West Harlem / Harlem

[foodexile]

So this E. Village guy is happily moving up to West Harlem.

But I need some eating ideas.

How about from 110th to 125th - Amsterdam to Lenox. Feel free to leave those bounds - I'm just putting something down.

Oh and I've already read a lot about the soul food places.

Thanks very much in advance.

[mtkr]

Have you tried Pisticci on LaSalle between Broadway and Claremont? They don't take credit cards and are small, but very good. Its a block outside your range but worth it.

[phaelon56]

I think there are some interesting African places up on and around 125th but I'm not sure which cross streets are involved. If you go a few blocks north and much further west you'll hit Dino BBQ - not fine dining but certainly a fun place to eat and by most counts their food is pretty good. We've been seeing mixed reports on Dino here on eG but I've seen enough favorable comments from folks whose opinions I respect that it seems worth a visit.

[iheartoffal]

Terrace in the Sky isn't far from there, I think. Weird place, but good food IMHO.

[Pan]

I had a pleasant meal at Le Monde, a brasserie on Broadway between 113th and 114th I think (I realize that's further west than your specific request). It really feels pretty much like a Parisian brasserie. Nothing fancy, but quite inexpensive for what it is, by New York standards.

[AmyDaniel]

Max Cafe and Max Soha, Amsterdam at 122nd, I believe. They're both casual, good, and packed with Columbia/TC students usually.

[jogoode]

So this E. Village guy is happily moving up to West Harlem.

But I need some eating ideas.

How about from 110th to 125th - Amsterdam to Lenox.  Feel free to leave those bounds - I'm just putting something down.

Oh and I've already read a lot about the soul food places.

Thanks very much in advance.

←

I moved to the Columbia area from Brooklyn last summer and I have to say it's rough up here. If you're down to walk or take a bus across town, you're in good shape. We have easy access to Spanish Harlem and the African places on 116th between Seventh and Fredrick Douglass, as well as other African food in the general vicinity. I heard Africa Kine, on 116th, has finally reopened. As for the west: On Amsterdam around 101st there's the excellent Haitian restaurant Krik Krak, and six or seven blocks north, Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana is pretty good. Near 120th on Amsterdam, Panino Sportivo Roma sells good Italian sandwiches. Kitchenette, Amsterdam and 122nd, is good for brunch, if you like brunch--I don't--and for homey food.

[bergerka]

Slightly south of your chosen area: A, on Columbus between (I think) 106th and 107th. Teeny tiny itty bitty place with very good somewhat upscale (in style, not in price!) food and a bar right next door. You'll recognize it because it has a big blue circle with the letter A in the middle on the window. You know, like the train.

Menupages listing here: A restaurant

Also, Awash on Amsterdam between 106th and 107th for good Ethiopian. Not as good as our now-defunct fave, Ghion, which was at Amsterdam and 91st, but that's too far down for you anyway, right?

Menupages listing: Awash

don't listen to jogoode (well, listen to his recommendations, just not to the part about it being "rough up here"), he doesn't even like brunch! Besides, we're getting a Citarella on W. 125th Street soon.

OH! And of course, it's way East, but Patsy's Pizza way the hell over on 1st Avenue is a must-eat.

K

Edited April 19, 2005 by bergerka (log)

[jogoode]

Besides, we're getting a Citarella on W. 125th Street soon.

←

That reminds me, Servants of God: Taste of Seafood (50 E. 125th St.) is good for fried whiting, collards, and candied yams.

[Pan]

What's that pasta place called on the east side of Broadway near 112 St. or so? I ate there a couple of years ago, I guess, and it was alright. Is it decent now?

If I were living up there, I'd check out all the Latin American restaurants below 110 St. on Amsterdam Av.; there are a whole bunch of whole-in-the-wall places, featuring food from various different countries (I recall that one was Ecuadorian at a certain point - Mi Tierra, I think it was called, but this goes back to 1992!). Another area to check out is near City College in the 130s and 140s. I have a feeling there are some good Dominican places up there with serious clientele - big diners that put some care into their decor and ambiance and serve large menus featuring seafood. I haven't frequented that area in years, so I couldn't give you specific advice, but explore and let us know what's up there. I have pleasant memories of getting a coco pina (very rich cake with pineapple jam, coconut-laced batter, and plenty of butter) at a bakery between 137th and 138th Sts. on the west side of Broadway every week after chamber music rehearsals at City College, but that was back in 1988!

