Talking SCHOP! Empire Diner dining
Newly refurbished and reopen for business, Empire Diner offers patrons good, simple food and friendly service in a comforting atmosphere.
Talking SCHOP! Poly-holiday meal
Last year … OK, just last month (does that joke ever get old?) … my college girlfriends got together for our annual holiday meal.
Talking SCHOP! Visions of 2015 at Lido
There is an old saying that whatever you are doing on New Year’s Eve is a symbol of what your coming year will be.
Chefs deliver in Harlem
Last week, Chef J.J. Johnson of the Cecil and Minton’s in Harlem brightened the day of 30 homebound elderly New Yorkers by preparing and delivering meals as part of Chefs Deliver for the Citymeals program.
Talking SCHOP! Barbados: Cook. Eat. Drink. Part II
Last I left you with the setup to what would be a dynamite vacation on the beautiful island of Barbados: a pot of pilau (a rice dish), a fully stocked kitchen and some due diligence in the grocery store.
Sweet Bazzar
I fell in love with guava while in Tobago in the form of homemade jelly on homemade bread with butter.
Talking SCHOP! Barbados: Cook. Eat. Drink. Part I
Happy holidays, everyone! Again, I find myself wondering where the time went and reducing the year to simply hot and cold—cold always meaning the end.
Something to wine about
Whether you are going to a Thanksgiving dinner or inviting friends and family over to give thanks, a bottle or two of great wine always enhances the experience. V
Talking SCHOP! ‘Best Food Week Ever!’ Part II
Usually, food lightning never strikes twice, especially in the same week. But leave it to food festival season 2014 to surprise me and make me feel like a newbie once again.
Talking SCHOP! Ponty Bistro ponies up in Harlem
Quiet as it is not kept, there are still areas of Harlem being developed.
Talking SCHOP! Sunday antics in Brooklyn
Once this fall routine starts to settle in, time just seems to go far, far away.
Food festivals this way come
While the end of summer brings sadness to some for the loss of long, hot, carefree days, for others, it is the beginning of food festival season.
Talking SCHOP! NYC: Our oyster
Just as quick as it comes, there summer goes and Mr. Fall has arrived. That slight chill in the air wraps you up at night and wakes you up in the morning.
Happening in and out of Harlem
Oyster Bash NYC, presented by Chefs Table NYC, is a fully immersive experience featuring an extensive menu of oysters, guided tastings and oyster selections curated by special guest Julie Qiu of the popular blog “In a Half Shell.”
Talking SCHOP! Be sweet in September
Monday, Sept. 8, former White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and Harlem’s own Aliyyah Baylor, co-owner of Make My Cake, taught a dynamic cake decorating class at Make My Cake.
Talking SCHOP! A Crispo return to fall
It’s back-to-school time for your little and not-so-little ones.
Talking SCHOP! Post Labor Day Blues
You get exactly 2.3 seconds to lament about the waning days of summer. August gave us fall-like days, so perhaps September will keep the air conditioner running a little longer.
Talking SCHOP! A year at Betony
There are wonderful milestones in our lives that are cause for celebration. Exactly how that celebration goes down is up to those involved. It can be loud and celebratory or intimate and close. No matter the marker, don’t let those unique times pass.
Talking SCHOP! Easy Being Green
Time is running out on summer. Enough mucking about! Here are a couple of green recipes for your late-summer repertoire. They are quick and easy and can be a light and refreshing main or side dish.
Tap+Cork 2014
I don’t know how I missed the first one, but it is time for the second annual Tap+Cork
Tarrytown nuptial retreat
Talking SCHOP!
August is a great time to get out of the city. New York, and the tristate area in general, has so much to offer and is only less than a couple of hours away to boot. Having a Metro-North stop right at 125th Street is yet another great reason to be a Harlemite.
Talking SCHOP! Getting it in!
August is the summer month when the streets seem empty, everyone takes their annual family vacation and life in general slows down a bit before the fall mayhem ensues.
Talking SCHOP! Sizzling feet on Lenox
Your eyes are not deceiving you. Those grooves on the sidewalk on Lenox Avenue between 127th Street and 118th Street are real. Last Tuesday, loyal and patient Harlemites and patrons made their way up and down the avenue for the second annual Lenox Sizzles restaurant crawl.
Summer 2014 Restaurant Week
If my experience at Dover whet your appetite for something new to eat, then New York City Summer Restaurant Week is just in time.
Talking SCHOP! Dover the bridge
It is no secret, I love being happily surprised when trying a new restaurant, especially one that comes by way of someone else’s recommendation, planning or behest. It’s almost like being blindfolded for a surprise that only reveals itself once you can see it and taste.
