It's one of those classic tales of missed connections in New York.

A Jewish girl from Indiana navigates the maze of New York real estate and finds herself living in Harlem, searching for a bagel. She holds steady in her quest, even after being groped. But one day she is knocked to the ground by a drunk man wielding a bag of cans. She decides it is time to let the quest go. And peeking out from her shadow as it recedes down the street are H&H bagels, now being served at Saurin Parke Cafe on 110th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard.

When the campaign was over this month, I was surprised to read that Bagel in Harlem had moved, despite her propensity for doing so. I was also surprised to learn that Rob Freeman had sold Saurin Parke.

While some of the changes under the new owners are welcome, such as H&H Bagels, one change seems to have had a noticeable negative impact. Although there is still free WiFi for patrons, the new management is no longer offering free electricity, and the outlets are covered up.

When I stopped by recently, expecting there to be the normal crowd of people on laptops, only three customers total were in the place.

Thankfully, unlike the search for dough with a hole in Harlem, the search for free WiFi with an outlet is much easier. A sampling of hot spots with electricity on Frederick Douglas Boulevard alone includes:

Society Coffee at FDB and 114th
· Society Coffee Celebrating Its One Year Anniversary Next Month [Harlem Fur]

Tribal Spears Gallery and Cafe at FDB and 117th
· Tribal Spears Gallery and Cafe [Official Site]

Patisserie des Ambassades at FDB and 119th
· Culinary Plenipotentiaries: Patisserie Des Ambassades [Harlem Fur]
· Patisserie des Ambassades [Official Site]

Posted by Chris at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A very sophisticated new Harlem couple clued Cheryl and I in to a local meat truck when we were talking about neighborhood finds. It sounded pretty cool.

Not only does the truck, which drives up from down South, offer Virginia ham, sausages, and vegetables straight from a farm, but the two guys running the truck at 132nd and Lenox have the kind of neighborhood gossip that makes this corner of Manhattan feel like a small town.

Being a huge fan of eating food, I sought it out.

Cheryl's enthusiasm for the truck died when seeing it. It is just a regular pickup truck; no refrigeration or similarly functioning unit on it at all. Getting her to cross the street and 'at least take a look' was a laborious affair.

Anyway, despite Cheryl's advice, I bought some ham and sausage, and despite her protests, I tried to bake the ham this evening. It didn't take long until I understood what she was concerned about.

I threw in the ham, ran across the street for BBQ sauce, came back to the apartment, and for a fraction of a second wondered when we started raising swine in our home. I was hit by a stench so undeniable and strong that it unearthed Midwestern childhood memories of animal barns I thought long gone and buried. The place literally smelled like shit.

Cheryl wept for our furniture and anything else with a porous surface that may absorb odor.

Posted by Chris at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Billie's Black, a new gourmet soul food restaurant on 119th between Frederick Douglas Boulevard and St. Nicholas Avenue, opens today, Friday, June 23rd.

UPDATE: As per a photo taken this morning, it seems Billie's Black still has a ways to go before opening.

UPDATED UPDATE As per Harlem Fur tipster flip, Billie's Black did open on Friday, and hosted a packed house!

NEXT: On Saturday, June 24th, Tribal Spears Gallery at 2167 Frederick Douglas Boulevard, between 116th and 117th Streets, holds an opening reception in both galleries from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.

The Tribal Gallery features sculptural artists Keith Anderson (California) and Yuko Ueno (Japan). The Johnson-Byrd Fine Art Gallery features abstract artists Derrie Clemmons (Chicago), Spencer Eldridge (Harlem), and Va Ronique Paronneau (France).

Tribal Spears Cafe offers a solid selection of coffee, tea and small edibles good for both gallery goers and those looking for place to access a free Wi-Fi connection.

Posted by Chris at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am getting quite good at finding what I want in Harlem. When Cheryl asked on Sunday where we could get wheat grass to aid our cat's digestion, we tried Karrot on 117th Street between Frederick Douglas and Manhattan Avenues.