[emmapeel]

What's that pasta place called on the east side of Broadway near 112 St. or so? I ate there a couple of years ago, I guess, and it was alright. Is it decent now?

←

I think you're referring to Cafe Pertutti, which recently underwent a renovation. I have actually liked my meals there, as well as Le Monde which used to be a regular event for me. Also on that block is Nacho Mama's Burritos which is ok, and the West End on the next block up. (What can one say about the West End?)

There are a couple of non-soulfood restaurants that come to mind.

Native, French-Moroccan-Caribbean 161 Lenox Ave. 212-665-2525.

People just like the place. I find it ok.

Settepani Café, 96 Lenox Ave (at 120th Street) 917-492-4806

It's like a cafe that has soup salads, pannini and pastas. Nothing earthshattering..They are a bakery as well.

One of my worst experiences was at a place called Sugar Hill Bistro. Horrible, just horrible. Thank goodness, a few weeks ago I walked by it and they were out of business. No surprise there.

Thanks for the heads up on Awash, bergerka. I went past it the other day and it smelled so good, and they deliver.

Edited April 19, 2005 by emmapeel (log)

[bergerka]

Wait! Awash delivers?

You do realize you've just killed my waistline for all time, right? OMG. I wish I'd never read that. I'm dead now.

K

[emmapeel]

Wait! Awash delivers? 

You do realize you've just killed my waistline for all time, right?  OMG. I wish I'd never read that.  I'm dead now.

K

←

Yesssss, they do, I went in because it smelled soooo good, and I asked for a menu to read. On my way out, I said you deliver? and they asked where I lived and agreed. (Riverside and 100th) (But they don't have a take out menu.) So maybe your waist will be lucky if you're outside the zone. I'm 10 blocks away or so. Good Luck, skinny.

[Pan]

What's that pasta place called on the east side of Broadway near 112 St. or so? I ate there a couple of years ago, I guess, and it was alright. Is it decent now?

←

I think you're referring to Cafe Pertutti, which recently underwent a renovation.[...]

←

Yep, that's it.

Should we talk about Striver's Row, too? That's from around 135 St. to 150 St. or so on 8th Av. Has anyone been to Londel's recently? I used to go up there from time to time to hear friends perform (they hire jazz musicians) and always found the food pleasant, especially the desserts, but I remember hearing from others that they were inconsistent (not my experience -- as I say, I found them pretty consistently good). I also liked a cheaper, more casual place close to there called the Sugar Shack -- it had a Jamaican vibe and offered eclectic Caribbean- and Soul Food-influenced cuisine that included things like good seafood pasta dishes and friendly service. Anyone been there lately?

[jogoode]

On Eighth Ave around 126th, there is La Marmite, another Senegalese place that's supposed to be good.

[emmapeel]

On Eighth Ave around 126th, there is La Marmite, another Senegalese place that's supposed to be good.

←

Thanks, JJ, I could not think of the name. That's the place my brother (a chef) really likes. He says it's quite good. Not perfect but "aggressive." was his term.

[senorshuckerman]

I enjoyed the couple of visits I made to Harlem Grill on Adam Clayton Powell and 132nd.

There is music some nights.

[jogoode]

I had awesome thiebou diene (cheb-oo-JEHN) today at La Marmite (2264 Fredrick Douglass, at 121st Street). For those who've never had it, it's a Senegalese dish of fish, root vegetables, rice, red with palm oil, that tastes a lot better than it sounds. Washed it down with strong ginger punch. La Marmite is more accessible than the other Senegalese places I've been to, because the menu breaks down which dishes the restaurant serves and lunch and which they serve at dinner. Usually, I just start listing dishes from the menu until the waitress stops says, "Sorry, we don't have that today."