Well, it doesn’t take a Doppler 2000 or Mike Woods the Weatherman to further sell me on today’s rainy conditions. As I write, giant droplets of water bash against the window reminding me of the threat that the Sun is still being held hostage…somewhere. I haven’t been told what the ransom demands are. However, the rain did remind me of a couple spots I would rather be sitting in as it rains. These are places that because of the excuse of umbrage you can get away with just hanging out:

Gallery M: This gallery on 135th street has always been a place for new and exciting artwork that is constantly getting refreshed. If you’re running from the rain, step, take a few minutes to look at the art pieces (should only take you minutes, literally) and drop a buck in the donation box. [123 W 135th St bet. Lenox Ave and Adam Clayton Powell J. Blvd]

House of Hoops: This is one of the newest commercial additions to 125th St. I walked in there and felt like a little kid on Christmas Day! There are so many sneaker styles and funky t-shirts to look at the place might as well be a museum. But it is not! You can actually buy these pieces of art! You’ll spend a good 30-45 minutes(or more) there if you look through all the cool collections. [268 West 125th Street btwn Adam Clayton  Powell and Frederick Douglas Blvd.]

MLK Pavilion at Harlem Hospital: I know this sounds weird. A hospital! But the main entrance to the hospital has this seating area where people just come in to sit. It’s not an emergency room area or anything like that. People just sit there and read newspapers. There’s this diner right inside called Towers Cafe where they make a mean Panini sandwich and  serve Bustelo coffee (my favorite). [506 Malcolm X Boulevard bet. 135th St and 136th St]

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Another spot with huge dividends! This place is THE cultural hot spot of Harlem. They always have exciting exhibits. Right across the street from Harlem Hospital and around the corner from the M Gallery, this place is perfect for out-of-the-rain cultural education. [515 Malcolm X Boulevard bet. 135th St and 136th St]

Gamestop:This is for the game lover in all of us. One of the best things about Gamestop and EB Games when it’s raining is that you don’t have to deal with the line of kids around the demo stations. So for you Big Kids…go and have fun while you’re drying and play some GTA4 or NBA Live. [ 3540 Broadway Corner of 145th St (212) 862-0594]

Paul’s Pizza: You can read my Ode to Paul’s Pizza. Basically a no-frills pizzeria with a crispy crust under $2.00. The place has an ordering counter that faces the street and on warm days when it rain the window is let open. You can enjoy a delicious, cheap slice and get the cool breeze from the rain until it passes. [3409 Broadway bet. 138th & 139th St]

Rain or Shine Umbrellas:This is the obvious choice if you’re in the neighborhood. This business is the umbrella center of Harlem. It features a host of different umbrellas in various colors and styles. You can even get your own customized umbrella. What better day to invest in an umbrella than a rainy day like today. [531 Lenox Avenue bet. 137th St & 138th St]

Runner ups: Starbucks (too easy), T&J Bakery, Make My Cake, La Flor de Broadway Cubano Sandwiches.

Good Eating

Washington Heights and Inwood: The Taste of Way Uptown

Compiled by KRIS ENSMINGER

Along with the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park and the serene hiking trails in Inwood Hill Park, the uptown Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood are home to a number of intriguing restaurants.

809 SANGRIA BAR AND GRILL
(212) 304-3800; 112 Dyckman Street (Nagle Avenue); $$; Article: 8/23/06.
Tapas are served upstairs and downstairs at this new Latino restaurant, which is done in exotic woods and onyx. The bar on the ground floor leads into a churrascaria, with all the meat-grilling action visible through big windows on the street. Upstairs there is a tequila and rum bar.

The chef de cuisine, Jorge Adriazola, is taking his direction from Ricardo Cardona, the executive chef, with a menu that explores Central and South America.

EL NUEVO CARIDAD
(212) 923-8269; 1004 St. Nicholas Avenue (West 191st Street); $; Article: 1/26/06.

This Dominican restaurant, with the slogan “Un cuadrangular en sabor” (“A home run of flavor”), is a favorite hangout of Dominican baseball players and their fans. The menu offers dozens of dishes named after Latino ballplayers, based on what they order when they visit, and lists their preferred side dishes.

A footnote on the menu assures customers that each player has authorized his own dish before lending his name.

NEW LEAF CAFÉ
(212) 568-5323; 1 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park; $$; Article: 8/22/01.

A few minutes’ walk from the medieval complex at the Cloisters, this 1930’s limestone structure with chiseled arches near the park’s southern entrance was restored to elegance five years ago. The renovated building houses the New Leaf Café, a cool, airy oasis, its dark oak contrasting with pale green walls. Profits from the restaurant help maintain the park.

The menu includes pan-roasted filet of salmon with lime coriander broth, tiger shrimp, fregola and asparagus; and grilled rib-eye steak with beer-battered Vidalia onions and ancho chili sauce.