Karrot is a small health food store featuring wheat grass, mambo juice, and Jim's Organic Coffee. I passed it when taking Romeo to the Morningside Park dog run.

Have grass it does. Carlos, the gregarious owner, said that when opened, he had a sign out front that read "Best Grass In Harlem." People would walk by, look around, stick their head in and ask things like "do you have that Thailand stuff?"

What we wanted is a little more legitimate. Karrot offers wheat grass shots, both solo and in mambo juice, and the grass itself sold in sizes from a quarter sheet to a full sheet. Carlos said the quarter sheets are popular with cat owners in the area. We took a quarter sheet, which is more than enough for Cimbi.

BONUS: Karrot has flyers for the Hudson Street Proud Pet Parade this Saturday, June 17th at 2pm. Looks like it is something for dogs, so no outting for Cimbi. To register, email cruizroberts@gmail.com or call 646-678-5372. Three top dogs will be crowned. There is a $20 admission fee.

Posted by Chris at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've walked past Society Coffee on Frederick Douglas Boulevard at 114th Street many times without feeling compelled to stop in. Although it has a well appointed interior with exposed brick, leather chairs and a plush leather banquette, something about naming it Society seems a bit forced. The choice of name reminded me of the kid in first grade who walked around telling everyone he was tough, because he wasn't. But a couple of people asked me what I thought of the place, so I stopped by.

Society has a decent website in development, with photos of the venue, so I thought I would try a short video clip panning the interior to offer something different.

The first thing that hit me was the attractiveness of the staff, both male and female. Whereas last night I felt underdressed, at Society I felt undersexy. This was not just my observation. A friend who joined me later made mention of the same thing.

The next thing that hit me was that Society has wait staff. Starbucks has ruined me. I now always assume that there is register service at coffee houses, even at Settepani, where I have been many times. I always walk up to the register and then feel like an ass when told that there is service at the table. The same thing happened at Society. I was politely told that someone would soon see me at a table.

Once at the table, I talked briefly with the server. He let me know that the venue will be celebrating its one year anniversary next month, I believe on the 9th. He said to expect notice in the next week.

The final big realization of the visit was that Society offers more than coffee and small cakes. Also on the beverage menu are smoothies, beer, wine, and on the food menu are breakfast items, panini sandwiches, and small plates. The lunch options nicely extend out to a lite diner option, and the breakfast menu becomes brunch on the weekends.

Posted by Chris at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

An article in today's New York Times about the restaurant situation in Harlem mentioned something I had not thought about before. State law prohibits serving alcohol within 200 feet of a school or place of worship, and as the article points out, "in some sections of Harlem, there is a church on nearly every block."

I live in one of those sections.

Most of us are familiar with some version of the equation Brian Washington-Palmer, the owner of Native on 118th and Lenox, gave in the article: "food pays the rent; alcohol pays the profits." I had assumed when I moved here that when Harlem reached a critical mass, bistro style restaurants like Native and Elle & Lui would start popping up. Given the number of Harlem churches in my area (Lenox between 116th and 125th), that might be a little more complicated.

But for those who mistakenly think that Harlem is a culinary desert, I politely direct you to Uptown FLAVOR.

Posted by Chris at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last week my office intern Greg and I met up to pass along some documents and two things took me by surprise.

The first was that Greg, an intern, was willing to meet up outside of his scheduled hours before a long weekend to take on additional work (future employers please note the insane dedication).

The second was that Greg, a Columbia University Junior living on 113th and Broadway, had not heard of Saurin Parke. WTF man? Three years in the area and he does not know of a cafe with blog posts as great as this?

Located on the northwest corner of Central Park, Saurin Parke is a great place to, as the website used to read, "relax with a frothy cappuccino in one of the antique leather club chairs, or settle in on the long banquette with your G4, New York Times and/or master's thesis." When I first read the in house recommendations, I was sitting on the long banquette with my G4, the New York Times, and my master's thesis. Amazing.

And it has free Wi-Fi.

Continue reading "A Harlem Oasis: Saurin Parke" »

Posted by Chris at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)