FOOD IN NEW YORK EXHIBITION AT MCNY

Food in New York exhibition at Museum of the City of New York, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue. Food is a powerful social network binding New Yorkers to each other and with countless others across the globe. The city's raucous restaurant scene; its ubiquitous street food; the current activist efforts to source food locally; the world's largest food market in Hunts Point; and the artists, thinkers, and designers who are imagining new sustainable ways to relate to food, will all be part of Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate.

FOOD IN NEW YORK EXHIBITION AT MCNY

Food in New York exhibition at Museum of the City of New York, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue. Food is a powerful social network binding New Yorkers to each other and with countless others across the globe. The city's raucous restaurant scene; its ubiquitous street food; the current activist efforts to source food locally; the world's largest food market in Hunts Point; and the artists, thinkers, and designers who are imagining new sustainable ways to relate to food, will all be part of Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate.

BESPOKE: THE BEST WINGS IN HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: Those thinking about a great place to celebrate all the dad's out there should consider Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on 125th Street by 12th Avenue.  Grilling is popular during the summer but the difference with Dino BBQ is that all of the meats are pit-smoked for 14 hours before finally finishing things off with a glaze on high heat.  Even with so many wing joints opening up in Harlem in 2015, nothing will probably be able to match the smokey flavor of one of the city's best BBQ spots located in Manhattanville.  We also especially love the brisket and ribs along with a side of fried green tomatoes.  There is usually a wait for a seat but this is one place that is definitely worth it.

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

EAT: BIRRIA TACOS AT OSO

Harlem Bespoke:  We have been reviewing all of the spots uptown to get birria tacos and dropped by Oso in Hamilton Heights last week.  The local favorite facing City College on Amsterdam and West 140th Street always has an excellent contemporary version of Mexican cuisine and we wondered what the trendy dipping tacos would be like.

LISTEN: LIVE JAZZ NIGHT AT LUCILLE'S

Harlem Bespoke:  Live music lovers can check out the jazz vibes at Lucille's on Macomb Place by 150th Street every Thursday evening starting at 8:00PM with dinner or drink service.  The charming corner space in Central Harlem has a very current 70's mood to it which doubles as a cozy coffee spot during the day but also makes for a lovely evening out when cocktails are served up at the bar.

EAT: 8TH ANNUAL CRAWFISH BOIL AT THE WALLACE

Saturday, May 20th, starting 1:00PM, The 8th Annual Crawfish Festival, At the Wallace, 3612 Broadway at 149th Street.  Hamilton Height's favorite vintage sports bar At The Wallace will be having their 7th Annual Crawfish Festival in the first week of May.

BESPOKE: HARLEM SHAKE ON LENOX AVENUE 2023

Harlem Bespoke.  The first Harlem Shake in the city debuted 10 years ago this month at West 124th Street on Lenox Avenue!  We had to stop by this week to soak in the memories and the food has always been consistently good.  Try out the spring fling shake also which has a peachy ice cream in the mix and a lot of sparkle up top!   More on Harlem Shake can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

☞ REMEMBER: GIBB'S DINER OF MANHATTANVILLE

Harlem Bespoke:  Another history post we did over 10 years ago at the start of blog was about West Market Diner (shuttered 2004) in the planned Manhattanville campus footprint.  A blog reader mentioned that their family used to own the diner and shared amazing photos with some insight on the forgotten past of the neighborhood.  The diner building has since been demolished to make way for the new Columbia University campus.

INTRODUCING: BAYLANDER STEEL BEACH 2023

Harlem Bespoke:  The very popular Baylander Steel Beach lounge on the former naval ship at the West Harlem Piers on far West 125th Street wrapped up a second successful season last November when the weather got cold but now things will be warming up since Spring 2023 has finally arrived.  So when will everyone be on deck this season?

EAT: SHRIMP AND GRITS IN HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke:  A lot of other soul food restaurants in the neighborhood receive exponentially more press than BLVD Bistro at 116th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard but most folks in the neighborhood know that this is the place to splurge on good eats.