PIPER’S KILT
(212) 569-7071; 4946 Broadway (207th Street); $; Article: 12/15/02.

Inwood was once home to many Irish immigrants. Piper’s, one of the area’s few surviving Irish pubs, serves pub food like Irish nachos (French fries with cheese and bacon), terrific burgers, hot wings and a fish lunch special on Fridays.

EL PRESIDENTE
(212) 927-7011; 3938 Broadway (164th Street); $; $25 and Under: 3/8/00.

This small, bright place serves food of the Hispanic Caribbean: Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Flavors are powered by garlic, bell peppers and annato rather than the heat of chilies.

E-mail: eating@nytimes.com

NY Times

September 3, 2006

Related: Time Out New York 

Flavor guides posted to the old site can be found here.  They are chock full of good information.  For example, did you know that you can get discounts at popular uptown eateries by becoming a member of the Central Park Conservancy?  Find out more by scrolling through the Flavor Guides.

Nightlife doesn’t begin and end below 14th Street. There’s always a party going on above 110th.

• By Lucy Cohen

The DEN
2150 Fifth Ave., between 131st St. and 132nd St.; 212-234-3045
On the ground floor of a brownstone, this luxurious lounge fuses Soho chic with tongue-in-cheek. You can sip an Uncle Tom Collins while seated on a velvet-covered chair at a candlelit table. You can view paintings by contemporary African-American artists while catching comics from BET and HBO. Or, you can take in Soul sushi, movie nights like Black Film Fridays and Kung Foo’d Saturdays, and live R&B.

MoBay Uptown
17 W. 125th St., between Fifth Ave. and Lenox Ave.; 212-876-9300
The name comes from Jamaica’s Montego Bay, but this uptown joint is actually as indebted to the American South as it is to the Caribbean. Amid sand-colored walls, you’ll hear gospel, jazz, R&B, and reggae while supping on barbecued beef ribs and curried goat or sipping on local brew Sugar Hill and the smoky Harlem Mojito—which substitutes cognac for rum. At the “coupling table” bar, get ready to talk to your neighbor: Patrons are seated directly across from each other.

Lenox Lounge
288 Lenox Ave., between 124th St. and 125th St.; 212-427-0253
An historically attuned renovation in 2000 re-emphasized that this zebra-striped, Art Deco lounge deserves its landmark status. Opened in 1939, the cathedral of jazz once hosted Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane and currently delivers marquee names like Hank Johnson and Carrie Jackson for a reasonable $10-$20. The small but competent kitchen spins out popular soul-food dishes like fried whiting or Southern fried chicken with sides of macaroni and cheese and sweet potatoes. One caveat: When things pick up, the service gets slow.

Revival
2367 Fredrick Douglass Blvd., at 127th St.; 212-222-8338
With specialty drinks like the Frangelico-infused Harlem Hazelnut and a chocolate martini named for Frederick Douglass, Revival trumpets its neighborhood pride with sass. By day, the space operates as a popular restaurant; at night, the happy-hour crowd gathers for half-price well drinks and beers (Mondays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) alongside the Cajun cuisine. Every Friday evening, the 1,000-square-foot lounge next door opens so locals can alternate between dancing and trying their luck at karaoke.

Moca
2210 Frederick Douglass Blvd., at 119th St.; 212-665-8081
Though it doesn’t feature live music, a hard-thumping sound system keeps the beats coming at this sleek, upscale nightclub. You’re going to get frisked before you get frisky on the dance floor, but don’t be put off by the gruff bouncers or the weekend’s two-drink minimum. Inside, the wait staff is helpful and friendly, and the salsa, reggae, and hip-hop is a blast.

Perk’s
553 Manhattan Ave. at 123rd St.; 212-666-8500
This corner jazz club may sport a quiet exterior, but looks can be misleading. Beyond the apartment-like façade and awning, musicians like organists Seleno Clarke and Nathan Lucas perform, while on the weekends a D.J. spins a mix of hip-hop and jazz a floor below. The extensive jukebox on the first floor is loaded with classic and modern R&B. As patrons at the bar are often called up to perform a song or two with the band, you’re going to feel like you’ve discovered a secret—and with zero cover—a priceless one at that.

Source: www.nymag.com/nightlife/barbuzz/16150/index.html

 Edited 10/06

November 6, 2005

Good Eating
Harlem: The A Train’s Dining Car

Not long ago, dining in Harlem or East Harlem meant soul food or a neighborhood Latin place. These days, diners can find everything from Mexican-French to healthy Chinese.

BAYOU  Closed
(212) 426-3800; 308 Lenox Avenue (125th Street); $; $25 and Under: 5/31/00.
This handsome Creole restaurant would do any New Orleans native proud. Bayou looks like countless other neighborhood bars and grills, but its big picture windows and second-floor setting offer an unusual New York panorama. The short menu includes crawfish étouffée, shrimp Creole and deep-fried catfish.

