Category Archives: Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

Posted on May 30, 2013 by | 4 Comments

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

I had the pleasure of being “customer # 1″ at the Grand Opening of Maharaja Palace, which is located in South Harlem (SOHA) between 114th and 115th streets on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, which HarlemCondoLife.com (twitter @HarlemHCL) originally coined  ”Harlem’s Gold Coast” and “Harlem Restaurant Row”.

It started with a friendly message from Bashar the owner inviting us to attend as their guest for the evening’s grand opening.  I love Indian food and had been waiting in anticipation for the Palace’s arrival.

I was greeted by the owner and the staff.   They went out of their way to make me feel at home.

This is their second location, the first being on the East Side.  The decor is simple and reminded me of my travels through Asia.  The space is wired for sound and music will be available soon.  The space is air conditioned as well.

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

The menu is extensive.  So I focussed on items that I love.

I started my meal with a Mango Lassi which was the perfect balance of tastes.

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

I then had the Vegetable Samosas as an appetizer.  I usually have these with my meal.  This time I had them as an appetizer.  They were great.  Crispy on the outside.  Tender, flavorful and spicy (but not too much) on the inside.  The owner mentioned that the recipe dates back to his time in school in college in his home country, where they ate samosas and drank lassis.

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

I followed that up with the Tandori mixed grill which had a selection of meats and seafood prepared in a variety of ways and cooked in their Tandor oven.  Along with rice and Onion Naan.  Delicious,  plentiful and well priced.  There was so much food that I asked for a “doggy bag” so I could savor the rest of my meal later. 

Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

As I dined a steady stream of customers came in to take a seat, pick up takeout or grab a menu.  Each one was greeted enthusiastically by the owner.  And a steady stream of deliveries poured out into the neighborhood.  In fact, they will be debuting their menu on the Seamless home delivery service this week.  They are open for lunch with great specials.  And have early evening dinner specials.


Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

As I was ready to leave, my waiter Richard for the evening said that they were honored to have had me as their “customer # 1″.   I was honoured.  I thanked them and left the restaurant happy to have ushered in this welcome addition to the neighborhood, and looking forward to my next meal at (or from) Majarajah Palace.

MAJARAJAH PALACE
2113 Frederick Douglass Blvd (between 114th & 115th St)
New York, NY 10026
(212) 222-8934

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Restaurant review: Grand opening of Maharaja Palace in Harlem

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A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shake’s Soft Opening

Posted on May 14, 2013 by | 4 Comments

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

Wall of Fame

We finally have a good diner on Lenox in Harlem.  This afternoon we attended the soft opening at Harlem Shake and enjoyed exactly what you would expect, shakes and burgers.  Very pleasantly pleased by the retro fifties decor (by Dennis Decker) right down to the order-and-pick-up diner style format.  The official opening will be held in 2 days on Thursday, May 16th.  They are waiting on their license for outdoor seating as well which will expand the diner for the summer months.

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

Her eyes follow you

The shakes are delicious!  We recommend the Red Velvet Shake.  Our favorite burger of the three that we sampled was the “Hot Mess” spicy, messy and everything good.  The fries were good.  Nice and piping hot, skin on the potato and just the right amount of salt.

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

We predict many future busy nights here as they are set in the perfect location on the South/West corner of 124th street and Lenox Avenue.

They have added some very cool touches such as the Wall of Fame (above) which consists of a large collage of celebrities from Bill Clinton to Cassandra Wilson who have autographed their head shots on the wall.  We predict this will soon become a Harlem Hot Spot for local Harlemites as well as tour busses and the Sunday brunch crowd passing through and taking pictures of Harlem Shake.  While we were there, already a group of kids came in and asked if they could take a picture inside the place.  With it’s retro vibe, even though it is brand new we had the feeling that it had been there for years.  Also they serve wine and beer for those that want drinks with their fries.  The music playing was a little hip hop, a touch of rap and some R&B and great soul classics.  Perfect.

Thank you Jelena, for your hospitality today.  Congratulations to the whole crew and welcome to the neighborhood!

Fantastic design by Dennis Decker.   Well done.

*They will be open from 11am to 11pm weekdays and weekends they will be open until 2am.

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A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

Vintage jet magazine covers drape the bathroom walls. Fantastic!

