Tag Archives: Menu Harlem Hot Spots

A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shake’s Soft Opening

Posted on May 14, 2013 by | 4 Comments

IMG 10941 768x1024 A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shakes Soft Opening

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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.

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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.

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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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Vintage jet magazine covers drape the bathroom walls. Fantastic!

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Harlem Shake
harlemshakenyc.com
follow on twitter @HarlemShakeNYC

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Posted in Central Harlem, Food, Harlem, Menu Harlem Hot Spots, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, South Harlem (SOHA)

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Vinateria in Harlem – Dinner (Menu) Review

Posted on April 30, 2013 by | 2 Comments

IMG 0955 2 e1367365071861 1024x761 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.

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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.

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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.

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(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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Posted in Drink, Food, Harlem, Menu Harlem Hot Spots, Menu Harlem Restaurant Row, New York City, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, South Harlem (SOHA)

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Current and on the pulse – Shrine Bar Restaurant World Music Venue in Harlem

Posted on April 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

IMG 0977 1024x768 Current and on the pulse Shrine Bar Restaurant World Music Venue in Harlem

The Shrine Bar Restaurant is all kinds of fun.  Literally, with its World Music Venue in Harlem you can expect to hear a wide variety of different music every week.  I was there recently with friends just passing through (not for a particular event), and was happy to meet Francois Maheux, the man responsible for Bookings and  Promotions.  We were discussing Harlem, Apollo Theater and just music in general and how vital live music is to Harlem and the history of Harlem.  There are many great spots to hear music in Harlem and Shrine is no exception.  It is the perfect size venue, roomy but not too big with a comfortable, inviting and festive interior.  I especially enjoy that you can hear jazz, hip hop, funk, world, reggae, Latin, rap, blues rock on any given night as they keep it interesting, current and on the pulse.  Here is a list of upcoming events you can see at Shrine Bar Restaurant/World Music Venue.  Recently friend to our blog, Harlem born and raised “John O” of Tha Gecko Brothas, perfromed there and I’m sure that they will return over the summer months.  It is worth passing through if you have not been there yet to check out their food and drinks MENU.  Every once in a while there is a cover for special events like an AIDS benefit, or a fundraiser where customers are more than happy to contribute.  The Shrine has great drinks if you like margaritas and pina coladas.  My friend recommended the pina colada (with a splash of grand  marnier on top) which was very good especially with a side order of wings.  You cannot go wrong with that combo.  Next time I would like to sit in their outdoor seating and try their Fela Burger and also their Afro Chicken which both looked good.  But then definitely come back inside to enjoy some great live music!
(Make sure you check out The Shrine Sunday Jazz Jam Session which is each and every Sunday)

*Stay tuned as HarlemCondoLife will continue to keep you posted with events at the Shrine.

IMG 0978 2 300x225 Current and on the pulse Shrine Bar Restaurant World Music Venue in Harlem

Classic album covers cover the ceiling of Shrine

Shrine Bar Restaurant
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd
New York, NY 10030
(212) 690-7807

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Posted in Drink, Entertainment, Event, Food, Harlem, Menu Harlem Hot Spots, Music, New York City

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DJ Stormin’ Norman Tonight Spinning at Red Rooster!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2013 04 19 at 6.35.30 PM DJ Stormin Norman Tonight Spinning at Red Rooster!

Happy Friday Harlem!!!  Are you are in the mood for a good scene and even better music?   Swing by Red Rooster tonight from 8pm – 1am and enjoy one of the coolest night spots in NY with one of the best masters of the turntables DJ Stormin’ Norman!

Drinks and socializing to the fullest with the best soul, classics, hip hop, house, funk, latin and dancehall music around.

Red Rooster at 301 Lenox Avenue at 125th Street
Harlem, NY 10027
212-792-9001

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