EARL MONROE’S RESTAURANT The River Room
(212) 491-1500; Riverside Drive (145th Street); $$; Article: 10/26/05.
Views of the Hudson distinguish this spacious restaurant with a terrace. Christopher Faulkner, formerly the sous-chef at Town, combines cuisines that are typical of Harlem and are long on seafood in dishes like Charleston crab and lobster cakes with shaved cucumber, red onion and fresh cilantro salad, and guacamole tartar sauce. The dining room becomes the Pearl Club for late-night jazz.

GINGER
(212) 423-1111; 1400 Fifth Avenue (116th Street); $; Article: 9/7/05.
Michelle Jean, who set Butter in NoLIta in motion, just opened this Chinese restaurant, emphasizing healthful recipes by James Marshall, formerly at China Grill. The current menu includes entree selections like grilled marinated spicy tofu; ginger sizzling beef with bok choy; and shrimp with garlic sauce and Chinese eggplant.

HARLEM TEA ROOM
(212) 348-3471; 1793A Madison Avenue (118th Street); $; Article: 12/8/04.
This cozy room is done in warm wood and tile and has a copper bar. Tea and light food are served, including a classic afternoon tea on Saturday with sandwiches and pastries. Wine and beer are also served.

LA FONDA BORICUA
(212) 410-7292; 169 East 106th Street (Lexington Avenue); $; $25 and Under: 11/14/01.
Everything seems to move to a beat at this convivial Puerto Rican restaurant where the food is hearty and satisfying, particularly the beef stew, tender meat teamed with peppers and onions; and arroz con pollo, smoky baked chicken with a mass of yellow rice.

ITZOCAN BISTRO
(212) 423-0255; 1575 Lexington Avenue (101st Street); $; $25 and Under: 4/19/04.
Anselmo Bello’s Mexican-French bistro cooking is quiet and engaging. He takes the bistro repertory and adds Mexican touches that tweak the dishes in unexpected directions but do not overwhelm them. Typical of Mr. Bello’s gentle approach is an appetizer of steamed mussels, subtly different in their spicy broth of tequila, lime juice and serrano chilies.

Compiled by Kris Ensminger
E-mail: eating@nytimes.com

Source: NY Times

February 12, 2006

Good Eating

Morningside Heights: Appetizing on Amsterdam

Morningside Heights, home to Columbia University and other educational institutions, has a large and diverse population of students. These affordable and equally diverse restaurants along Amsterdam Avenue serve the population well.

AWASH

(212) 961-1416; 947 Amsterdam Avenue (106th Street); $; Article: 2/28/01.

Awash, a small but crowded Ethiopian spot, excels at vegetarian dishes like shiro, spiced chickpeas with chopped onions, peppers and herbs; and at kitfo, a raw beef delicacy.

BISTRO TEN 18

(212) 662-7600; 1018 Amsterdam Avenue (110th Street); $; $25 and Under: 9/19/01.

With a welcoming staff and a stone fireplace, this neighborhood restaurant often succeeds. The menu of American regional and Continental dishes offers some fine renditions of familiar dishes, like meaty crab cakes just crisp enough to hold together, and a good Cobb salad with peppers, avocado and blue cheese.

MAX SOHA

(212) 531-2221; 1274 Amsterdam Avenue (123rd Street); $; $25 and Under: 10/17/01.

This small, boxy restaurant is always crowded. The draw is exactly what has always attracted people to neighborhood restaurants: well-prepared food served with warmth. Max’s fresh buffalo mozzarella is superb, soft and slightly granular, tasting of nuts and salt. It goes beautifully with thin slices of prosciutto or in a classic Caprese, with sweet fresh tomatoes and basil.

NOCHE MEXICANA

(212) 662-6900; 852 Amsterdam Avenue (102nd Street); $; $25 and Under: 1/16/02.

Noche Mexicana offers a full range of tacos and other antijitos, or street snacks. The tacos are made the authentic way, with two soft corn tortillas providing a gripping surface for the fillings like pork chunks and pineapple, augmented by lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

PANINO SPORTIVO ROMA

(212) 662-2066; 1231 Amsterdam Avenue (120th Street); $; Article: 3/31/04.

In Italy, panini and soccer go together like hot dogs and baseball. This soccer cafe, with walls painted the burgundy and orange of the Roma team, offers 58 first-rate sandwiches layered with imported cheeses and meats like prosciutto and mortadella, on lightly toasted oval rolls, often garnished with arugula, hot peppers and tomato.

TURQUOISE GRILL

(212) 865-4745; 1270 Amsterdam Avenue (122nd Street); $; Article: 2/23/05.

