I just noticed that there is an awning over a juice bar on 135th Street and 7th Avenue.  If readers know more about it send an email to uptownflavor[at]gmail.com

 
"Nothing is ever new in New York" an exasperated Samantha sighed on an episode of "Sex and the City."  That is probably because Samantha never made her way past the upper East side into Harlem where everything old is new again.

Quiznos Subs is moving into the neighborhood and serving an area that has traditionally been neglected by chain restaurants. Temporary signage has appeared in a vacant store front on 8th Avenue and 135th Street across from Strivers Gardens.  The location is flanked by The Wright Bar and Barbara’s Flowers while a new Duane Reade and Chase bank face them on the opposite side of the street.

Quiznos website claims that the chain is the #1 restaurant chain according to Nation’s Restaurant News and the #2 overall franchaise according to Entrepreneur Magazine.  Despite the rapid growth of the chain, everything hasn’t been all toasty for the company.  There have been reports of problems with the franchaise by owners resulting in excessive turnover. Considering the fact that Quiznos is venturing into unchartered territory on 8th Avenue, in an area with no other franchaises within 10 blocks north to south, is a cause for concern regarding their longetivity and success in the area. 

Perhaps the new owners of the 8th Avenue location opted to rent the smaller space next to local businesses as opposed to the larger, newer space across the street on the ground floor of Strivers Gardens or even the space formerly occupied by A Slice of Harlem on the corner of 135th Street because they are fully aware of the possible risk factors. In any event, the store should anticipate initial success since they will have the distinction of being the only Quiznos in Harlem and they are situated in a location that has the potential for plenty of foot traffic.

The closest restaurants in the area include, Home Sweet Harlem Cafe (facing a possible eviction),  Bamboo Village Chinese Take-out and Yvonne Yvonne Caribbean Take-out.  Quiznos menu includes subs, soups and salads. The lighter fare is a healthier alternative to what is currently available along that portion of 8th Avenue. Located near thriving businesses, a high school, and the B/C subway station, Quiznos should find that Harlem is hungry for the wide variety of tasty, toasted sandwiches.

 
While rushing down 7th Avenue the other day I happened to spot two new eateries that I hadn’t noticed before. The first was The Harlem   Wing & Waffle. They specialize in, what else, wings and waffles.  This contemporary eatery is located between 139th and 140th Streets, across McDonald’s and a couple of doors down from Make My Cake.  It has an orange interior with stainless steel accents.  They already seem to be a hit in the neighborhood. Once we find out more about Wings & Waffles you know it will be featured here on UPTOWN flavor.

The other place was the R&D Grill on the opposite side of the boulevard, not to be mistaken with the Harlem Grill.  The R&D Grill is a typical take-out spot where you step down off of Seventh Avenue into the narrow diner to order breakfast all day (including waffles), lunch specials or dinner from the "hot open flame grill."  Some of the items from the grill include steak (T-bone or Sirloin), chicken, turkey wings, ribs and grilled salmon with sides.  The prices are reasonable ranging from $2.50 for a burger to $12.50 for a flame grilled steak with sides.

On the take out menu they inform us that the restaurant was formed by "two gentlemen who love good food with a heavy hand on the portions, even down to the hearty sandwiches."  Be forewarned, they also set the tone for the type of restaurant they run  "music, television or light conversation on the topic of the day in a clean comfortable, no hurry environment."  Keep your credit cards at home because they are only accepting cash at this time but they plan to be equipped for credit and debit cards in the future.

The Grill is located at 2311 Seventh Avenue and their hours are 8-8 seven days a week. They also offer free delivery. Call for more information 212-234-2334.

Related: Got a Belgian Waffle jones but you don’t want to trek downtown to a diner?  IHOP can take care of that craving on the corner of 135th Street and 7th Avenue. Their hours are Sunday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday to 12:00 midnight.

Links: Chicken and Waffles [website] :: Gladys and Ron’s :: Roscoe’s ::

 
As reported by a poster known simply as Ora over on Chowhound, the highly anticipated opening of Rack & Soul has  met the approval of her taste buds.  She reports the following:

"I had take-out from there tonight–the beef rib w/collard greens and potato salad. The rib was large and tender and not dry–tasty. Though, purists will certainly quibble with the amount of pre-slathered sauce that was on it. The potato salad was very southern in style–the mashed type w/plenty of egg. The collards were average. Two kinda sweet biscuits came with the meal…The menu also has other classic soul food dishes beside ‘cue like smothered chicken." [source]

Broadway’s restaurant row has no shortage of mouth watering delights but the owner of R&S wanted to provide soul food to the UWS without having people trek all the way up to Harlem.

“I’ve been in Harlem for a long time and I love the community, but there are many soul food restaurants there already,” Eberstadt said. “I wanted to take my gig on the road a little bit.”

Interestingly enough, the owner of R&S owns two Harlem restaurants, Bayou and A Slice of Harlem.  His business partner is none other than Charles Gabriel, owner of Charles’ Southern Style Kitchen.

If you know of other recent openings in the uptown community, give us a shout at uptownflavor[at]gmail.com

Sources: Columbia Spectator :: Chowhound ::

I saw this new restaurant on 145th Between Amsterdam and Broadway (closer to Amsterdam and across from the library.)  The sign says that they specialize in seafood and they deliver!  If anyone has tried them out, please offer your review.  I wonder how their presence will affect the business of the late night taco truck down the block.

El Puerto Seafood Steak House & Grill
500 West 145th Street (bet. Broadway & Amsterdam)
Phone: 212-926-93340

Open from Mon. to Thurs. 7am - 12 midnight
Fri, Sat, Sun 24 hours.
Catering available for all occasion. Free Delivery. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.