EAT: A SAVORY VIETMANESE CREPE IN HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke:  We stopped by for lunch at the The Expat on Tiemann Place by West 125th Street and Broadway recently to try out the Bánh xèo which is a crispy Vietnamese crepe that is somewhere between a french pancake dish mixed in with a savory taco and completely another level of culinary experience

CHARLES PAN-FRIED CHICKEN DEBUTS ON 125TH STREET

Harlem Bespoke:  We were first to report that Charles Pan-Fried Chicken will be open a 125th Street location by Amsterdam Avenue back in November and now the storefront is officially open for business! This will officially be the fourth upper Manhattan location to open in recent years and we especially like the very Central Harlem location.  More on Charles can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

CELEBRATE: HARLEM SHAKE 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Harlem Bespoke: Saturday, May 13th, from 3:00PM-6:00PM, Harlem Shake on Lenox by 124th Street, celebrates 10 years of being a part of the Harlem community. For the special day - Dine-in specials: 2 for $10 Harlem Classic burgers 2 for $10 Shakes (shortie size) $10 for Froze.   Live jazz and more on this great day in Harlem!  More on the original Harlem Shake can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

UPTOWN NIGHT MARKET MAY EDITION 2023

Harlem Bespoke: The Uptown Night Market returns for every second Thursday during the summer 2022 season after a successful first run in Manhattanville last fall.

EAT: NEW AFRICAN MENU AT GINJAN CAFE

Harlem Bespoke: Another reason to drop by Ginjan Cafe on 125th Street at Park Avenue is the fantastic new African dishes being featured as a special daily.  We dropped by earlier in the week and Yassa chicken was being served up in in a seasoned rice bowl or delicious wraps.  We love the food at Teranga further south but now Ginjan might just be offering something even better each day.

EAT: THAI FRIED CHICKEN AT BANGKLYN EAST HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke:  Walking into Bangklyn on 2nd Avenue between 105 and 106th Street in East Harlem might be confusing at first since the initial reactions would be that this was a really cool vintage store for streetwear.  That initial reaction soon changes when looking over to the bar counter a the left which has a full kitchen visible and ready to take orders.

One will also find Prasong Kanhasura behind the counter who originally had a legacy of being a notable vintage clothing retailer in Thailand before packing up to the states to open this hybrid shop in 2018.  A lot of buzz has been happening recently about the food which is now open for takeout and delivery so we dropped by this past weekend to try out the Thai Fried Chicken.

EAT: TERANGA NOW OPEN ON WEEKENDS

Harlem Bespoke:   Some might be wondering what the hours for Teranga at Africa Center are all about these days since the location is mainly closed for most of the week.  The January update is that the Harlem location will be open on weekends starting at noon and so that is definitely the time to drop by for some fantastic African offerings.

CHARLE'S PAN-FRIED CHICKEN SIGNS UP ON 125TH

Harlem Bespoke:  We were first to report that Charles Pan-Fried Chicken will be open a 125th Street location by Amsterdam Avenue back in November and now it looks like official signage has been placed up out front.  This will officially be the fourth upper Manhattan location to open in recent years and we especially like the very Central Harlem location.  More on Charles can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

SEE: FOOD IN NEW YORK EXHIBITION AT MCNY

Food in New York exhibition at Museum of the City of New York, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue. Food is a powerful social network binding New Yorkers to each other and with countless others across the globe. The city's raucous restaurant scene; its ubiquitous street food; the current activist efforts to source food locally; the world's largest food market in Hunts Point; and the artists, thinkers, and designers who are imagining new sustainable ways to relate to food, will all be part of Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate.

BESPOKE: OYSTERS ON A HALF SHELL IN HARLEM 2023

Harlem Bespoke:  Fresh oysters was a standard for any restaurant a century ago but has only recently become de rigeur in the current NYC dining scene.  Apparently months with the letter R are peak time to eat the fresh delicacy since they are at their prime during the cooler months so make sure to stop by these local eateries for the gastronomic experience du jour.