☞ DRINK: Moca Lounge

Moca Lounge is one of the newer FDB establishments that caters to the South Harlem scene with hip-hop music, a comfort soul food menu and regionally inspired drinks such as Harlem Ice Tea. During the weekends, the live DJ and small dance floor give the spot a club-like atmosphere. For those not aware of dress etiquette uptown, it's all about dressing up. For the gentleman, hats, hoods, sleeveless garments, and the like are not tolerated by management, so come in looking sharp. www.mocalounge.com. 2210 Frederick Douglass Boulevard/8th Avenue. Tel. (212) 665-8081. Take the 2,3 or B,C to 116th Street.

SHOP: NEW FACADE AT ROSA'S PIZZA

Harlem Bespoke:  We broke the news earlier this month on the new Rosa's Pizza shop opening at former Moca bar space on Frederick Douglass and construction has really been moving along quickly.   The interior had already been drywalled at the shop on the corner of West 119th a couple of weeks back and now the facade appears to be finishing up soon. Harlem has a lot of artisanal, wood oven pizzerias but a good old slice joint is something that could be more abundant locally.  It is unclear at this point which way Rosa's will go but any good pizza is never a bad thing.  More on Rosa's Pizzeria in our past post: LINK

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INTRODUCING: ROSA'S PIZZA ARRIVING ON FDB

Harlem Bespoke: Bars and lounges have been popping up all over the place in the past year or so and we were suprised to see one actually shutter on Frederick Douglass Boulevard recently. This location was the Moca bar at the corner of West 119th Street and we saw some major construction at the address since the new year started.

☞ EAT: The Red Rooster Location Narrows More

One out of the two locations that folks have been speculating on for top chef Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant has dropped out as a contender. HarlemCondoLife reports that 2211-2223 FDB/8th Avenue (lower photo) will have a restaurant called Chocolat taking over the space in the coming months. Many who live around the block at the corner of West 120th Street thought the recent activity at the large restaurant storefront indicated that this would be the new home of the highly anticipated Red Rooster restaurant and speakeasy. Chocolat has now been confirmed to soon arrive and the eatery will be the second restaurant on the South Harlem corridor for the proprietor of Moca Lounge which is a few blocks south. With the post Labor Day starting date that Mr. Samuelsson has intimated recently, most would agree that the new, soon-to-be-complete Aloft hotel (top photo) at 123rd street, is now the number one choice for the Red Rooster. Read all the Red Rooster rumors in our past post: LINK. All photos by Ulysses

MORE FACADE DETAILS AT ROSA’S PIZZERIA ON FDB

Harlem Bespoke:  Facade details have now been fully revealed at Rosa's Pizza shop at the former Moca bar space on Frederick Douglass and we snapped up the most current photos this week.  

SEE: INTERIOR LIVES AT MCNY

Interior Lives exhibit at Museum of the City of New York, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue. Three photographers explore the lives of Chinese Americans. New York City’s nine predominantly Chinese neighborhoods are home to the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia. Interior Lives features the work of three photographers who have spent years documenting the lives of Chinese New Yorkers: Thomas Holton, Annie Ling, and An Rong Xu.

This exhibition is organized by the Museum of the City of New York in conjunction with the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) exhibition Interior Lives: Photographs of Chinese Americans in the 1980s by Bud Glick.  More details can be found on the MCNY site: LINK

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INTRODUCING: ROSA PIZZA IN HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: We were the first to break the news that Rosa Pizza was arriving on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 119th back in January just when construction started up at the former Moca bar space.  Now everything is really  coming together quickly and all of the signage detail out front has been completed.

☞ EAT: Chocolat Getting Ready to Open

The new restaurant called Chocolat (at 120th and FDB/8th Avenue) looks like they will be ready to open by the end of summer. A reader pointed out the NOW HIRING signs that have been up recently and there was an open call this past Wednesday. A nice coat of high gloss paint on the facade details has dressed up the exterior out front and the interior looks like its going to be decidedly contemporary. Folks who missed out on the open call might want to drop by Moca Lounge a couple of blocks south seeing that both establishments are by the same proprietor: LINK. The nearest subways to this location is the A,B,C,D train at 125th Street or the B,C at 116th. Photos by Ulysses