Related:Hamilton Heights Restaurants  

NEW boutique, N, opened last week in Harlem. The store will carry a mix of national brands and work by designers based in the neighborhood.   Women’s lines at the store include Nicole Miller, Tracy Reese, Miss Sixty and Juicy Couture; men’s designs include Denim Factory, Modern Amusement and Earnest Sewn. The store also carries clothes by G-Star, Hugo Boss, Chip & Pepper, Marimekko and Paper Denim & Cloth for men and women.    In addition it will have skin care lines like I-Iman, Skyn Iceland and Barc skin care for men and housewares by Jonathan Adler, Marimekko Home and Umbra. At 114 West 116th Street, between Seventh and Lenox Avenues, (212) 961-1036.

Source: New York Times, By ANNA BAHNEY

Related: NY Post 

BATON ROUGE IN HARLEM

[Excerpt…]

"All of our dreams were realized the day the doors opened and we were able to provide for our neighborhood," says Jones, co-owner of Sugar Hill. "We designed the house to be a true community gathering place with the jazz lounge on the first floor, dining room on the second, and community space on the top two floors; we wanted our neighbors to think of this space as their own."

Sugar Hill Bistro served the Harlem community well, but its doors have long been closed. Now another eatery and gathering place has come to take its space on 145th Street–Baton Rouge, a New Orleans style restaurant and lounge. Real estate broker Brian Phillips of Sotheby’s International Realty sold the Sugar Hill building to its new owners Sheron and Joe Barnes, who before bringing MoBay Uptown to Harlem, first launched MoBay, a popular Brooklyn-based Caribbean eating place.  With Baton Rouge, Sheron and Joe have opened what will certainly be another colorful culinary treat.

Source: Uptown Magazine [website]

 

In addition to the previously mentioned restaurants that have cropped up on Harlem’s Sugarhill I just discovered Baton Rouge, the sister restaurant to Mo Bay, that has taken up residence in what was previously known as The Sugar Hill Bistro on 145th Street.  This prime location places them in direct competition with Copeland’s  located a city block away. Reviews to follow.

I am off to the brand new Sugarhill Java Cafe located on 145th Street right below St. Nick Ave.  The area has been in desperate need of a sit down cafe and I’m sure Sugarhill Java will be giving Dunkin’ Donuts a run for its money. Pictures and an update on this topic after I have sampled their offerings.

Right next door to the Java Cafe a new restaraunt called Raw Soul has opened its doors.  Raw Soul offers organic vegan and vegetarian meals for take out or table service. It has piqued the interest of people in the neighborhood who have been trickling in since its doors opened earlier this month.  Raw Soul offers a great alternative to the fish spots and chinese restaurants that saturate the area with unhealthy food selections.

A couple of blocks away I am anxiously awaiting the grand opening of Maroons Uptown, the sister restaurant of the location in Chelsea.  Sugarhill is certainly sweetening up once again.

Who knew that there was a Harlem Tennis Center? I happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of it while sitting in the back of a speeding dollar cab the other day.  As it turns out tennis star James Blake played there as a kid and the legendary tennis pro Althea Gibson taught tennis at the inconspicuous location also known as “The Armory.” Unfortunately I may have discovered this fact a little too late because my internet investigations pulled up a disconnected phone number and several postings in MSN forums pleading to “Save the Harlem Tennis Center.” How sad to lost this much needed facility if it has indeed closed.  The surrounding area is quickly changing and there will certainly be a demand for an alternative to Riverbank State Park and Jackie Robinson.  Tennis would be a great way to work off those pounds that are sure to arrive with the many restaurants popping up around the area.

Black-owned bowling alley opens doors in Harlem

by JIMMIE BRIGGS
Special to the AmNews
Originally posted 3/16/2006

The first Harlem-based bowling alley in more than thirty years opens its doors on St. Patrick’s Day. Harlem Lanes, the brainchild of Sharon Joseph and Gail Richards, is located at the corner of 126th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, below the Alhambra Ballroom. Offering 24 lanes, a sports bar with large screen televisions, private party rooms and a full dining menu, it’s much more than a bowling alley. The entertainment center is spread over two floors of a corner building.

Harlem Lanes will be open seven days a week, 365 days a year and is one of four bowling centers in Manhattan. It is the only one above 42nd Street. Joseph is the niece of Richards, and the two are the first African-American women to own a bowling center in the United States.

"This actually was not the original location we were supposed to be in," explained Gail Richards. "We found the Blumstein Building, on 125th Street across from the Apollo Theater. It was like the Macy*s of Harlem back in the 1960s. It was a great space but we would only be able to fit five more lanes there, with half the footage than we have in this here, because of the columns in that space."

Before a room of journalists, supporters and members of the area business community, the two women held a press conference about the bowling center last Tuesday. In attendance were United States Congressman Charles Rangel, former Manhattan Borough President C.Virginia Fields, Reggie Van Lee from Booz Allen, current Borough President Scott Stringer, Councilwoman Inez Dickenson and former President Bill Clinton. The Harlem-based Clinton Foundation provided support towards the realization of Harlem Lanes.

"Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy and I am pleased that my foundation can contribute to the expansion and success of small businesses here in Harlem," noted President Clinton in a statement. "This bowling alley is just one example of the businesses that this program has helped to get off the ground and contribute to its surrounding community."

Information about Harlem Lanes can be found at www.harlemlanes.com or by calling 212-678-BOWL.

"The community here has been extremely supportive," says Sharon Jones. "When Gail and I sit in on neighborhood meetings at different venues, people who don�t know we’re affiliated with it say things like, "We can’t wait to see this bowling alley! When does the bowling alley open up? It feels really good."

Related: The New Flavor of Uptown :: Harlem Bowling Center :: Daily Candy :: New York Times :: NY Daily News ::