[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   A GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN HARLEM

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an article titled 
Moving On Up: In Harlem, A Renaissance in Food by Cynthia Kilian into 
the Record. The article, published in the June 28, 2006 edition of the 
New York Post, celebrates the variety of restaurants and dining 
experiences available in Harlem.
  Harlem is one of the foci of diversity in New York City. One only has 
to walk down the streets of Harlem to see this celebration of 
diversity. Nowhere else it is more evident than in the dining scene of 
Harlem.
  Dinosaur Barbeque, the ribs joint on 131st St., West Harlem has been 
a big hit from the moment it opened on December 1, 2004. If we walk 
down a little farther, we arrive at Pier 2110 Seafood Restaurant, the 
new seafood place with a raw bar and lounge with ginseng drinks, that 
just opened next to the Harlem Lanes bowling alley. A little to the 
east on 121st St. and Frederick Douglass Boulevard lies Harlem Vintage, 
the sleek wine shop on 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd., where a $10 
bottle of sauvignon blanc is as easy to come by as a $90 bottle of 
Brunello di Montalcino, caters to a variety of tastes.
  Native at 118th St. and Lenox Ave. offers BLT salad to Moroccan fried 
chicken with collard greens and walnut sauce. Right around the corner 
is Ginger, known for its ``organic'' Chinese food. Harlem Tea Room, on 
118th and Madison, is a perfect spot to enjoy poetry readings, music 
events and seminars while sipping one of their 22 kinds of tea with the 
eclectic menu of sandwiches and cakes. Further to the east, on 118th 
St. and 3rd Ave., is Creole, where alligator gumbo and crawfish etouffe 
is accompanied by nightly jazz from a changing roll call of artists.
  The ``New Harlem'' with its assorted collection of bars and eateries 
is fast becoming the destination for the sophisticated palate and fine 
dining, along with maintaining the popularity of the neighborhood's 
stalwart Patsy's pizza, Copland's gospel brunch and Senegalese thiebou 
diene (fish stew).
  My colleagues and I invite you to go on a gastronomic adventure in 
Harlem. And I am sure that I need not remind you that our immigrant 
communities take the credit for enriching the American culture by 
adding a variety of spices to the ``melting pot.''

             Moving on Up: In Harlem, a Renaissance in Food

                          (By Cynthia Kilian)

       June 28, 2006.--No one can accuse 125th Street of subtlety. 
     To walk across the Harlem thoroughfare is to submit to a 
     barrage of music-blaring shops, barking street vendors and 
     crowds. But head south on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, and a 
     much different climate quickly emerges.
       There's Harlem Vintage, a sleek wine shop filled with a 
     large, of-the-moment international selection of bottles. A 
     few more blocks down, patrons sip cocktails in the cool, 
     woody comfort of Melba's, while just across the street, latte 
     lovers tap on their laptops in an airy coffee-cum-eatery 
     that--surprise--is not Starbucks.
       Sure, we'd heard about Harlem's luxury condo market and 
     coveted brownstones, and even a new crop of trendy clothing 
     shops. But caviar bars and organic wines?
       North of Central Park--and above 96th Street to the east--
     soul kitchens are being sidled up to by everything from 
     organic Chinese food to moules frites that a waitress at a 
     restaurant named Food says even Belgians seek out.
       Not that the neighborhood's popular chicken and waffles and 
     Senegalese thiebou diene (fish stew) are going anywhere. 
     Neither are stalwarts Patsy's pizza and Copeland's gospel 
     brunch. They're just getting some company.
       The latest buzz on one-two-five is Pier 2110 Seafood 
     Restaurant, which just opened nearby last week. From the 
     management of Manna's of Harlem and Brooklyn, it sports a 
     snazzy lounge, raw bar and ginseng drinks.
       As for ViVa--a k a Viaduct Valley--that's real-estate speak 
     for the West Harlem area reportedly poised to spawn its own 
     restaurant scene in the coming year near Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 
     Fairway Market and the new Citarella. ``New Harlem'' is fast 
     becoming the next destination for fine dining.


                             Served uptown

       1. Food, 1569 Lexington, between 100 and 101st streets; 
     (212) 348-0200.
       The no-nonsense moniker belies the jazzed-up classics in 
     this new incarnation of the former DinerBar, where fish-
     centric chef Scott Geller (who's worked at Nobu) turns 
     out luscious escolar and moules frites in Dijon white wine 
     broth in a friendly neighborhood spot.
       2. Itzocan Bistro, 1575 Lexington Ave., at 101st Street; 
     (212) 423-0255.
       Mexican with French flourishes--such as seafood posole--has 
     been making East Harlem residents happy at this offshoot of 
     an East Village original.
       3. Creole, 2167 Third Ave., at 118th Street; (212) 876-
     8838, creolenyc.com.
       Creole and Cajun bites--alligator gumbo and crawfish 
     etouffee from the kitchen--and nightly jazz from a changing 
     roll call of artists.
       4. Harlem Tea Room, 1793A Madison Ave., at 118th Street; 
     (212) 348-3471, harlemtearoom.com.
       Twenty-two kinds of tea including fruit blends and organics 
     at this comfy spot for nibbling cakes and sandwiches or 
     taking in poetry readings, music events and seminars.
       5. Ginger, 1400 Fifth Ave., at 116th St.; (212) 423-1111, 
     gingerexpress.com.
       Healthy Chinese food? That's the word at this sleek, 
     colorful space located in a ``green'' building. Organic and 
     antibiotic-free ingredients light on the frying result in a 
     baked egg roll (skip it) and sweet, fall-off-the-bone BBQ 
     beef ribs.
       6. Native, 101 W. l18th St., at Lenox Avenue; (212) 665-
     2525, harlemnative.com.
       Ample outdoor seating makes this bright-colored, 5-year-old 
     eatery a fair-weather find for eclectic fare from a BLT salad 
     to Moroccan fried chicken with collard greens and walnut 
     sauce.
       7. Settepani, 196 Lenox Ave., at 120th Street; (917) 492-
     4806.
       This 5-year-old offshoot of a Westchester bakery chainlet 
     has become an epicenter for pastries, sandwiches, salads and 
     pasta, especially when a jazz band riffs outside.
       8. Emperor's Roe, 200 Lenox Ave., at 120th St.; (212) 866-
     3700, emperorsroe.com.
       Caviar and Harlem together as never before at this mail-
     order shop which has just added a shiny new tasting bar and 
     dining area for fish eggs, smoked salmon and bubbly.
       9. Society Coffee & Juice, 2104 Frederick Douglass Blvd., 
     between 113th & 114th; (212) 222-3323, societycoffee.com.
       Airy, laptop-friendly lounge for java, wine, and ``passion 
     and cream'' smoothies to wash down waffles, fondue and thin-
     crust pizza.
       10. Melba's, 300 W. 114th, at Frederick Douglass Blvd.; 
     (212) 864-7777, melbasrestaurant.com.
       This welcoming, woody bistro gives comfort food a tweak by 
     filling spring rolls with yellow rice, black-eyed peas and 
     collards.
       11. Harlem Vintage, 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd., at 121st 
     Street; (212) 866-9463, harlemvintage.com.
       A $10 bottle of sauvignon blanc is just as easy to come by 
     as a $90 Brunello di Montalcino from their ``winemaker of 
     color'' selection at this chic shop.
       12. Pier 2110 Seafood Restaurant, 2110 Adam Clayton Powell 
     Jr. Blvd., between 125th and 126th streets; (212) 280-4737, 
     pier2110.com.
       This spanking-new seafood place with a raw bar and lounge 
     just opened next to the new

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