Heart of Harlem

Blog, 11. 10. 18

Dining, jazz, art — Harlem is chock-full with all three. Live in one of the new condos at The Rennie and there are exciting times to be had at your doorstep every night of the week. Here are some neighborhood hot spots.

All That Jazz
The sweet sounds of music seem to emanate from every street corner and every door of Harlem. Jazz, of course, is this neighborhood’s bread and butter. Call in at Bill’s Place, a bona fide speakeasy straight out of the 1920s, and watch eponymous owner Bill Saxton melt the entire room with his house band, the Harlem All Stars, and his inimitable saxophone solos. Live-jazz dive Paris Blues, meanwhile, offers cover-free jazz sets every night of the week, alongside an excellent drinks menu.! Sundays at Red Rooster mean jazz: either brunch with the soulful vocals of Boncella Lewis, or dinner with the Nate Lucas Quartet, ccompanied by shrimp and grits or the firepit BBQ chicken. It’s music to your ears and taste buds.

All That Art
Music is not the only art in Harlem. The Contemporary African Art Gallery showcases a who’s who of fresh African artists who are doing their thing here and now: from the sinewy torso sculptures of Khrispen Matekenya, to Fode Camara’s seductive yet serious canvases, this is a wonderful place to get inspired for an installation to put in your own condo. Over at FACTION Art Projects, they’re trying out new and productive ways of improving the relationship between artists and collectors. This November, Lisa Wright’s beguiling oil paintings from her series “In The Eyes of Each” will be on sale. Perhaps you’ll even end up being a collector yourself.

All That Food
Harlem’s mouthwatering cuisine is perhaps its most-un-kept secret. And though each condo at The Rennie is outfitted with a stylish open kitchen, expect to be tempted to dine out in Harlem more than your personal trainer would like. How could you resist the lobster BLT or homemade tiramisu of Ponty Bistro? If you’ve never tried the moreish dish of injera bread loaded with a roulette wheel of spicy stews, Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant is the place to experience it (and wash it down with traditional honey wine). Mingle with celebs and politicians as you dig into plates of baby back ribs and cornbread at soul food institution Sylvia’s. Delight in the garlic butter-soused snow crab at LoLo’s Seafood Shack — home to a self-professed mashup of Caribbean barbecue and Cape Cod-inspired cuisine. OK, we’ll admit it: You’re never going to want to leave Harlem once you’ve had a chance to “taste” the flavors of the neighborhood.