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

Harlem Shake
harlemshakenyc.com
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Vinateria in Harlem – Dinner (Menu) Review

Posted on April 30, 2013 by | 2 Comments

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

The highly anticipated Vinateria was well worth the wait.  We enjoyed dinner there on a very crowded Saturday night a week ago.  We sat at the bar for a quick 15 minutes and visited with Antoinette (the lovely bartender mentioned in our previous post) until our table was ready.  A lot of familiar faces in Harlem were there curious to check out Vinateria’s first Saturday night.  We did not notice many people eating dinner at first, only having drinks.  But we arrived around 9:30 pm and our delightful server Ashley explained more people were having dinner earlier and that we arrived more towards the second shift.  After we sat down a large table of 10 sat next to us who all ordered dinner as well as many others.  I definitely recommend that you try their food along with their wine selection.  I wasn’t disappointed at all.  Actually I was thrilled!  As we wrote about Vinateria back in December the owner (Yvette) teamed up with Gabriela and Gustavo Lopez who have worked at many downtown hotspots (see our previous post) in the past.  Gustavo developed the menu and Gabriela developed their wine and beverage program.

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

The menu (above) is a great compilment to the wine and beverages.  We enjoyed the simplicity of it though it was a little limited with dinner options.  That being said, what we had we loved.  They have divided the menu up by small, medium and large along with a cheese & charcuterie section and desserts.  It is very resonably priced.  Espeically the Large section entrees which are not huge portions but priced accordingly.  A perfectly cooked NY strip steak (below) at $20 that my friends enjoyed.

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

I was very pleased with their sauteed striped bass at $18 (above) with sides of mustard greens and mashed potatoes.  The bass was beautifully cooked with a nice crisp skin.  Very flavorful and well executed.  The hand-cut beef tartare (below) with cornichon, capers and fried quail egg… wow!  I was fighting my friends off with my fork, unsuccessfully.  It was perfect.  I highly recommend it.  They have a homemade spaghetti with fava beans in a tomato sauce that looked very good and a nice vegetarian option.  We also started with a selection of various cheeses which set the dinner off to nice start especially with the wines recomended by Gabriela.  We tried the Ostatu (a rose) and the Lurra and a Carmenere.  Wine lovers and connoisseurs will be happy here.  You are in good hands.  Whether you choose to sit in the wine bar area of Vinateria or the restaurant side, after being there twice I can say both sections are comfortable and enjoyable.  Please see part one of our review Harlem Welcomes Vinateria On Their Opening Night from last week with more wine recommendations and additional information.  I think for the wine, food, atmosphere, customer service, location and  how well run this place is by the owner (Yvette), along with the unbeatable team of Gabriella and Gustavo that Vinateria will leave customers wanting to come back for more.  A very welcome addition to Harlem.

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

Vinateria in Harlem Dinner (Menu) Review

(above) Freshly grown Herbs in a window planter at Vinateria to help Gustavo flavor the food prepared in the kitchen.

Vinateria
2211 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (corner of 119th St)
New York, NY 10026
(212)662-8462

They will have a website and twitter account soon but you can follow them now on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/vinaterianyc

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Maison Harlem – French Savoir-Faire

Posted on March 3, 2013 by | 6 Comments
Maison Harlem French Savoir Faire

MAISON HARLEM

I had the pleasure of dining at Maison Harlem this weekend.  It’s easily a top 5 local favorite.  The crowd is hip. The food is delicious, plentiful and well priced. The staff is nice, attentive and knowledgeable.  I loved the fact that I was able to speak to the staff and the the owner in both French or English as the mood dictated.  This was my third visit to Maison and each time Samuel Thiam (one of the owners and the evening’s host) has greeted us graciously. We were accompanied by a large group including visiting friends from out of town.  We enjoyed a variety of appetizers, dinner and desert.  See their full menu here MAISON.  I recommend the seasonal oysters, steak tartare, french onion soup or the fried calamari for starters.  For entrees the wild mushroom risotto with grilled seafood is very good.  My friend ordered it and said that this is what she came back for.  The grilled new york shell steak is delicious with either red wine or peppercorn sauce.  Other popular dishes that stood out were the grilled salmon, the duck leg confit and the daurade sauce vierge (royal dorade fish with sauce vierge, grilled asparagus & new potatoes).  Ask for their specials and deserts.  We loved the creme brûlée and lava cake.

Maison Harlem French Savoir Faire

MAISON HARLEM Wild Mushroom Risotto

Maison Harlem French Savoir Faire

MAISON HARLEM Daurade Sauce Vierge

Maison Harlem French Savoir Faire

MAISON HARLEM

I’m told from friends that the burgers are excellent but I’ve not been their for brunch or lunch yet.  I was happy to see that on the lunch menu they offer croque monsieur which is a childhood favorite of mine.

Maison takes reservations (recommended) for parties of four and higher.  Each time I have been there the bar has been crowded – whether it be middle of the week or on the weekend.  This is impressive and shows that by word of mouth and reputation Maison Harlem is a success.

Maison Harlem French Savoir Faire

MAISON HARLEM les toilettes

MAISON HARLEM
341 St. Nicholas Ave
New York, NY 10027
(212) 222-9224

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