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A Great Afternoon at Harlem Shake’s Soft Opening

Posted on May 14, 2013 by | 3 Comments

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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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Harlem Welcomes Vinateria On Their Opening Night

Posted on April 19, 2013 by | 2 Comments
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Vinateria

It was a warm welcome at Vinateria in Harlem on opening night.  I showed up early with friends and there were a few people there but by an hour later the place was full with a lot of activity and all the tables were occupied.  The layout offers dinning tables to the left and the wine bar to the right.

As you can see the final execution of the interior came out nicely.  And quite a difference from the very first interior photos that we posted last week.  Above is a picture of the lovely owner (Yvette) with her father (both are residents of Harlem) in front of the beautiful custom made entrance doors.  They were the first two people that I met when I walked in and it started the evening off with a welcoming vibe.

I only had drinks on opening night but plan on going back for dinner soon.  I can say that I was impressed with the wine selection and presentation.  Open etched glass school house pendants illuminate the distressed metal bar which I thought was an effective look.  It’s informal rustic with a bit of modern chic when you take in the whole decor.  Almost a Mediterranean, European feel to it.  Antoinette who was helping us at the bar, was inviting and very informative with her recommendations.   A few of the wines that I would recommend are…

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Gaba do Xil at Vinateria

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“Arcese – White Wine” with Antoinette at Vinateria

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Jelu Malbec Rose at Vinateria

I would suggest that you have a conversation about the wine before choosing one as this really made a difference for me and my experience.

I look forward to writing part two to this review after dinning at Vinateria very soon.  I spoke with Yvette briefly about the menu and she did mention that it was Italian based with a global, mediterranean flair.  Sounds good to me.  First impressions I’d say this place was very well thought out and if opening night was any indication it was well received and the neighborhood seemed to approve.

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Vinateriia

Harlem Welcomes Vinateria On Their Opening Night
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Vinateria

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

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

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Small Fire at Bad Horse Pizza in Harlem

Posted on March 14, 2013 by | Leave a comment

image Small Fire at Bad Horse Pizza in Harlem

A friend to Harlem Condo Life informed us that Bad Horse Pizza had a fire the other night.  There were 4 fire trucks and a window had to be broken to put out the fire.  Other than that there was minimal damage done, thankfully.  It was a small fire and they were open for business the following day.

We’re glad that it didn’t turn into anything more major and that their business was not affected.

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New Harlem Restaurant ‘Harlem Shake’ Opening Soon

Posted on March 7, 2013 by | 9 Comments

Screen Shot 2013 03 07 at 1.00.50 AM New Harlem Restaurant Harlem Shake Opening Soon

After receiving a note from Jelena Pasic, owner of the soon-to-open Harlem Shake restaurant in Harlem, she informed us that they will be having a “friends and family tasting” in a few weeks.”  They plan to open officially soon after this.  We will keep you posted here at Harlem Condo Life with the exact date as I know a lot of readers are anxious for them to open.  We have been corresponding for the last couple of months through social media and commenting on the Harlem Shake craze.  Recently Jelena asked graffiti artist Kindo Harper (shown above) to paint “The Real Harlem Shake” on the boards covering her under-construction restaurant.  It already looks great.

She informed us their Facebook and Twitter sites are well into the thousands of “likes” and followers do to the recent Harlem Shake global phenomenon.  Just to be clear she states “this is complete coincidence and partial luck.”  The decision to name the restaurant Harlem Shake was made before the recent video/dance craze and purely on keeping in theme with authentic old school Harlem.  Jelena states “We want to serve the best burgers and shakes in Harlem.”  They want to be part of something that represents Harlem.  As well as the burgers they would like their great shakes to be known.  Hence the title Harlem “Shake.”

Regardless of all the media attention, including the global Harlem Shake and the latest Harlem reacts back videos (many of which we’ve posted here on our blog see previous posts), Harlem Shake restaurant will be a nice addition to Lenox Avenue in Harlem.  It is a great location with all the shops on 125th Street close by.  Not to mention Whole Foods along with many chain stores including American Eagle, Marshall’s and Burlington Coat Factory all under construction opening in the near future across the street.  It will be nice to have Harlem Shake representing an old-school vibe on Lenox Avenue.  More and more with these chain businesses coming in, I think Jelena has the right idea in keeping in theme with Harlem and representing something that is part of our history.  A good model for many new businesses to follow.

Already mentioned in The Daily News and fellow blogger Harlem Bespoke, I’m sure we will be reading a lot more about this Harlem business in the upcoming months.  Stay tuned for their opening date.

Harlem Shake
100 W 124th Street
New York, NY

harlemshakenyc.com

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Posted in Harlem, Menu Harlem Hot Spots, Menu Harlem Restaurant Row, New York City, Restaurants

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