This Middle Eastern cafe and takeout is a branch of the takeout restaurant Turquoise on the Upper East Side. The chef, Sharif And, offers appetizers like falafel and piyaz. Entrees include shish kebabs, lamb or chicken shwarma with red rice, and hunkar begendi, grilled eggplant with ground lamb and garlic butter.

Compiled by Kris Ensminger

E-mail: eating@nytimes.com

Source: NY Times

	Orbit East Harlem Eclectic $$$ 2257 First Ave. @ 116th St. 212.348.7818 Low-key favorite featuring twists on classics, handmade pastas and Sunday brunch. Uptown Renaissance RestaurantKosher/Halal $ 108 W. 116th St. btwn. Lenox and Seventh Aves. 212.280.2224 American cuisine and soul food prepared in accordance with Jewish and Islamic law. Breakfast served all day. B.E.D. New York Restaurant/Lounge $$$ 530 W. 27th btwn. 10th & 11th Aves. 212.594.4109 NYC outpost of the popular Miami nightclub. Beds for dining and a menu of modern French-American cuisine. Balzano’s Italian $$$ 1515 Broadway (Actually on @ 45th St. btwn. Eighth Ave. & Broadway) 212.302.2250 This new Italian restaurant boasts a rising star on its menu: spaghetti in a meatball. The pasta-bathed in tomato sauce and a slick of melted mozzarella-is excellent. B. Smith’s on Restaurant Row Global Eclectic $$$$ 320 West 46th St. btwn.. 8th and Ninth Aves. 212.315.1100 Legendary theatre district restaurant owned by television host B. Smith.Great Bar. Craft American $$$$ 43 East 19th St. btwn. Broadway & Park Ave. South 212.780.0880 Tom Colicchio’s protein-packed a la carte-only menu is an Atkins dieter’s dream come true. John’s Italian $$$ 302 East 12th Street 212.475.9531 Cash only. One of the East Village’s hidden treasures. 100 years of excellent Italian home cooking and a David Watkins favorite. Kittichai Thai $$$ 60 Thompson St. btwn. Broome & Spring Sts. 212.219.2000 Ultra-hot gourmet cuisine in a dramatic setting. Dim sum brunch served on weekends. Libation Restaurant/Lounge $$ 137 Ludlow St. btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts. 212.529.2153 Chic multi-level lounge located across from the Hotel Rivington with trendy decor and a menu of “American tapas.” Negril Village Caribbean, Jamaican $$$ 70 W. Third St. btwn. LaGuardia & Thompson Sts. 212.477.2804 Lively Village spot with a modern take on Caribbean cuisine. Full bar and live music. Ono Japanese $$$$ 18 Ninth Ave. @ 13th St. 212.660.6700 Bi-level Japanese eatery in the Hotel Gansevoort. An extensive menu of sushi and robatayaki. Tons of space, with a main dining room, a mezzanine dining space, sushi bar, tatami booths and cabanas.
Kitchenette Uptown American $$ 1272 Amsterdam Ave. btwn. 122nd & 123rd Sts. 212.531.7600 Spin-off of the Tribeca eatery with a larger space and more dinner options.Lenox Lounge Southern/Soul $$$ 288 Lenox Ave btwn. 124th & 125th Sts. 212.427.0253 Venerable jazz club and restaurant serving soulful food and music. Lime Leaf Thai, Continental $$ 2799 Broadway @ 108th St. 212.864.5000 Inviting atmosphere, good service. Londel’s Southern/Soul $$ 2620 Frederick Douglass Blvd. @ 139th St. 212.234.6114 Upscale eatery that’s a favorite of celebs, politicians and locals. Live jazz on weekends. Massawa Eritrean $$ 1239 Amsterdam Ave. @ 121st St. 212.663.0505 Authentic Eritrean cuisine. Max SoHa Italian $$ 1274 Amsterdam Ave. @ 123rd St. 212.531.2221 An uptown spin on Max in the East Village serving heaping portions; service is hit or miss. Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too BBQ, Southern/Soul $$ 366 W. 110th St. btwn. Columbus & Manhattan Aves. 212.865.6744 Bright and cozy. Frequented by after-church crowds, celebs and Columbia students. Mo-Bay Uptown Caribbean/ Southern/Soul $$$ 17 W. 125th St. btwn. Lenox & Fifth Aves. 212.876.9300 Artfully presented dishes. Live jazz and gospel brunch. Native Eclectic $$ 161 Lenox Ave. @ 118th St. 212.665.2525 Funky eatery, laid-back atmosphere. Caribbean, Moroccan and French-influenced dishes. New Leaf Cafe American $$$ 1 Margaret Corbin Dr. (Fort Tryon Park) 212.568.5323 Recently renovated with scenic views, innovative food and divine brunch. Proceeds help restore the park.

Source: http://www.uptown-magazine.com/flavor_c_1.html