If you visit Harlem today, compared to say 5 years ago, even a neighborhood local can?t deny that the atmosphere and demographic has changed. New restaurants are migrating uptown to call Harlem their new home, bringing along with them a new and more food focused attitude. Now, you can walk down various select blocks and hand-pick where you want to meet friends for happy hour, where you will have an amazing dinner, and where you and your girls will eat brunch over the weekend.
In Harlem it?s vital to keep up with the times and be flexible to all that is new and developing around you. Harlem BarBQ on the corner of 127th and Frederick Douglass Blvd came to the neighborhood a few years ago, just as Harlem was developing on the restaurant scene. ?At first, people were skeptical of this restaurant, especially because the name was so closely associated to another highly popular restaurant in NYC. I thought the same way too until I had the pleasure of meeting Alex Ortiz, Harlem BarBQ?s public relations manager and graphic designer. I went to Harlem BarBQ with a completely open mind recalling what Alex said about the changes going on in the restaurant. Alex stated:
?We want to reach out to all of?Harlem?and Uptown to introduce everyone to a new place to meet, eat and drink. With special?privileges? of becoming a VIP member with many rewards and discounts, this will provide a better way of ?saving money for them and keeping our ongoing customers to return to the restaurant. Harlem is going through some major changes. I?believe?we will be better than downtown? uptown will be the new downtown with broad range of?different?ethic cultures and better clubs, bars and?restaurants.?
As Alex explained, there are plenty of new things being implemented at Harlem BarBQ. A new happy hour which includes their very popular 20 oz frozen drinks for $5.99 and also a new membership program that offers special deals to membership card holders. Also coming soon is a downstairs area with a bar for after hours drinks and snacks and can also be booked for private parties. ?On to the good stuff, the food and drinks! Once I got the memo that Harlem BarBQ is NOT and in no way associated with Dallas BBQ, my friends and I were ready to go over the menu and see what is being offered. To start I was promptly greeted at my table by a friendly waitress and a basket of warm and soft cornbread. ?I ordered a frozen mango patron margarita, amongst the variety of frozen and non- frozen beverages which also consisted of beer on tap; wines by the glass, and also sangria by the glass or the pitcher.
Waiting for our drinks to arrive from the bar we looked over the menu. Every aspect of what someone would want out a menu is covered. Appetizers, salads, and main entrees along with sides and desserts. We wanted to try so many things, but we opted for several appetizers that included buffalo mac -n- cheese; pulled pork sliders; catfish bites with chipotle dipping sauce, and for dessert we ordered a warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream which was recommended to us by the owner. Impressively, the food was delicious. Everything was fresh and prepared perfectly. I have never had buffalo chicken mac-n-cheese, but after tasting Harlem BarBQ?s version, I was the main one at the table eating it because it was so good!
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Alex informed us that all of the food is made from scratch daily. The fries are hand-cut every single day and they even make their own Hennessy caramel that goes into the popular Caramel Hennessy coladas. I was highly impressed with what?s going on inside of Harlem BarBQ. Alex , the owner and the entire staff are putting great strides forward to adapt and change to the incoming neighborhood around them without losing the essence of the restaurant that they started out with. With these new and improved adaptations it can only get better from here.
Christopher Stewart is new to the Uptownflavor writing staff. She is a lover of all things restaurant, chef, and food related. Christopher is a born and breed New Yorker with a ridiculous appetite for food news, tasty plates, and juicy chef gossip. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she has worked in some of New York City?s popular kitchens with some great chefs. Christopher is deeply rooted and in love with the restaurant world although her thoughts are evolving from the hustle and bustle of getting ready for dinner service to the fast paced world of online/digital food media and restaurant coverage.? You can read more reviews by Christopher on her blog Eating Fabulously.
Harlem BarBQ
2367 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (8th Avenue) and West 127th Street
212-222-1922
Take the A,B,C,D to 125th Street and walk north to 127th Street, then east one block to Frederick Douglass Blvd.
Related:
Harlem BBQ is open
More Mojo!
Source: http://uptownflavor.com/2012/09/22/harlem-barbq/
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