REMEMBER: A NIGHT OUT WITH HARLEM EATUP!

Harlem Eatup! started the weekend off this past Friday night with a round of fully booked celebrity chef dinners at uptown's most notable restaurants which let diners experience some of the best tasting menus in the world but was also a chance to meet the great culinary masters that make New York City a dining destination.  We dropped by Vinateria for their first seating of the night where Ted Allen of Chopped (who is super cordial btw) hosted the evening along with guest Chef Linton Hopkins and the eatery's own Chef Gustavo Lopez.  The evening started out a round of great speeches and live music but we had to keep the visit short so we could head over to some of the other events.

The next stop was The Cecil which had a line around the entire restaurant of well heeled guests waiting to get in to try out Chef Joseph Johnson's menu for the night that was created with Celebrity Chef Nick Anderer who was also a master of posing for photos.   Chef JJ was in the middle of prepping plates with the staff in the kitchen so we did not have chance to snap a photo before heading over to Streetbird on 116th Street.  Marcus Samuelsson's new casual restaurant on FDB was bustling as usual and guest Chef Paul Qui was a natural behind the counter at the new global rotisserie restaurant.  Because of the way the space is designed, one can see the kitchen at work and it was pretty cool getting a glimpse of the notable celebrity in his element.

Our next stop down the boulevard was 5 & Diamond where Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods worked his magic with the restaurant's own Joseph Hayes who also has quite a local following.  Live jazz greeted diners and the house was beautifully decorated with blossoming spring branches.  Our final round for the night was at Settepani which had Top Chef Angelo Sosa on deck greeting guests who treated diners to dishes inspired from his Latin and Italian roots such as beef pappardelle spiced with chocolate.   Like all of the other hot spots we could visit, there was a lot of Harlem glamour, music and community to highlight the great food at hand.  

With that said, we expect even bigger list for next year since so many new restaurants have opened now uptown.  Also a big congratulations should be given to all of our great establishments and especially to Chef Marcus Samuelsson for putting together a memorable evening.