Motivation Monday: MLK Jr.

A Culinary Black History Month Experience at Red Rooster

Disclosure: Red Rooster provided a complimentary tasting experience to facilitate this review; all options expressed are my own.

I'll never forget the buzz over Red Rooster when I learned Chef Marcus Samuelsson would be opening his now-famous restaurant. As a resident of Harlem at the time, I knew the neighborhood was changing, but the arrival of Red Rooster was a major signal to me. When interviewed, Chef Samuelsson expressed the same sentiment:

“The game changer for me?” he said, pausing during the nine-block walk from Red Rooster to his duplex near Frederick Douglass Boulevard. “That was when I noticed that there were more wine stores in Harlem than liquor stores.”

Harlem How I Miss Thee

Spending time in Harlem over the weekend reminded me we just passed our 1 year anniversary of leaving Harlem and I sorely miss it. 

I still follow the news in Harlem and with both my sisters living there we get back there once in a while (and for other events too as seen here). 

I know things don't always go according to plan, but a dream situation for me would be that somehow, someway we end up back in Harlem in a brownstone someday. I still drool over brownstones in my old neighborhood of Hamilton Heights and keep on top of real estate developments. 

Here's a sprinkling of real estate news and more that's making me ache for Harlem more than ever. It really is changing constantly . . .

Harvist - a gourmand's dream - opened the beginning of this year. 

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Sugar Hill Museum Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling is making progress (this was a few short blocks from our old apartment ::sigh::).

Rendering {Image Credit}

Reality: Susan Delvalle, the new director of the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling in Harlem {Image Credit}

When Wafels and Dinges comes to Harlem you know things are looking up! 

{Images Credit: Left and Right}

Although not recent this Martha Stewart video on the history of Harlem's gardens is fascinating.

If I were still in Harlem I totally would've attended this Stop N Swap. Such a great idea!

And now the best for last . . . Harlem brownstones:

64 W. 119th ST (via) ...P.S. The new Whole Foods being built is less than 5 minutes away from here.

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30 West 120th ST (via) - chef Marcus Samuelsson's new home*

 

{Images Credit}

*I have to share a quick idiot moment: I wasn't living in NYC yet (but wishing I was!) and was visiting a friend in Harlem. We were having dinner outdoors at Native (now closed) and while catching up a chipper, young looking man wearing a wreath of leaves leaned over our table from the mini-step above and interrupted our conversation to chat with us. I was annoyed and answered briskly to continue my conversation with my friend. Note that I was wearing a Food & Wine t-shirt (I was working on an account at the time that advertised in that magazine). A week later I was reading a food magazine (probably Food & Wine!) and noticed Marcus Samuelsson's picture - it was the young chipper man who was trying to engage me and my friend. I figured he may have noted my shirt and thought I was in the industry. DOH! Oh and I found out he was wearing the wreath to celebrate the summer solstice - part of his Scandinavian heritage.

Have you ever moved away from a place and months or years later still can't get over it? Did you return or not? Please share your story with me . . .

   

How the Love Birds Weekend

Friday

A night at the Griffin . . .

 

My KISS Nail Dress via Influenster
 - I put it on in 20 minutes on the train!*

With my sister and her BF

After hours mac & cheese at Cafeteria . . .

Saturday

Headed into Manhattan for some mommy time with my dear friend April . . .

I didn't take a picture of it, but I also devoured had Le Pain Quotidien's warm chocolate bread with cherry and ricotta topping - it was DIVINE!

I picked these up on the way home - I'm a sucker for products like this!

I really wanted to watch Downton Abbey that night (I've only watched the first episode of season 3!), but I crashed hard seeing that I didn't get in from the Griffin until 6a.m. that morning O_o
 
Sunday

On the way to the grocery store being silly!

Keep calm and grocery shop

We went to the historic Riverside Church in Harlem for a screening of "The Central Park Five" - I highly recommend this documentary

Following the screening was a panel discussion including 4 of the 5 defendants and Sarah Burns

I got nostalgic for Harlem on my ride to pick up Nia at my sister's apartment after the screening. It's been exactly 1 year since we've left Harlem, and I'm not over it. Probably won't ever be.

Have a great week everyone and don't forget to enter my throwback Spirograph giveaway - it ends this Thursday!

 
 

P.S. Wanna try KISS Nail Dress? Get 50% off and free shipping when you use code VOXBOXHOL here. {Disclosure: I was provided with free KISS Nail Dress via Influenster; all opinions are my own.}

How Mrs. Love Bird Turns 32

Harlem was good to me on my birthday this past Saturday. 

