UPDATE: Click here to read review on food!
After many, many months of restaurant furniture sitting inside a nicely designed corner space, a naked bar and teasing windows for Harlemites to peak in, Frizzante Italian Bistro & Bar has finally opened its doors at the corner of 117th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Last night (Thursday, January 14) was their first night of business in Harlem.
I tried chatting with the gentlemen on site today to get the chisme on who is behind this new restaurant, which, in our view, supports our claim that from 110th Street to 125th on Frederick Douglass Blvd. it is slowly and surely becoming the restaurant row of Harlem. The gentlemen declined to comment on who is the investor(s). They only said “why don’t you come over tonight and try our food; and blog about that? I responded: “I will certainly do that.”
Now we have to wait and see what happens with the other new restaurant opening up near 67 Orange on FDB. The place is slowing coming together. Either way, the more dining establishments in Harlem the better.
See you at Frizzante in Harlem!
Frizzante Italian Bistro & Bar
2168 Frederick Douglass Boulevard
New York, NY 10026-2001
(212) 866-0525
We tried our Frizzante’s since a neighboring business told us it was great. We were very disappointing, the pasta was overdone and mushy, the sauce was very dull. The only thing in its favor is that it is BYOB!
A little off the subject maybe, but a request for people to consider the ethics of buying items like designer clothes. Please try and consider, for example, the materials the item is made from, the conditions of the employees where they’re manufactured and the ethics of retailers. Oh, and endeavour to recycle instead of throwing away. Thanks!!!!
Barry,
Thanks for your review. It looks like we had the same wonderful experience. You can read our review here as well. Thanks so much for the comments!
http://harlemcondolife.com/2010/01/19/crowds-seen-at-harlems-frizzante-good-food-design-attracts/
Frizzante Opens
We ate at Frizzante last evening, the much awaited Italian ristorante and bistro across from our building on Fred-Doug. They do not yet have their liquor license, which made the meal all the more enjoyable by allowing patrons to BYOB. I enjoyed a bottle of Italian Red from The Winery, now moved around the corner to 116th due to landlord/lease complications.
The decor of Frizzante was quite nice. The walls are distressed brick on the common wall and papered in a saffron/white stripe on the outter walls. The ceiling is white gypsum, a welcome relief when compared to the usual hung ceiling. A finely finished oak bar also adds to the ambiance. There is an extraordinarily high noise level inside when the restaurant is crowded as a result of the total absence of sound absorbing materials on the interior. You may find this something between annoying and intolerable. The tables are butcher-block, lightly finished and the chairs are hardwood. Dinner is served with paper napkins and inexpensive flatware.
I can only comment on a small number of dishes, as only three items were ordered off the menu. The chicken parmigiana was thinly sliced and covered in their signature marinara sauce, which I personally found actually rather sweet and somewhat bland. I believe this is a mater of personal taste, so if you find the sauce at the aforementioned Italian restaurants a bit spicy, this may be the place for you. The mozarella was fresh. The spaghetti was cooked just right and must be ordered a la carte, as are all dishes at Frizzante. The portions are not particularly large: therefore, the same chicken parm and spaghetti available at V & T or Giovanni’s for $14-16.99 will cost a few dollars more and provide less calories, as the disk is prepared quite thin.
I personally chose the veal scallopini limone, which I found quite flavorful. The meat was not as tender as it should have been, but the sauce was outstanding: delicate and not overwhelming in any way. The dish was served with a browned new potato quartered as garnish, sprinkled with parsley.
Dinner for four, one desert and one coffee, without other drinks, soft or otherwise, was $80 with tip
Dinner for two with an shared appetizer, a shared desert and Pelligrino with BYOB wine is estimated at less than $65, including tip.
Frizzante is open for dinner only, apparently from about 6pm-11:30pm right now. Cash is the only accepted form of payment at this time.
HarlemHouse, that is good news. I love Spanish food! I would go there if it was a place that served Spanish cuisine. Then again. I like to eat pretty much all cuisines. If you hear anything about the name of the place, tell us about it!
Harlemgal = biased agenda
The Restaurant under Construction next to 67 Orange I hear from a reliable source is going to be a Spanish Restaurant. I hope it will be. ???
Lenox Avenue already has more restaurants (some of a descent caliber) and potential for growth. FDB is too narrow, it will never be able to compete with Lenox Ave.