Talking SCHOP! Hot time, farmers markets in the city
One of the best ways for me to savor summer is to visit one of my local, weekly farmers markets.
Eat. Drink. Mingle.
Recipes & Reviews
Step out and stroll the avenue next Tuesday night, July 15. It’s time for Summer Sizzles on Lenox, brought to you by Experience: Harlem (@xperienceharlem) and Harlem Park to Park (@harlempark2park). In its second year, Summer Sizzles
Having a Maine moment
Talking SCHOP!
I love traveling to places in the United States that I have never been to before. I was lucky enough to be invited to Kennebunkport, Maine.
Talking SCHOP! Independence with charcoal
SChop
Happy Independence Day, everyone! I hope you are either en route to your long weekend or settled on your plan to watch the fireworks display. Both promise to give you a reprieve from your everyday and hopefully surprise you with something new.
Talking SCHOP! A midyear start
Happy midyear! I wouldn’t believe it myself if I didn’t write a weekly column and know that this is my 26th piece this year. Where does the time go?!
Talking SCHOP! Year of the Gato
Another birthday came last month for me. Where does the time go? Though not a milestone year, I ceremoniously titled it “My Obama Birthday” for our 44th president (trying to make it stick, copyright in progress!). I would not let it go by without raising a glass and eating some good food.
Fairway takes the High Road
With the official start of summer right around the corner and temperatures already rivaling the dog days in August, there are a few cool reprieves for the mouth. Good thing Fairway Market (@FairwayMarket) partnered with High Road Craft Ice Cream (@HighRoadCraft) to create four signature flavors for your mouth.
Cooking for Pops
Talking SCHOP!
This weekend is not only for the father in your life. It is for the father figures—the ones putting in the work, showing up and being the best person they can be for the children they love. I salute them.
EatUp! ... only in Harlem!
Talking SCHOP!
You’ve seen it. Maybe you have even tasted it. With all of the new and different eateries and restaurants opening, Harlem is fast becoming a food destination beyond our signature soul food. Well, the time has come for Harlem to get its food due and let it shine, shine, shine in a spotlight to be cast next year.
Uptown Battle of the Bars winner crowned
Earlier this week, the second annual Uptown Battle of the Bars culminated at Harlem Tavern
Talking SCHOP! We came, we ate, and yes, we drank!
Thank goodness the spring weather is settling in, because we needed to get out of the house. We needed to crawl the streets, spend time with friends, eat, drink and see how Harlem is getting down with the get down! And there was no shortage on things to do over the last couple of weeks … lest there be a riot on the avenue.
Talking SCHOP! Clean it out! Feel good!
That winter really did it to us! We filled our coffers to the brim in order to stave off having to go out in the cold to forage.
Talking SCHOP! That full feeling …
There are not many times in life when over 75 of New York City’s top food and beverage talents converge for one evening, in one place. And when they do, you make your best effort to be there. What is the premier event in this category?
Food. Drink. Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
Time to get those oxfords, retro Jordans, chukkas and sandals out of the closet and walk the streets.
Mexico: WINNING!
Talking SCHOP!
Cinco de Mayo, a time of tequila, tacos and revelry. While there are myriad places to get down with the get down on May 5, I know where my pesos will be spent.
New York African Restaurant Week
It’s time for the second annual New York African Restaurant Week (NYARW).
Fueling up again
Talking SCHOP!
In 2008, I put Pizzeria 123 on my “Best of Harlem” list for their medium plain pizza—well done, of course. It satisfied my need for crunchy thin crust and gooey cheese in one fell swoop. I was sad to see the business compromised by the neighboring construction and then its ultimate closure. Thank you for servicing our community!
Shakin’ up Easter
This year, families looking for a delicious Easter meal along with fun activities can celebrate Harlem Shake-style
Pernil for Easter
Talking SCHOP!
I recently restarted a bimonthly Sunday family dinner that cycles around each of our homes. What I began with a slow-cooked pot roast with braised red cabbage and potato gratin continued with Sheppard’s pie from my mom and the Greek casserole moussaka from my sister
New Taste of the Upper West Side 2014
The 2014 New Taste of the Upper West Side will be back this May with an incredible lineup of both new and returning restaurants
Talking SCHOP! Keep on truckin’
After being postponed numerous times, it finally happened! The Harlem Food Truck Rally came off this past Saturday on Frederick Douglass Boulevard
Hot time, spring’s in the city
Talking SCHOP!
The pilgrims of the @NYCHotSauceExpo are back for a second year of that good stuff.
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