EAT: EVEN MORE JAPANESE ARRIVES IN HARLEM

It now looks like 2015 will be the year more serious Japanese restaurants arrive in Harlem.  Uptown has had casual spots run by other Asian proprietors but a true Japanese eatery owned by expats like the ones found downtown are hard to come by.  Jado Sushi on FDB by 114th is really the only option available in Harlem in the past couple of years that a serious Japanese aficionado would try but now four new eateries will be broadening the scope of offerings uptown.  Jin on Broadway just south of 125th Street does a decent job also but ramen purist will note the difference in authenticity.

First of the recent arrivals to open will be Rai Rai Ken ramen on Amsterdam and 133rd Street but it looks like now Lenox Avenue will be the new Nippon boulevard uptown.  We walked by the corner of 129th and Lenox this past weekend and saw a Public Notice up for the arrival of Sono Uchi Sushi at the former Carvin's space which will probably be somewhat more casual based on the size of the interior.  Yuzu will also be opening just a bit south on Lenox by 127th Street in the near future and should debut next after the aforementioned Rai Rai Ken.

Then further down on Lenox and 119th, a Public Notice has been posted for Sushi Vino at the vacant storefront on that corner.  We are not sure if any of the owners aside from Rai Rai Ken are Japanese but with these many options, the quality should be much better than what we have seen in the past uptown.