DRINK: FIRST LOOK AT ANGEL OF HARLEM

A new spot on FDB called Angel of Harlem had its soft opening in the past week on FDB at the corner of 122nd Street and we were able to stop by for a quick bite when the doors opened at 6:00PM.  Making new construction spaces look contemporary and not like a hotel from the 90s has been a challenge uptown and Angel has  delivered one of the best debuts we have seen in the past six years.  The mix of modern, industrial and just a bit of vintage is hard to pull off but the end result is something quite current in the city's dining scene but not often found further north.

Angel is mainly a lounge space so the 60 seats includes a large bar along with smaller tables and banquets around the perimeter of the room.  Our window table provided a great view of the room and     had ample sunlight in the early evening hours which was perfect for an early summer outing.  Cocktails are set at $12 which seems to be the standard these days and we ordered a watermelon basil offering which had the right balance of dryness and sweetness.  A full menu is still under works but a handful of plates such as the Cuban sandwich with plantain chips provided enough for the dinner hour.  Everything is pretty solid here and the proprietors who are also the owners of Corner Social really know how to get a bar scene together since Angel was moderately busy by the time we left.

Overall the new establishment is a great addition to this formerly sleepy corner of South Harlem and the forthcoming menu by Chef Banks White should be something to look out for when everything is up and running at full capacity.