Since returning for Sundae Sermon a few weeks ago I could not get my old neighborhood outta my mind. I miss it badly and now 8 months since we moved I know that feeling is not going away. 

I'm sure it's here to last.

We started our morning attending to some Harlem Toastmasters business - we're still proud members but have been on hiatus due to distance and lack of a club that fits our schedules in Jersey City. It was good to catch up on how the club is doing and we look forward to going back this fall to attend a meeting.

We left 145th ST and headed down to 125th for brunch at Corner Social - a new restaurant across from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster. I was invited by Corner Social to enjoy their DJ brunch and it didn't disappoint. 

There was fantastic people watching, a cool vibe - thanks to a great DJ, and most importantly delicious food. 

Corner Social prides itself on local ingredients and is becoming known as a neighborhood spot that Harlemites of all ages can enjoy. It was definitely a mixed crowd. 

In the time we sat at the patio we were fascinated to see just how much Harlem has changed in the past 8 months since we moved. It was the same feeling we got when we attended Sundae Sermon - Harlem is definitely the place to be!

I ordered the cornflake crusted French toasted filled with bananas and marscapone. It was divine! Mr. Love Bird has officially charged me to recreate the crust at home for my stuffed French toast. It wasn't overly sweet and the crust was perfectly crisp. It came with two savory sausages which were the perfect salty compliment to the meal. 



Oh! Mr. Love Bird and I did have fruit to start, but Lil Love Bird devoured both of our plates of fruit. She had a side order of bacon and most of Mr. Love Bird's fresh cut French fries that accompanied his burger, which with it's juicy blend of meat just might be giving Shake Shack a run for its money . . .

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and it was the most food I have ever seen our Lil Love Bird eat! Her little tummy was so hard after!

She just wanted to be held after eating all that food - she says "hoe-to me" when she wants us to hold her!

From there we headed to my college roommate Maria's daughter's 1st birthday party. It was something out of a Pinterest pin! From the bunting to Alessandra's homemade dress with adorable pink bow and homemade strawberry cake it was such a labor of love - everything was delicious and so well done. 

Cuties in their dresses (and yes, I'm still trying to master low light photography)

Nia was a bit sad when it was time to sing Happy Birthday (she still sings it to herself at least every other day since her birthday), but she was a sweetie and gave Alessandra a birthday hug and kiss!

Nia made a new friend at the birthday party

I remembered right before it was time to go that we should get a family photo to capture the day (thank you to Greg, Maria's husband for taking it!):

We came out the train on the other side of the river and saw we had just missed rain. It never fails to rain on my birthday! {See past birthdays here and here.}

I was so happy to get home early because . . .

To Sir With Love came on PBS. Yes, I was such a nerd and had an alarm set on my phone to remind me. It's one of my favorite movies (and this is my favorite scene), thanks to my mom who made sure I watched lots of old movies growing up and for that I am forever grateful!

Speaking of my mom some of you may remember that yes, it was her birthday too. She had the wonderful privilege of being in labor with me on her birthday. Thank you Mommy!

Here is my beautiful mother with the family dog Tanner and her birthday bicycle:

I'm so excited because as part of my birthday gift arriving later today is my Samsung Galaxy SIII (after over 5 long years years it's good riddance to BlackBerry - I'm nervous about touch screen though, but Mr. Love Bird assures me that swipe is amazing!) then we're off to Vegas in a few days.

I'll see about being a good blogger and publishing a few scheduled posts before we go but if not I definitely will be tweeting (@HarlemLoveBirds) and maybe Instagramming too if I can get up to speed quickly with my new phone.

Thank you to everyone who sent their birthday wishes and to Corner Social for my wonderful birthday brunch!



P.S. Will any of my readers be in Las Vegas for Blogalicious?? I still have a form up here if you want to connect.

How Harlem Goes to Church: Love Birds at Sundae Sermon

Before leaving Harlem I told myself I would someday make it to Sundae Sermon and funny that it took leaving Harlem to make it there at last.

Yesterday was gorgeous, and we couldn't have had a more perfect day.

Imagine a huge, diverse dance party - it was chill, no drama, and provided tons of fantastic people watching, bubble blowing and relaxation. 

With Aunty Ariane

With our friend Melissa

Our Lil Love Bird joined in the dancing . . .

 

I highly recommend going to Sundae Sermon; similar to our experience at the Jazz Age Lawn Party next year I'll pack a picnic and get there early.

{To learn more about Sunday Sermon check out their website here.}

How was your weekend? Don't you just love this transition into fall?