

Jun 8, 2010 @ 21:43

By HarlemGal
Crain’s New York is reporting that Emmitt Smith and his partner/investors received federal tax-exempt financing today. ESmith Legacy Harlem was approved for $19.7 million in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds, which it received through the New York City Capital Resource Corporation. I believe this was the last hurdle Mr. Smith’s firm was waiting for. Now they can proceed to build on the empty lot at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Once that happens, the entire make-up of that area will continue to change.

Online reports are saying that the plan could bring a Whole Foods to Harlem, a Hyatt-branded hotel along with 129 construction jobs and 81 permanent jobs. Nice. Let’s just hope the project does not take forever to build.

I  have one message for Emmitt Smith: build it in a timely and reasonable manner. Please do not take forever!

Is Emmitt Smith aiming to be the next Magic Johnson of Harlem?

Apr 30, 2010 @ 18:20
By HarlemGal
Like most blogs, we received the same, interesting alert about Emmitt Smith and his posse of investors plans to open a hotel on the southwest corner of Lenox Avenue and 125th Street. The Wall Street Journal broke the story today (Friday) saying that Smith and the unnamed investors went to the City recently asking for close to $20 million in financial assistance! In my view, that is small change given what has been doled out by the Feds as bail out money to some companies located in lower Manhattan. I hope the City gives the former Dallas Cowboy the financial backing he is requesting so that he can join in and achieve the equal level of success that Magic Johnson has achieved in Harlem. Johnson’s movies theaters appear to have done well in Harlem. Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned.