OH.
Portfolio columnist Zubin Jelveh finds it curious that, while East Harlem restaurants have the highest ratings on Menupages, Frank Bruni has, per a Lexis-Nexis search, never reviewed one of them (meanwhile, the East Village popped up in Bruni’s articles 35 times). Our curmudgeonly commenter Sneakeater offers a reality check: “Not ONE of the restaurants you cite in Harlem or Washington Heights are worthy of a review by the New York Times’s main restaurant reviewer. You seem to have him confused with Bob Siestema of the Voice [Sneakeater has made a spelling mistake here — the man’s name is Sietsema] or the guys who do the New York Times’s ‘$25 and Under’ column.”
Meanwhile, Urbanite points to the “restaurant row” that has emerged at the West Harlem Piers and mentions a bidding war for another restaurant space (who knows, maybe Keith McNally is in on it!). And Uptown Flavor brings news of OH, a new private club, complete with backyard and cigar terrace, owned by O’Dell Holland of the Sugar Shack. The venue isn’t the first of its kind — this summer, a couple of Gordon Ramsay and Per Se alums opened a private dining spot, Recette, that, from the taste of the braised beef cheek with brown butter, chestnut terrine, and sultan chutney we had at City Harvest, is worthy of Bruni’s attention. But why close these hidden gems to walk-ins?
Dining Democracy [Odd Numbers/Portfolio]
OH! Harlem Gets a New Members Only VIP Lounge [Uptown Flavor]
A Restaurant Row Emerges in Harlem [Urbanite/amNY]
